Did you know about all these prisons? 6 Robben Island Located just off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, Robben Island has served many functions over the years, including a leper colony at one point. However, it’s most known for serving as a prison under the apartheid regime. Well-known figures such as Nelson Mandela and Kgalema Motlanthe are just a few of political prisoners that spent time there. Today Robben Island is a popular tourist destination and can be reached by ferry from Cape Town. The island is an important breeding area for a large African Penguin colony. 7 Elmina Castle Built in 1492, Elmina Castle in Ghana is the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara. For over three hundred years, it served as a holding area for people captured against their will to be sold into slavery. It was not uncommon for slaves to share a cell with as many as 200 others, cramped together with not even enough space to lie down. By the 18th century, over 30,000 slaves were passing through the Door of No Return each year. 8 Port Arthur Port Arthur is a former convict colony in Tasmania, Australia. From 1833, until the 1850s, it was the destination for the hardest of convicted British and Irish criminals and rebellious inmates from other prisons. Today, many highly recognizable ruins remain, including the penitentiary, the hospital, the insane asylum, and a church built by the convicts. In 1996 Port Arthur became the site of Australia’s deadliest gun massacre when a single shooter opened fire on visitors, killing 35 people.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 22:56:30 +0000
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