The Economic Times

In 1919, France declared 1200 sq km area as Zone Rouge after World War 1. No one lives there even after a century and the battlefield turned into a forest

France's Zone Rouge is still off-limits due to the devastating impact of World War I. Unexploded shells and remnants of chemical warfare linger in the soil today. Many villages, left in ruins, are classified as legally existing yet have no inhabitants. Although nature has started to reclaim the area, hazardous materials remain underground.