Weirdest Towns in the World

Usually, a ghost town is an abandoned human settlement, an old town which people left due to certain disasters, economical failure or war. But, how can a modern town become a ghost town? In Ordos, China, Kangbashi is one of the newest and more modern neighborhoods, but it is absolutely empty. The Kangbashi district in Interior Mongolia, China was built based on modern standards, being able to host more than 1 million people, most of them having to work at the mines near this town. Authorities invested about 2,6 million dollars in order to transform the area into a real metropolis with ski scrappers, museums, theaters, libraries, parks and luxurious residences. Besides, even if it might sound rather weird, no one thought that people might need schools, hospitals, TV cable, internet, clubs for young people to have fun, or taxis. This became a good reason for people to avoid the luxurious town. If you ever think of visiting this modern ghost town, don't be surprised if the only persons you are going to meet on the street will be the garbage men and a few extremely courageous individuals who dared to live here.

At 50 kilometers north of Turin there is an underground town called Damanhur or the Town of Lights. Its inhabitants say that their powerful social, spiritual and economical basis is a great example for all humankind. They have their own constitution, currency, which is credito, and language, which they use in rituals. The main ideal of the inhabitants in Damanhur is promoting the freedom of expression and encouraging creativity, which are seen as important steps for the superior evolution of human species. The place has been kept a secret for long time, no stranger being allowed to enter until recently. Its existence has been made public a few years ago by a former member of the community. Since then, Damanhur opened its gates for visitors. Founded in 1977, Damanhur is a place where one can see everywhere symbols evoking the duality of our existence, man-woman, Sun-Moon, good-evil. Damanhur is also famous for its time travels that are thought at the Damanhur University. They also have a special room for time and space traveling.

Manshiet Nasser is a strange community in Cairo, Egypt named the “Garbage City” due to the fact that tones of trash from all over the capital are thrown here. However, the most bizarre thing is that there are people, even entire families living in Manshiet Nasser who are known as "Zabbalin" meaning "garbage men". They even make a living by cheaply collecting, sorting and disposing of the vast trash. In fact, about 80% of the waste gathered in Manshiet Nasser is recycled and resold. In the Garbage City, most families are specialized in sorting one type of trash.

Longyearbyen is the largest settlement and the administrative center of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. It is one of the world's northernmost towns and at first sight it is just a quite town in the interior of the Arctic Circle. Longyearbyen has a population of about 2,100. Being the most populated among the Arctic towns, the place provides an easy access to the Arctic frontier. Well, this is your first feeling before getting to know some of its weird customs. A night lasts about 6 months and students learn how to shoot polar bears in order to protect against their attacks. Kindergarten children learn different physiotherapy techniques so they can maintain their mobility in cases of abundant snow, eventhough snowing started to be rather rare due to global warming. Nothing seems so strange until now, until the inhabitants have to deal with a natural phenomenon, which is death. Experts discovered that permafrost impedes the natural decomposition of the body, therefore no one has been admitted into the graveyard for over 70 years. In order to be buried, people have to make advanced arrangements to be flown to another part of Norway, procedure that can last too much. However, despite the fact that people cannot be buried in Longyearbyen, the town is ready for the Apocalypse.

Coober Pedy is a small town in the northern part of South Australia, having a population of about 2,000 inhabitants. The city is known for its statute of the opal capital of the world due to the huge quantity of precious opal exploited here. Besides, Cobber Pedy became famous for the largest population living underground in refurbished mines because of the unbearable heat outside, during the day. The name “Coober Pedy” comes from the Aboriginal words “kupa piti” or “white man in a hole”. Situated between Adelaide and Alice Spring, Coober Pedy became a real attraction for tourists who are curious to visit the underground mines, churches, hotel, cemetery and stores. When temperatures are extremely high, an underground house will keep it temperature constant.