Closed to humans: where is the most dangerous island in the world

There is one of the scariest places in the world off the coast of Brazil. Snake Island, located 35 km from the coast and washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, is advised to be avoided.

Tourists are strictly forbidden to visit this place. The Express explained why the island is protected by the military.

Although its real name is Ilha da Queimada Grande, it is easy to understand why the island was given a popular name. This territory is notorious for its snakes. There are a lot of them here – more than 4 thousand. That is, there is one poisonous snake per square meter.

The most dangerous is a species that lives only in Brazil – the Bothropoides. Its strong venom causes kidney failure, internal bleeding, and death of living tissue. It kills humans within an hour (mice and some other mammals die within seconds of being bitten). The island subspecies is much more poisonous than its mainland relatives.

Scientists say that 10,000 years ago the island was part of the mainland and separated after a sudden rise in sea level. The animals and reptiles that remained in isolation during this time evolved differently from their mainland relatives.

There is a legend on the coast that the terrible snakes were brought to the island by pirates to protect countless treasures. In fact, the animals were simply left stranded when rising sea levels severed the island's connection to mainland Brazil.

Until the 1920s, locals lived on Snake Island, but now the terrifying island is completely uninhabited. It is said that the last inhabitants were the lighthouse keeper and his family, but snakes slipped through the windows and killed the entire family.

Nowadays, the authorities and representatives of the navy periodically visit the lighthouse and carefully make sure that no adventurers get too close to the island.

The most dangerous islands in the world

• North Sentinel Island, India. It is home to an isolated group of indigenous people, believed to number between 50 and 100 people. According to reports, the islanders are ready to kill any outsider who makes their way to their territory.

• Miyake-jima, Japan: there is an active volcano Oyama, and a high risk of a second eruption.
• Saba, Netherlands Antilles: this tiny island has suffered from the strongest hurricanes over the past 150 years.
• Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is dangerous for two reasons: nuclear radiation and sharks. From 1946 to 1958, more than 20 nuclear weapons tests were conducted here.
• Farallon Islands, USA. The sea around the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco has been used as a dump for radioactive waste for 30 years.

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