Six ghost towns and why nobody lives there

Earlier this year, we heard the story of Lui Shengjia, a man who is living alone in the abandoned village of Xuenshanshe in China.

His poignant tale shows that even thriving towns and communities can, for one reason or another, become ghost towns filled with empty streets and crumbling ruins.

From an abandoned property development, to a deserted island – here are some very intriguing uninhabited places from around the world and the reasons why nobody lives there.  

1. Sesena, Spain  

Located 35 kilometres south of Madrid, the town of Sesena had plans for a huge development in the middle of the Spanish property boom, with an array of high rise blocks and holiday properties built, but never completed. The buildings now stand derelict and unsold, rendering the huge estate a ghost town.

Photos: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez, Getty Images

2. Imber, England

Imber village is located on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. It was evacuated in December 1943, as American troops prepared for the invasion of Europe during World War II. Residents were never allowed to return, and it remains a training ground for British soldiers. It is also open for public tours a handful of times every year for the curious.

Photos: Imber Village

3. Farina, Australia

The eerie town of Farina in central South Australia sits on the edge of the desert and was settled in 1878 by optimistic farmers who thought it was the perfect location to grow wheat and barley. Unfortunately, they were very mistaken. The regular rainfall was nowhere near enough to sustain the crops and despite being located on the former alignment of the Ghan railway, with two hotels, two breweries, and a bakery, it fell into decline in the mid-1900s and is now uninhabited.

Photos: Deserted Places Australia

4. Hashima Island, Japan

Also nicknamed Ghost Island, Hashima Island housed a coal mining facility during its heyday from the late-ninth century to mid-20th century. You might recognise it from the James Bond film Skyfall, in which Hashima Island served as the lair of the film’s villain.

Photos: Wikipedia and Abandoned Area

5. Sanzhi Pod City, Taiwan

This UFO pod village named Sanzhi Pod City, is currently not inhabited by aliens or humans. The colourful UFO-shaped houses were planned as a seaside destination for holidaying American military staff posted in Asia, but it was never finished and the project went bankrupt.

Photos: The Hiat

6. Gouqi Island, China

This Chinese fishing village has been abandoned for more than 50 years and has now been overrun by nature. The village is on Gouqi Island, one of the 394 islands that form the archipelago of Shengsi Islands. Although the area still attracts more than 100,000 fishermen every winter, fishing practices have diminished during the last decades leading to the abandonment of previously flourishing fishing villages.

Photos: Amusing Planet