15 Forbidden Places On Earth 

The Earth is full of historical landmarks, iconic locations, and wonders of the world. Tourists travel to the most famous cities like Paris, Mumbai, and Mexico City to visit mind-blowing sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, and Teotihuacan. While the world is full of wonder, there’s also a forbidden dark side. Several locations around the globe are off-limits to the general public. Many of these places have a rich history dating back centuries.

In some cases, the areas are in dangerous sites that are not accessible. Then there are certain islands that have an overabundance of poisonous reptiles or locations that are impenetrable fortresses housing more than half of America’s gold. While it’s impossible to travel to these locations, read through this list to get a taste of these exotic and forbidden places around the world. 

15 Forbidden Places On Earth 

1. North Sentinel Island 

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The most isolated tribe in the world, the Sentinelese live on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal. The tribe lives in voluntary isolation and prevents outsiders from visiting or exploring the island by force. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956 prevents any outsider from getting onto the island.

Since the tribe members likely lack immunity to certain diseases, the closest anyone can get to the island is six miles. The tribe often attacks boats and helicopters that come near the island. In 2006, they killed two fishermen who accidentally landed on the island. Furthermore, they killed an American Christian missionary in 2018. As a protected area of India, they respect the indigenous tribe’s right to isolation and protect the island with deadly force.  

2. Lascaux Caves

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In southwestern France, a network of caves known as Lascaux act as windows into ancient civilization from the Upper Paleolithic period. The caves feature more than 600 paintings covering the walls and ceilings and are roughly 17,000 years old. The incredible paintings feature large animals, humans, and mysterious signs. In the 1940s, a bunch of teenagers discovered the caves when one of their dogs fell into a hole.

In 1948, tourists began traveling to the caves before archaeologists could investigate. In 1955, the paintings started deteriorating with 1,200 visitors per day due to carbon dioxide and other pollutants. S0 in 1963, the caves were closed to the public. The paintings went through a restoration process with a monitoring system put in place. 

3. Fort Knox

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Next to the historic United States Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky, is one of the most secure locations in the world, the United States Bullion Depository. Also known as Fort Knox, the vault contains a large amount of America’s gold reserves. In 1936, the United States government built the vault to protect gold and other precious items from a foreign attack. They also stored the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States there during World War II.

Visitors are prohibited from entering the vault but couldn’t get in even if they tried. The vault consists of cylinders, I-beams, and steel plates covered in concrete. The door is 21 inches thick and is torch and drill resistant. Plus, the vault doors require separate combinations to open. The vault is in a secure facility with razor wire lining the granite-lined concrete building. Additionally, high-resolution night vision video cameras and microphones help monitor the location. Currently, the vault houses gold reserves, a 1974-D aluminum penny, twelve 22-karat gold Sacagawea dollar coins that flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia, and ten 1933 Double Eagle gold coins. 

4. Monkey Island 

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The uninhabited Morgan Island is in Beaufort County, South Carolina. It features an extensive marshland with three significant creeks. It’s best known as the home of a colony of monkeys. After two monkeys escaped from a primate research center in Puerto Rico and spread herpes B, South Carolina offered the uninhabited island for the monkeys.

In 1979, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases established a monkey colony on the island. Also known as Monkey Island, roughly 3,500 free-ranging rhesus monkeys live on the island. 

5. Snake Island 

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Near Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean, the most stunning and terrifying island, Ilha da Queimada Grande, sits peacefully. Parts of the island feature rainforests, while rocks and mountains cover the rest. Humans left the island at some point after 1909 when the lighthouse became automated. Better known as Snake Island, it’s most famous as the home of the venomous golden lancehead pit viper.

After the last ice age, rising ocean levels cut the pit viper off from the rest of the world. They adapted to their surroundings and exploded in population. The poisonous snake is on the critically endangered species list, with the island a forbidden territory to the public for their own safety and the pit viper’s survival.

6. Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

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In 246 BCE, the First Qin Emperor Shi Huang ascended to the throne at the age of 13. At that time, construction began on the historic Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor as his final resting place. It took roughly 38 years to complete in 208 BCE. At the center of the mausoleum is the Emperor’s tomb. The maze-like structure has an elaborate water system that prevents flooding. 

Surrounding the tomb are thousands of artifacts, gold, and other jewels. It also famously features the Terracotta Army and other art. Rediscovered in 1974, archeologists dedicated their life to studying this historic site. Due to high levels of mercury and possible booby traps, archeologists cannot evacuate the entire location, notably the tomb. So the government forbids anyone from visiting the burial tomb except for research purposes.

7. Surtsey Island 

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At the southernmost point of Iceland, a volcanic eruption began 130 meters below sea level in November 1963. By 1964, an island began taking form due to the continuing eruptions. The explosions finally ended in June of 1967, creating Surtsey Island in the process.

