Our world is infinitely large. Over the history of mankind, explorers all over the world have set off on their journeys of discovery. While most of the land mass on our planet has been explored, there are still entire worlds under our oceans left unexplored. While the unknown may conjure a lot of fascination and curiosity in our minds, there are plenty of places on Earth which will blow your minds away. There are hundreds of unique locations and places that make our world both weird and wonderful. Given below are some of the most bizarre and fascinating places found on Earth. Have fun discovering.
1) The Door to Hell in Derweze, Turkmenistan
Since a long time now, many people believe in the legend surrounding the gates of hell. Several places all over the world have acquired the legendary title of being the entrance to hell itself. The door to hell in Derweze, Turkmenistan is one such place. It is a 230 foot wide crater that keeps on burning. Back in 1971, a Soviet drilling operation was performed in the area. Scientists observed that there was a methane reserve under the ground. But an accident occurred and the entire drilling platform collapsed and the crater was created. Since a dangerous amount of methane was being released into the air, they decided to light it so as to burn it off. The crater burns even to this day and looks like an image taken right out of Dante’s book.
2) Nagoro, Japan
Nagro is the name given to a tiny village in Japan. What makes Nagoro so bizarre? It’s a village inhabited by human sized dolls. Tsukimi Ayano returned to his home village in 2003 and saw that most of the inhabitants had either left or died. The human population there had reduced to 40. Feeling lonely, he started creating life sized dolls to populate the village. Today, more than 350 dolls reside there and all of them are made to represent former residents in the community. From fishermen trying to catch fishes to students sitting in classrooms and couples sitting on public benches, all the dolls are placed to resemble an actual thriving population in the village. Nagaro, truly is one of the most weirdly beautiful places on Earth.
3) The Rainbow Mountain, Peru
While Machu Picchu might be the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about Peru, the mountains of Vinicunca is one place you need to know about. These mountains are one of the most breathtaking landscapes found on Earth. It’s popularly called the Rainbow Mountains due to its distinct layered colorful look. No one knows exactly why the mountains have numerous strips of different colors. Scientists have tried to find an explanation ever since they were discovered but there hasn’t been any luck so far.
4) The Blood Falls of Antarctica
The Dry Valleys in Antarctica are ice free except for a few glaciers. The Taylor Glacier is home to a magnificent phenomenon. The pristine white glacier drips what looks like blood and offers a terrifying experience for some. Is it because a giant was killed many centuries ago? Sadly, the answer is no. The color of the blood red water is due to the presence of salty water trapped inside the glacier long ago. Since it didn’t have any contact with oxygen or sunlight, the salt content increased and it didn’t freeze. The cracks in the glacier allowed the salty water to flow out. When oxygen comes in contact with the water, it changes to a red hue giving the appearance of a bleeding glacier. This glacier was first discovered way back in 1911. One can only imagine what must have gone through the mind of the discoverer when he saw the glacier bleed into the ocean.
5) The Green Village of China
Hidden deep in the Shengsi Archipelago in China lies a village consumed by Mother Nature. Once upon a time, the village was a thriving fishing community but as nearby resources started getting depleted, the inhabitants left to make a better living. The change brought about by industrialization in China only added to the migration. Soon after, the entire community was deserted. As time went on, Mother Nature slowly took back the entire village. Today, almost every single man made structure there is covered by plants. Every window, every door and every crack was overtaken by vines and plans turning the village into a surreal fantasy-esque ghost town. What’s more amazing is that it just took 50 years for the transformation to take place. Soon, the entire village will fall prey to Mother Nature.
These are only a few of some of the most spectacular and bizarre places in our world. With each passing day, more and more amazing parts of our world are getting discovered. With so many already existing, we have plenty to time to catch up with the new ones.