7 Most DOOMED Cities! Built on the Edge...

Coming up... Houses hanging out over a cliff, cities below the level of the sea, or on either side of a floodable river, or right on the edge of where the land meets the sea.

1. Yanjin. Yanjin is the world's narrowest metropolis. Sandwiched between two mountains with the Nanxi river cutting straight through the middle, its nearly half a million inhabitants aren't just at risk from landslides and falling rocks from the mountains above but also from the river itself which is prone to flooding and therefore the first three storeys of each building are just slender stilts to allow the water to flow through.

2. Hanging Houses. Las Casas Colgadas in Cuenca, Spain overhang a cliff above the river Huecar. Built between the 15th and the 16th century no one knows how many hanging houses originally existed but by 1920 only 8 still survived. Today, thanks to the characteristics of the terrain and the effects of time and the elements just three remain standing. In 2021 a landslide occurred and the main pedestrian access to the houses collapsed, fortunately, there were no casualties because no one was on it at the time it collapsed.

3. New Orleans. New Orleans was originally built on the Mississippi River's natural levees and higher ground, however, in order to protect the city from flooding, floodwalls and man-made levees were built around it. As the city grew, it required more area in order to expand so they pumped out the water from the marshland and swamps in order to build on it. The weight on these buildings and natural subsidence have led to over half of the city being under sea level, some parts are as low as 2 metres! New Orleans is actually constantly sinking, some areas as much as 5cm a year, this, coupled with rising sea levels has led some scientists to predict that by 2100, New Orleans could be up to 4 meters below sea level.

4. Polignano a Mare. Polignano a Mare in southern Italy has been inhabited since prehistoric times, however, under Julius Caesar, it became a trade center thanks to its strategic position, Olive oil production, merchants and businessmen cause Polignano a Mare to thrive, and the town grew and grew until... well... until they ran out of land. These houses built right up to the cliff's edge not only took advantage of as much land area as possible but also provided defensive fortifications against possible threats.

5. Bonifacio. Bonifacio is one of the oldest cities in Corsica and it kind of looks like someone wanted a beachfront town and didn't care that there wasn't a beach. Built 70 meters above the Mediterranean sea on an overhanging cliff, it certainly looks like a dodgy place to live, especially because the stone beneath it is limestone which is easily eroded by the salty water and sea breeze.

6. Santorini. I know what you're thinking "Santorini isn't built on the edge!" and you're right! it isn't built on the edge of the island. The island itself on the other hand is on the edge... the edge of a VOLCANO! In 1956 Santorini suffered a devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake that caused major damage to almost half its buildings, but earthquakes aren't the only danger. Santorini has had at least 12 major eruptions including the Thera eruption that happened around 1600 BC and was one of the largest volcano eruptions in recorded history, and if that wasn't enough, Santorini also is just 8km away from Kolumbo, the largest in a line of about twenty submarine volcanos.

7. The Hanging Temple. The Hanging Temple of Hengshan mountain in China isn't a city but it's definitely right on the edge and it's pretty amazing so we've included it . It was built over 1500 years ago and is anchored to a cliff face 50 meters above the ground and beneath a natural rock overhang formed by the peak of Hengshan mountain. Its 32 meters long and has 40 halls, 2 pavilions, and a 10-meter bridge connecting the two. The rock overhang and the mountains surrounding it didn't just protect it from bandits but also protected it from the elements and so it is remarkably well preserved.

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