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Name - Hashima Island is also known as Gunkanjima, which means battleship island in English.

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Nagasaki - It is one of the 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki province, and lies 15 km (9 miles) away from the city of Nagasaki.

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Originally - The island was only populated from 1887 until 1974, and was mainly used for coal extraction during that time.

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Owners - Mitsubishi bought the island and began extracting coal from the underwater mines.

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First concrete building - The first large-scale concrete building was built on the island was an apartment block built in 1916, to accommodate the island's workers.

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Maximum population - When it was inhabited, the island's highest population was 5,259 in 1958.

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Closure - Petroleum replaced coal during the 1960s in Japan, which is what led to the end of activity on the island in 1974.

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Characteristics - From the air the island almost looks like an abandoned warship.

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What used to be - The island had a hospital, two schools, and a temple, along with some shops, restaurants, and other structures which are now in ruins.

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Access - After being completely evacuated in 1974, the island only became accessible again in the 2000s.

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World Heritage Site - In 2009 a request was made to UNESCO to grant the island World Heritage Site status.

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Controversy - In 2015 the decision to approve the island as a World Heritage Site caused controversy, as many South Korean workers suffered at the hands of the Japanese through forced labor on the island when it was still used for coal extraction.

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Abandoned plans - For years there was a plan to turn the island into a giant trash deposit until it was totally full. Thankfully those plans were abandoned.

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Reopening - The island was opened to tourists in 2009.

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No going alone - Visits to the island must always be accompanied by a tour guide, and unless you're an accredited journalist or photographer, not everywhere will be open to you.

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Trips - There are two ways to see the island: catch a boat which circles the island, or take one that actually lands at Hashima.

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Not for everybody - The boat trips can be a bit bumpy for some people. The waters surrounding the island can be quite rough depending on the weather.

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Just 60 minutes - Guided tours of the island last just one hour. This is because the Japanese government is aware of the state of disrepair the island is currently in, and doesn't want to risk anything collapsing or other accidents.

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Popularity - The island became well-known internationally when Google Street View published images of the site in 2013.

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Stories - Many believe the island to be haunted, and this is one of the island's biggest attractions.

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Strange sounds - People have told of hearing strange and inexplicable noises when they visited the island.

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State of disrepair - The terrible state of the infrastructure is part of what makes it look so haunted, and it also attracts numerous people to explore such a spooky place.

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Cinema - If you saw 'Skyfall' in 2012 then you might recognize parts of the island. It was used as the location for Javier Bardem's lair.

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Adaptation - The island was also used in the cinema adaptation of the anime film 'Attack on Titan.'

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Ghost town - What about you? Would you like to visit this ghost town in the middle of the sea?

See also: Japan from A to Z: amazing facts about the Land of the Rising Sun

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