The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. It had 5,259 inhabitants and was made by the Mitsubishi Company. It was once the most crowded city in the world with 5,259 inhabitants, and then it got abandoned. Now the only life it has are small animals and some visitors.
The black and white photos add a sense of despair to the abandoned cityscape, I think the beautiful photographs in this gallery warrant a second look.
Source: buzzfeed