Ghost towns around the world, both ancient and modern, have become famous for their well-preserved state and the reasons for their abandonment. Famous examples include Bodie, California, Jonestown in Guyana, Prypiat in Ukraine, and Chellah in Morocco. Some were abandoned due to depletion of resources, while others were the result of disasters or war.
Ghost towns in varying conditions can be found all over the world, but some have become particularly famous. The famous ghost towns become famous both because they are extremely well preserved and for the reasons that led to their abandonment. Some famous ghost towns are ancient, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which was once surrounded by a large settlement, while others are much newer.
In the Americas, the most famous ghost towns are old mining towns abandoned due to depletion of resources. Bodie, California is perhaps one of the best known ghost towns, thanks to its high level of preservation; it’s actually kept in a state of “arrested decay,” freezing the city in time for visitors. Belmont, Nevada; Ruby, Arizona; and Cody, British Columbia are a few mining towns with lots of existing buildings. Centralia, Pennsylvania is a recently abandoned ghost town after an underground fire started in the town’s coal mine in 1961.
In South America, Jonestown, Guyana was abandoned after a mass murder-suicide in 1978. In Chile, workers left the town of Humberstone to decay in the 1960s, and parts of it are very well preserved under layers of sand. Ojuela, a former mining settlement in Mexico, was abandoned in the early 21st century after a series of political struggles for control of the site.
Crossing the pond to Europe, some famous ghost towns include: Balestrino, Italy, abandoned after a series of earthquakes in the 1950s; Prypiat, Ukraine, abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster; and Tyneham, a village in Dorset, England which was taken over by the Ministry of Defense during World War II and never returned to citizens. In France, visitors can see Oradour-sur-Glane, a village that witnessed a horrific massacre during World War II. Although the Germans tried to destroy the city to cover up the evidence, the French left the ruins in place as a memorial.
Africa has some very interesting famous ghost towns, including Chellah, a site in Morocco abandoned in the 12th century, and Kolmanskop, a thriving former site of a diamond mine in Namibia, which is slowly being covered in sand. Asia and the Middle East are also home to several famous ghost towns, ranging from ancient sites such as Mandu, an Indian city abandoned in the 12th century, to Agdam in Azerbaijan, abandoned due to war in the 1600s. In Turkey, Kayakoy, a well preserved Greek village abandoned by its residents when they were expelled in 1993, and the tourist district of Famagusta in Cyprus has been abandoned since the Turkish invasion in 1923.
Australia and Antarctica also have some ghost towns. Wittenoom in Australia, a former asbestos mine, has been abandoned due to health problems, while Deception Island in Antarctica has a number of abandoned structures, although parts are still used for seasonal research camps.
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