To visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a 30-kilometer ring that surrounds the Chernobyl nuclear plant, is a haunting, sobering experience. Located north of Kiev, on the border between the Ukraine and Belarus, Chernobyl is the site of the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history. The disaster occurred in 1986, and since then the power plant and Exclusion Zone surrounding it have been off-limits for human inhabitants. But earlier this year, Ukraine opened the Exclusion Zone to tourists, highlighting the interest in this area and the possibilities it provides for rebuilding. More on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after the break.
Shortly after the disaster was under control, the nearby town of Pripyat was evacuated and the Exclusion Zone set up to ensure no one entered in areas of high radiation. In the months immediately following the disaster, this area became a dead zone, with no human or wildlife activity. Residents of the town were forced to evacuate to avoid radiation poisoning, and the only activity within the zone was from efforts to clean up the damage. But as the years have passed and the radiation levels have decreased, wildlife has slowly returned to the area.
