Buzz
Some destinations around the globe bear names that evoke a sense of gloom or morbidity, yet few are accompanied by captivating or fascinating stories explaining their origins. These ten places (listed in no specific order) certainly do, as each one earned its name for a distinct reason. Whether these locations have remained unchanged for centuries or have been transformed by time, their stories are sure to intrigue you as much as they have fascinated me.
10. The Skeleton Coast Namibia
This stretch of coastline in the southwestern African nation is strewn with the rusted, decaying remains of massive ships, both ancient and modern. The Namibian Bushmen referred to it as “The Land God Made in Anger.” Many of these shipwrecks are partially buried in the sand, with only their bows visible, while others lie completely hidden beneath the dunes. Harsh winds, treacherous currents, jagged rocks, and dense fog have claimed countless vessels over the years, along with marine life like whales. Their bleached bones mingle with the decaying ship hulls, giving the coast its haunting name.
Many shipwrecked sailors met their fate here. Those who managed to survive the treacherous waters and reach the shore were confronted by a barren, salt-laden desert of towering sand dunes stretching a hundred miles inland, offering no hope of survival. Dehydration or exposure would eventually claim their lives. While the area is somewhat more accessible today, it remains remote and infamous, with ships deliberately steering clear of its coastline.
9. Tombstone Arizona
Nestled in the Southwest American desert, Tombstone stands as a testament to the Wild West’s tumultuous and lawless history. The town earned its name when a prospector, warned that the unforgiving terrain would only yield his tombstone, unexpectedly discovered silver. He named his mine The Tombstone, and the town grew around it.
Though the town’s name began as a grim joke, it proved fitting. Tombstone became a hub of saloons and brothels, drawing in outlaws and unsavory figures. The Bird Cage Café, one such establishment, was famously dubbed by the New York Times as “the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast.” Violence was commonplace, with the infamous Shootout at the OK Corral between Wyatt Earp, his brothers, and a gang of outlaws being the most notable event. Today, Tombstone’s cemeteries serve as popular tourist attractions.
8. Dead Sea Israel/Jordan
This iconic body of water, shared by Israel and Jordan, is known by many grim and somber names, including Lake of Asphalt, Salt Sea, Sea of the Devil, and Stinking Lake, despite its biblical significance. Its extreme salinity, ten times that of the world’s oceans, makes it inhospitable to most life, with only certain bacteria surviving. Situated at the lowest point on Earth, 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea has no outlet, causing water to evaporate and leave behind dense mineral deposits. Approximately 7 million tons of water evaporate from its surface every day.
The mineral-rich deposits are highly valued and used in medicines, fertilizers, and cosmetics. Health resorts and spas have long thrived here due to the belief in the water’s therapeutic properties. However, scientists warn that the Dead Sea is shrinking at an alarming rate. Over the past five decades, its water level has dropped by 80 feet, and it has lost a third of its volume. The southern basin has nearly vanished, and the sea is primarily fed by untreated sewage, with little fresh water to replenish it. Efforts are underway to preserve the Dead Sea, but its future remains uncertain, and conservation measures are crucial to slow its decline.
7. Murder Island Nova Scotia
Off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, lies the scenic Tusket Islands, which include the eerie and enigmatic Murder Island. Despite its natural beauty, the island is shrouded in mystery and dark tales.
The island’s name is tied to cryptic legends. One story dates back to 1735, when the brig “Baltimore” was found abandoned on its shores, its interior stained with blood. The only survivor, a mysterious woman, recounted confusing tales of a convict uprising and an Indian massacre, none of which were ever verified. Before the truth could be uncovered, the woman vanished, leaving the island’s dark history unresolved.
Another account speaks of a smallpox outbreak in the 1700s that devastated a French fleet near the island. Hundreds of bodies were reportedly buried on the island, and human bones were said to surface on its beaches well into the 20th century. While these stories remain unproven, they suggest that Murder Island harbors a grim and troubled past.
6. Galgbacken (Gallows’ Slope) Stockholm
Known alternatively as Gibbets’ Slope, a term synonymous with gallows, Gallows’ Slope served as Stockholm’s primary and final execution site. The last execution occurred in 1862, with hanging being the preferred method, though beheadings were also common. Criminals of various kinds, including murderers, rapists, embezzlers, and counterfeiters, met their end here. Some of those executed were notable figures of their time. In the 1930s, construction workers unearthed human skeletal remains while building residential housing on the site, suggesting that the bones of those executed still rest beneath Gallows’ Slope.
5. Hell’s Kitchen New York City
Hell’s Kitchen, a neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, was notorious for its rampant crime, vice, and violence. Its name is believed to have originated from a notoriously dangerous hostel that once stood there. Initially settled by Irish and German immigrants, many worked as longshoremen, in slaughterhouses, or factories. Overcrowding led to the emergence of a filthy shantytown and the formation of numerous street gangs. Following the American Civil War, the population surged, and tenements worsened the area’s squalor. Gang activity and violence escalated, earning Hell’s Kitchen the reputation of being “the most dangerous area on the American continent.”
