Abandoned Places That Have Been Reclaimed By Nature

1/41 Abandoned Shopping Mall, Bangkok Thailand. The New World Shopping Mall has been abandoned since 1999. It shut its doors after being condemned by local regulators. A few years later a massive fire destroyed the structure’s roof. Not long after that monsoon rains flooded the lower floors.

2/41 As a way to combat the spread of mosquitos and other insects breeding in the stagnant water, locals introduced koi and catfish to the former mall. Not only did the fish take care of the pest problem, they’ve thrived. It is now one of the world’s largest urban ponds.

4/41 Holland Island, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.

5/41 Formerly the most populated island the Chesapeake Bay, Holland Island is now abandoned and rapidly eroding away. Before that though, the island was home to about 360 residents.

6/41 Suddenly in 1914 the wind and tide began to erode the western side of the island. Most of the population lived on that side, and were forced to leave. Pictured above is the last remaining house from Holland Island. It collapsed in 2010.

7/41 Abandoned homes in rural Finland.

8/41 After the property owner died in a fire, these cottages were left abandoned. Not one to wait on ceremony, nature rapidly began reclaiming the land.

11/41 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine.

12/41 In the years since the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl power plant, the surrounding area has been completely abandoned by humans. A 1,000 mile zone around the plant is closed to human activity for the next 20,000 years because of the residual radiation from the meltdown.

13/41 With a lack of human activity the surrounding forests of Chernobyl have turned begun to consume the abandoned city. It’s sort of like a nuclear wildlife sanctuary.

14/41 Here are the before and after pictures: The area as seen in the 1990′s.

15/41 Aerial photograph from 2013. The forest is closing in on the city.

16/41 Old poison gas factory in Japan.

17/41 During World War II the island of Okunoshima housed a major poison gas manufacturing plants. After the war, the plant was destroyed and abandoned.

18/41 The rabbits held there for testing were released into the wild around the plant. As you can tell from these photos, they have thrived.

20/41 Kolmanskop, Namibia.

21/41 Kolmanskop was once a prosperous diamond mining community. After the mines were exhausted, the village was abandoned in 1954. Now the desert is taking over and returning the former village to nature.

24/41 Aral Desert, Khazakstan/Uzbekistan.

25/41 There are boats in the desert because this place wasn't always a desert!

26/41 The fourth largest body of water in the world used to be here. However because of over fishing and irrigation, the sea was reduced to 10 percent of its former volume.

27/41 What’s left are three small lakes with lots of desert in between them. And camels. Heaps of 'em!

28/41 Fukushima, Japan.

29/41 When thousands were forced to flee following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, most of them left their pets behind. An estimated 10,000 of them. There is a foundation in Japan that brings food to the city for the abandoned animals.

31/41 Año Nuevo Island, California.

32/41 Off the coast of Northern California is this little nine acre island. It’s been abandoned since the early 19th century, which probably has to do with the island being a major breeding ground for sea lions and sea birds.

35/41 Amusement park in Berlin.

36/41 Bennett College, abandoned in 1978.

37/41 Railway tracks? Nope. Nature.

38/41 Road in rural Pennsylvania being taken over by nature.

39/41 When nature calls. Heh heh heh...

40/41 North Border Island in New York City.

41/41 The top of the building.