Hashima, also known as Battleship Island because of its shape is an abandoned island off Nagasaki, lying about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the center of the city.
In the 19th century, large deposits of coal were discovered beneath the sea and a town was built entirely of concrete by the Mitsubishi conglomerate to house the miners and their families.
Hashima is a former coal mining site with over 150,000 tons of coal yearly.
People lived on the island from 1887 until 1974.
The Island lies to the west of the Japanese mainland, at approximately 18km from the port city of Nagasaki.
It’s also known as Gunkanjima, which means ‘battleship island’, due to the resemblance.
It covers an area of 6.3 hectares.
Hashima was famous for undersea coal mining.
It was bought in 1890 by Mitsubishi and subsequently developed for the workers and senior officials with hospitals and schools.
It was one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with a population of 5,200, at its peak, living in a space equivalent to that of fifteen football fields.
However, as petrol began to replace coal in the 60s, coal mines were eventually closed in Japan.
The downturn of economic activity compelled its residents to pack up and leave the island all within three months.
Hashima has remained desolate since.
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