The unstable island is slowly eroding and could disappear by 2100. While the island isn’t safe for humans, a handful of researchers have gone to the island, although they avoid interfering with the island’s natural evolution of plant life. Furthermore, birds and seals have thrived on and around the island. 

8. Svalbard Global Seed Vault 

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The Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores duplicates and backups of the world’s crop diversity on Spitsbergen Island in Norway. The most remote arctic islands are the ideal location for a doomsday vault. The vault stores these backups in case of natural disasters, sabotage, war, disease, accident, or mismanagement.

A partnership between the Nordic Genetic Resource Center, Crop Trust, and the Norwegian government manages the vault. Depositing the seeds in the bank is free and allows the gene bank to use them in case of an emergency. The vault is off-limits to breeders and researchers hoping for samples. Instead, they have to go to the gene bank to request samples. 

9. North Brother Island

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In New York’s East River sits the historic North Brother Island. In 1614, the Dutch West India Company claimed the lands before the British took control many years later. The land remained abandoned for several years. Then in the 1880s, Riverside Hospital moved to North Brother Island, and it soon became a quarantine island for smallpox, typhoid, tuberculosis, and polio. The hospital added numerous buildings to support the fight against these various diseases. 

After World War II, many veterans and students lived on the island. Then the facility became a treatment center that housed addicts trying to get clean. The mistreatment of the patients and corruption led to the facility’s closing. The public is allowed to visit the island only for those conducting scientific or environmental research. Along with the neighboring South Brother Island, North Brother Island is now a wildlife sanctuary home to many birds, notably the black-crowned night heron. 

10. Ise Grand Shrine

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The Ise Grand Shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Japan’s most sacred locations. It consists of more than 123 Shinto shrines in the city, although access to the complex is limited to the public. It features two main shrines located in different areas of the city. Dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu, the building of the inner shrine, Naikū, consists of cypress wood. It connects to 91 other Shinto shrines. 

3.7 miles from Naikū is the outer shrine, Gekū. Dedicated to the god of agriculture, rich harvest, and industry, Toyouke-Ōmikami, the temple connects to 32 other shrines. As one of the holiest locations in Japan, the public cannot access the ground beyond the central structures. This makes it impossible to confirm the existence of the Sacred Mirror, which supposedly lies beyond the walls. The ornamental walkways and forests are open to the public. 

11. Ni’ihau Island

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For decades, Ni’ihau Island in Hawaii has fascinated outsiders. The privately owned island is the seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. In 1810, Kamehameha I conquered Niʻihau Island, bringing it into the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1864, Elizabeth Sinclair purchased the island from Kamehameha IV for $10,000 worth of gold. By the mid-1870s, the island had a population of 350 native Hawaiians.

In the early 1900s, Sinclair’s grandson, Aubrey Robinson, closed the island to all visitors. Even relatives had to get special permission to visit family on the island. It remained closed off until the current owners, Keith and Bruce Robinson, opened the island to limited visitors. Famously, a Japanese fighter pilot crashed on the island during the Pearl Harbour attack on December 7, 1941. 

12. Vatican Apostolic Archive

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In 1612, Pope Paul V created the Vatican Apostolic Archive to store all Church records and documents. Formerly known as the Secret Vatican Archive, the current pope owns the material and passes it on to his successor. Since the 1st century of Christianity, the Church began keeping records in three separate locations. To make it easier to access these documents, Pope Paul V moved them all to Vatican City.

After the French seized control in the late 1790s, a good portion of the material disappeared. The rest of the Vatican was sold for funding during the restoration in the 1800s. In the early 19th century, the public had zero access to the location. In the 1970s, the Vatican began opening up the archives to journalists to allow a better understanding of the documents to the public. 

13. Heard Island and McDonald Islands

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On the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean sits the World Heritage site Heard Island and McDonald Islands. It’s one of the most extreme locations on Earth. Located between Antarctica and Madagascar, the Antarctic islands are empty except for a volcanic massif known as Big Ben.

John Heard discovered the island in 1853, allowing sealers to wipe out the seal population by 1880. While the island is closed off to tourists, it’s open for expedition and scientific research. It has an abundance of wildlife, freshwater, and flora. 

14. Bouvet Island 

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In 1927, Norway sent an expedition to the most remote location on Earth, Bouvet Island, at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. After negotiations with the United Kingdom, Norway took over control of the island. Since the early 1700s, explorers have seen the mythical island but couldn’t find a place to land. A massive glacier covers more than 90% of the island, with an ice-filled inactive volcano at the center. 

15. Bohemian Grove

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In Monte Rio, California, the private and elite gentlemen’s club, Bohemian Club, sits on the 2,700-acre Bohemian Grove. The club features a who’s who of high-powered media executives, actors, musicians, and former U.S. Presidents. The two main requirements to get inside the elite club are to receive an invitation and be a male.

There are events where members can bring their families. However, women and minors must leave the area by 9 pm. While discussing business is prohibited, the club has been the site of some of the most famous deals and meetings, notably discussions about The Manhattan Project.