A YouTube video by "Curious Ben" showcases 10 remote islands with frightening histories. These include:
1. Miyake-jima Island in Japan, which was evacuated due to toxic gas emissions from a volcano and became a "ghost island" before its inhabitants returned in 2005.
2. Bikini Atoll, where the US tested nuclear bombs between 1946 and 1958, contaminating the area with radioactive material.
3. Hashima Island in Japan, also known as "Gunkanjima" or "Battleship," where Mitsubishi exploited coal reserves, forcing hundreds of workers to labor in inhumane conditions.
4. San Servolo Island in Italy, known as the "Island of the Mad," which housed a mental institution for 250 years, subjecting patients to inhumane treatment.
5. Ramree Island in Burma, where thousands of Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles during World War II.
6. Gruinard Island in Scotland, where British scientists tested Anthrax, contaminating the island for over 40 years.
7. Hart Island in New York, a massive cemetery for the unclaimed dead, including those who died during the American Civil War.
8. Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea, where the Russian government developed biological weapons, including Anthrax, contaminating the island.
9. Poveglia in Italy, where over 160,000 plague victims were buried, and some unofficial accounts suggest that many were left to die on the island.
10. Bermeja Islet, a mysterious Mexican island that disappeared from maps and sparked conspiracy theories about its fate.
The video ends with the answer to a question posed at the beginning: the island of Madagascar belongs to the African continent.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Miyake-jima Island is located in the southeast of Japan.
2. The island has experienced several volcanic eruptions since the last century.
3. A volcanic eruption on July 14, 2000, forced people to leave the island quickly.
4. The Oyama volcano on the island began spreading toxic sulfur dioxide gas in 2000.
5. The Japanese government required inhabitants to wear gas masks from 2005 to 2008.
6. Bikini Atoll is located in the Pacific Ocean and was the site of over 20 nuclear bomb detonations between 1946 and 1958.
7. The United States evicted 167 Indians from Bikini Atoll to conduct nuclear tests.
8. The detonations contaminated the island and its surroundings with radioactive material.
9. The natives who were evicted from Bikini Atoll tried to return in 1972 but were forced to leave again due to the island still being contaminated.
10. Hashima Island is located off the port of Nagasaki in Japan.
11. The island was the site of coal mining and had a large population, but it was abandoned after the coal industry collapsed in 1974.
12. San Servolo Island is located near Venice, Italy, and was once home to a madhouse.
13. Over 200,000 patients were treated on the island between 1725 and 1978.
14. The island was used for inhumane treatment of patients, including the use of chains, straitjackets, and torture elements.
15. The island is now home to the International University of Venice.
16. Ramree Island in Burma was the site of a battle during World War II, and over 1,000 Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles in the island's swamps.
17. Gruinard Island, located off the coast of Scotland, was used for biological warfare experiments, including the testing of anthrax.
18. The island was contaminated with anthrax for over 40 years before being decontaminated in 1986.
19. Hart Island in New York is a cemetery for people who were not recognized by their families or did not have enough money for a proper funeral.
20. The island was also used as a prison and psychiatric facility during the American Civil War.
21. Access to the island is restricted, and visitors must follow strict rules.
22. Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea was used for biological warfare experiments, including the testing of anthrax.
23. The island became contaminated with toxic substances after the Soviet Union broke up.
24. Poveglia Island in Italy was used as a mass burial site for over 160,000 bodies during the plague.
25. Some bodies are still visible on the island today.
26. Bermeja Islet was a Mexican island that disappeared from maps and was the subject of conspiracy theories.
27. The island was supposedly located in an area disputed by Mexico and the United States.
28. Madagascar is part of the African continent.