Our spectacular planet has so many wonders to explore.
However, there are some places that are just too dangerous, too protected, or
maybe too special to visit—even for the most seasoned voyager. These places
have been completely cut off from the outside world.
Heard Island Volcano, Australia
This barren volcanic Antarctic Island, an Australian
external territory about two thirds of the way between Madagascar and
Antarctica, is considered one of the most remote places on earth. The
368-square-mile landmass is mountainous, has 41 glaciers and is also home to an
array of wildlife including penguins, seals, and marine birds. However in 2000,
the University of Hawaii noticed a two-kilometer-long lava flow coming from the
southwest side of Mawson’s Peak, a 2,745-foot-high complex volcano which has
been active ever since. Aside from the volcano and its dangers, the weather on
the island is notoriously poor. Plus, its a minimum two-week sail to any other
major land mass — making it one of the most dangerous, and hardest places in
the world to access.
Ilha
da Queimada Grande
Ilha da Queimada Grande, as it is more
affectionately known, is a 43-hectare island located of the Brazilian
coastline, approximately 20 miles from the Sao Paulo shore. The island is home
one of the globe’s most deadly species of snake, the Golden Lancehead Viper,
who’s venom can eat through flesh. There are more than 4,000 of them on the
island, but local lore suggests that there is one snake for every five square
meters of the land. Whatever the case, the Brazilian government has prohibited
any visitors from setting foot there with one exception: Every few years the
government grants a handful of scientists a permit to study the snakes.
North
Sentinel Island, Andaman Islands
This small, heavily forested island in the Bay of
Bengal is completely encircled by coral reef, making it difficult to approach
by boat. However, its inaccessibility is not the main obstacle to a visit:
North Sentinel Island is inhabited by a small indigenous population known as
the Sentinelese, who have rejected contact with all other peoples — they are
among the world’s last communities to remain untouched by modern civilization.
In 2008, two fisherman whose boat accidentally strayed too close were
reportedly killed by the tribe. And in the wake of the massive 2004 Indian
Ocean earthquake and resulting tsunami, research helicopters assessing the
damage in the area were attacked by the Sentinelese, who shot arrows and threw
stones as the aircraft flew over the coastline.
Svalbard
Global Seed Vault, Norway
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a vast
subterranean seed bank and storage facility on the Norwegian island of
Spitsbergen, around 800 miles from the North Pole, built 400 feet into a
mountainside. Officially opened in February 2008, the facility now stores
around 840,000 samples of 4000 different species of seeds, from all over the
world. The idea behind the seed bank is to provide a safety net against
accidental loss diversity in the case of a major global or regional event. It
functions much like a safety deposit box at the bank, allowing organizations or
governments to ‘deposit’ seed variations in the vault for safe keeping, and
only they have access to their deposits. The 11,000-square-foot facility is
protected by highly advanced security systems and access is strictly limited to
a handful of employees.
Area
51, Nevada
No list of prohibited places would be complete
without a mention of Area 51 — the nickname for a remote detachment of United
States Air Force facility Edwards Air Force Base, located in Southern Nevada.
The facility is shrouded in secrecy and while it has long believed to be a
testing facility for experimental aircraft and weaponry, conspiracy theorists
favorite theory that the base is where the U.S. government examines and stores
a crashed alien space craft and the alien occupants, including evidence from a
supposed alien crash landing in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. While the area
surrounding Area 51 is a popular tourist destination for alien enthusiasts,
access to Area 51 itself is completely prohibited, except to intelligence and
military personnel with special clearance. The airspace above the base is also
a no-go area and is rumored to be protected with anti aircraft weaponry and
fighter jets.
Ise
Grand Shrine, Japan
This Isa Shrine, located in the town of Uji-tachi in
the Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine complex dedicated to the goddess
Amaterasu-omikami, which consists of two main shrines and about 125 secondary
shrines. While the location of the shrine is said to date back to the third
century, the standing structures have been dismantled and replaced every 20
years — most recently in 2013 — consistent with Shinto beliefs regarding death
and renewal. One of the main shrines is believed to house the ‘Sacred Mirror,’
called Yata no Kagami, part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. From outside,
little can be seen except a fence and the buildings’ thatched roofs. Access is
restricted to just the high priestess or priest, who has to be a member of the
Japanese Imperial Family.
Tomb
of the Qin Shi Huang, China
The
tomb of China’s first Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BC, is buried
deep beneath a hill in Central China. The burial complex consists of a
complicated network of underground caverns that were filled with all the things
the emperor would need in the afterlife, including clay reproductions of his
armies, family, servants, horses, and staff, widely known as the Terracotta
Army. Since its initial discovery in 1974, over 2,000 statues have been
excavated, each of them completely unique, and experts believe that there may
be more that 8,000 in total surrounding the central tomb, still yet to be
uncovered. However, the Chinese government might never allow the excavation of
the emperor’s tomb, choosing to respect the ancient burial rites. So while
tourists can catch a glimpse of the emperor’s clay army during a site tour, the
ancient warrior’s main tomb may remain undiscovered indefinitely.
Lascaux
Caves, France
This complex series of caves, located in
Northwestern France, is home to one of history’s most famous examples of
Paleolithic cave paintings ever discovered. The ancient artwork is believed to
be over 17,000 years old and depicts mostly images of large animals that have
been proven through fossil excavations to have been living in the area at that
time. The caves are even listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. However since
2008, the caves have been completely closed off to the public following a
fungal outbreak, with only a small handful of scientists allowed to enter for
just a few days a month in order to study the paintings.
Vatican
Secret Archives, Vatican City, Italy
Buried deep within the walls of Vatican City, and
mostly underground, are the Vatican Secret Archives, which house the immense
history of the acts of the Holy See, along with historic documents, state
papers, papal account books, and other official correspondence, some of which
dates back to the eighth century. Items include letters from Michelangelo, a
letter from Mary Queen of Scots written while she was awaiting her execution,
and King Henry VIII’s request for a marriage annulment. The archives, which are
the official property of the current pope, have been estimated to span over 52
miles of shelving with more that 35,000 items. Other than a very small staff
who take care of the archives, access is strictly limited to qualified scholars
from very select higher education and research institutions, all of whom have
to undergo an rigorous access application process to be granted entry.