During the Prohibition era of the 1920s, which outlawed alcohol production and sales in America, some gangs transformed into organized crime syndicates involved in bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and extortion. By the 1950s, Puerto Rican immigrants moved into Hell’s Kitchen, sparking racial tensions and violent clashes with other ethnic groups. This conflict inspired the movie *West Side Story*. Later, the Westies, a notoriously brutal Irish-American gang, established their stronghold in the neighborhood.
Today, Hell’s Kitchen has undergone significant gentrification, and real estate agents often refer to it as Clinton. However, remnants of its gritty past remain, with scattered adult shops and strip clubs still dotting the area.
4. The Death Zone
The Death Zone refers to altitudes above 26,240 feet (8,000 meters), though some climbers define it as anything over 25,000 feet. Most peaks in this zone are found in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges. At this elevation, oxygen levels are so low that human survival is nearly impossible. Climbers cannot acclimatize, struggle to digest food, and without supplemental oxygen, their bodies rapidly deteriorate, leading to unconsciousness, delirium, hallucinations, and ultimately death.
While exact figures are unavailable, hundreds of climbers have lost their lives in the death zone. Due to the extreme difficulty and danger involved, the bodies of those who perish on these peaks are often left where they fell, making the death zone the highest graveyard in the world.
3. Death Valley Nevada/California
Located in the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is one of the most extreme and inhospitable places on Earth. Spanning 3.3 million acres, it features rugged mountains, deep canyons, salt flats, and vast sand dunes. Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level, lies within its boundaries. Temperatures often exceed 100°F, with a record high of 134°F, just two degrees shy of the world’s highest recorded temperature.
The harsh conditions endured by early pioneers and explorers inspired the valley’s grim place names, such as the Funeral Mountains, Dante’s View, Furnace Creek, Devil’s Golf Course, Desolation Canyon, Devil’s Cornfield, Black Mountains, Stovepipe Wells, Hell’s Gate, and Badwater Basin. During the 1849 California gold rush, the Death Valley 49ers attempted to cross this scorching desert, with many perishing before reaching their goal. Designated a national park in 1933, Death Valley attracts many visitors annually. However, venturing off established trails without an experienced guide is highly discouraged, as rescue missions are frequent in this unforgiving landscape.
2. Devil’s Island French Guiana
Devil’s Island, situated off the coast of French Guiana, was infamous as a brutal penal colony. While the primary prisons were on the mainland, the entire complex was collectively referred to as Devil’s Island. Originally a leper colony, it functioned as a prison from 1884 to 1952. Conditions were harsher than those in any contemporary prison, with inmates forced to work waist-deep in water under the scorching sun, wearing only shoes and straw hats, while swarms of malaria-carrying mosquitoes tormented them. Failure to meet daily work quotas, such as chopping wood, resulted in meager rations of dry bread.
Kourou, the deadliest camp on Devil’s Island, saw 4,000 prisoners perish within three years. Across the colony, thousands died from exhaustion, starvation, dehydration, heatstroke, dysentery, malaria, or outright murder. For many convicts, escape was their only hope of survival.
Most escapees braved the treacherous jungle, facing hostile indigenous tribes, piranha-infested waters, dense vegetation, and the same oppressive heat and mosquitoes they endured in the colony. Those fortunate enough reached Dutch Guiana, where they found refuge. Others attempted to flee by sea on makeshift rafts, with some succeeding and others drowning. Recaptured escapees were branded “incorrigible” and subjected to solitary confinement, grueling labor, and nightly shackling in irons.
Devil’s Island ceased receiving prisoners in 1938 and was officially closed in 1952. When the public learned of the inhumane conditions, there was widespread outrage that a nation like France could permit such cruelty. Today, the island serves as a museum and a popular tourist destination.
1. Golgotha (Place of the Skull) Jerusalem
Golgotha, a biblical site located outside 1st-century Jerusalem, is traditionally believed to be where Jesus was crucified, along with others condemned by the Roman Empire. The origin of its name is debated: some suggest it refers to the skulls and bones found there, others believe the hill’s shape resembled a skull, and some argue it overlooked a cemetery, earning its macabre name.
Jewish law required executions to occur outside Jerusalem, a practice the Romans respected, placing Golgotha just beyond the city walls. Due to Jerusalem’s repeated destruction and reconstruction, the exact location of Golgotha is contested. Many scholars, however, agree it lies within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built by Emperor Constantine. Tradition also holds that this site is where Adam, the first man, was buried. Regardless of its precise modern location, Golgotha remains a historically significant site of ancient executions.
