Close-up of the lonely "ghost town" in the middle of the sea recognized as a world heritage site

Hashima is a small island located about 20km from Nagasaki Harbor, Japan. Hashima Island is also known as Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island, because of its resemblance to a battleship when viewed from a distance.

The island is surrounded by a seawall, filled with dilapidated, abandoned buildings - a city that has been completely uninhabited for more than 40 years.

The island, which is only 480 meters long and 150 meters wide, was once home to more than 5,000 people. It is also the most densely populated place in recorded history anywhere in the world.

To accommodate so many people in such a small area, every piece of land was built up, gradually the shape of the island looked like a giant battleship.

In the early 1900s, Hashima was developed by the Mitsubishi Corporation for coal mining, which also brought more people into the area.

To accommodate the miners, high-rise apartment buildings were built, linked by courtyards, corridors and staircases. There was also a school, restaurant and playground, all surrounded by a protective seawall.

After Mitsubishi closed the coal mine, people left, and the island city was abandoned, gradually returning to nature.

In the following years, the apartments began to fall into disrepair, and in the empty courtyards, trees and weeds began to grow.

Nothing has been disturbed since the residents left their homes, leaving behind everything from shoes and electronics to blackboards full of lectures. Hashima is like a “ghost town” in the middle of the sea.

Due to the risk of structural collapse, access to Hashima was once strictly prohibited.

But since 2009, travel companies have been allowed to operate to the island.

In July 2015, the island was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site with the title "Japan's Meiji period industrial heritage".