18 Forbidden Places

Snake Island and Other Forbidden Places

In this video, Erin McCarthy talks about some of the most dangerous, mysterious, or otherwise forbidden places in the world that you can't visit.

Snake Island

• The Ilha da Queimada Grande, or “Snake Island,” is home to a rare and incredibly deadly species of snake called the golden lancehead.

• There are one to five snakes for every square meter of land on the 43-hectare island.

• The vipers mainly eat migratory birds that visit the island, and they’ve evolved a venomous bite strong enough to take down their prey before they can fly away.

• The Brazilian government has forbidden people from visiting the area except for rare exceptions made mostly for scientists studying the species who have to be accompanied by a doctor—just in case.

Lascaux Cave

• Lascaux Cave in France contains some of the most iconic cave paintings ever studied dating back to 15,000 to 17,000 years ago.

• Discovered in 1940, it opened to the public in 1948 but closed permanently after just 15 years due to artificial lights installed there promoting algae growth on cave walls causing painting’s colors to fade.

• Lascaux Cave is now off-limits to visitors but archaeology fans can check out a perfect replica of the site located right next door.

Ise Grand Shrine

• The Ise Grand Shrine in Japan was first constructed around 2000 years ago and since then, it’s been torn down and rebuilt every two decades.

• Reconstructing the shrine about once a generation helps keep the traditional shinmei-zukuri architectural style alive.

• Reconstructing Ise Grand and its hundreds of secondary shrines costs the Japanese government $500 million each time. Most of that cost and effort ends up going unseen.

• While tourists can view it from the outside, the inside of the shrine is only accessible to the highest priestesses or priests.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

• The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is located on the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen in Norway and houses more than 1 million seed samples native to places around the world.

• The vault acts as a sort of back-up drive of the world’s crops, preserving specimens in a safe place in case a disaster ever wipes them out in their natural environment.

• The facility is built to protect its contents from unwanted visitors along with everything else, deep enough underground and high enough above sea level to withstand earthquakes, ocean rise, and nuclear attacks.

World of Coca-Cola Museum

• In Atlanta, Georgia, there’s a high-security vault at World of Coca-Cola museum that's said to safeguard Coke’s secret formula which is apparently a real handwritten recipe that’s been in company possession since at least 1920s.

• Though tourists can see it from outside, interior access is strictly limited to top executives making it likely just a publicity stunt but still costing millions for security purposes alone.

• Despite all that trouble, Coke’s secret formula may not be much of a secret at all. That same year, This American Life shared a recipe for Coke that had allegedly been passed down from a mysterious pharmacist. Coca-Cola denies that this formula is the same one they have locked away.

Forbidden Places You're Not Allowed to Visit

This video talks about some of the most forbidden places in the world that are closed off to the public.

Uluru, Australia

• Climbing Uluru was banned in 2019 due to its sacred significance to local indigenous groups.

• Visitors who have taken rocks from Uluru have reported bad luck and mailed them back, earning them the nickname "sorry rocks."

Surtsey Island, Iceland

• Surstey is a brand-new island created by an undersea volcanic eruption in the 1960s.

• It has become a case study for how ecosystems develop without human interference.

Heard Island, Antarctica

• Heard Island is one of the more dangerous places on Earth due to its active volcano and high wind speeds.

• It's at least a two-week journey by boat from Australia and requires a permit to visit.

Montserrat, Caribbean

• The Soufrière Hills volcano erupted in 1995 causing nearby town Plymouth to be evacuated and abandoned as eruptions continued.

• More than half of Montserrat is still designated as an exclusion zone.

Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine

• Following the meltdown at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986, an 18-mile radius exclusion zone was established around the site.

• Most of the exclusion zone is now open to tourists with licensed guides.

Area 51, Nevada Desert

• Area 51 is famously off-limits to the public but people planned a raid on it in September 2019 which only resulted in few dozen showing up at gates at appointed time.

Secret Rooms, Abandoned Islands, and the Ark of the Covenant

This video discusses various secret rooms, abandoned islands, and a church in Ethiopia that claims to house the Ark of the Covenant.

Room 39

• Illegal activities coming out of Room 39 include counterfeiting, insurance scams, and drug production.

• It is estimated that these activities make North Korea between $500 million and $2 billion in U.S. dollars a year.

• Room 39 is believed to be located in the Workers Party building in Pyongyang.

Poveglia Island

• Poveglia Island was used as a quarantine station for potential victims of bubonic plague from 1793 to 1814.

• A mental hospital opened on the island in the 1920s and closed after a few decades due to its reputation for inhumane treatment of patients.

• Today, Poveglia Island is largely closed off to visitors except for ghost hunters.

North Brother Island

• North Brother Island was home to a hospital for patients with contagious diseases in the late 19th century.

• Typhoid Mary, America's first known asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever bacterium, spent three years quarantined on this island after causing an outbreak.

• Today, North Brother Island serves as a bird sanctuary and is inaccessible to the general public.

Heart Reef

• Heart Reef is part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef and is shaped like a heart.

• It has become an iconic location but divers and snorkelers have been banned from visiting it to protect its delicate ecosystem.

Maya Bay

• Maya Bay became a massive tourist destination following the release of "The Beach" movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2000.

• The beach was attracting millions of people per year at its peak which wiped out much of its native coral.

• Thailand closed Maya Bay in June 2018 to give the ecosystem a chance to recover and plans to reopen it with tighter restrictions.

Ark of the Covenant

• Ethiopia claims that it is home to the Ark of the Covenant which is kept in a church in Aksum.

• The treasure is guarded by monks who have been trained to kill with their bare hands, and only the designated guardian monk can see it.

• Archaeologists have not been able to confirm its legitimacy due to secrecy and potential myth-making.

Conclusion

This video discusses various secret rooms, abandoned islands, and a church in Ethiopia that claims to house the Ark of the Covenant. These locations are shrouded in mystery due to their notorious secrecy or dark history.