The Darvaza Crater – The Gateway to Hell Many people have heard of the Darvaza Crater, but very few people know where it is and how it came into being. Often referred to as the North Korea of Central Asia, Turkmenistan is one of the worlds last hermit kingdoms. The second largest country in Central Asia, it is made up of desert (covering 80% of the country no less), some of the worlds largest gas reserves, ancient ruins and some seriously bizarre sights. For evidence of the latter check out this article on Ashgabat. What is the Darvaza Crater Type Turkmenistan into a google image search and no doubt this is one of the images that will appear. It is basically a giant burning hole in the middle of the Karakum Desert. This stunning spectacle is the result of a slight error in judgement by a team of Soviet scientists…