A wasteland is a desolate, barren and uninhabited area that has been left devastated or destroyed by natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, floods, droughts, landslides, tsunamis, or human activities like deforestation, mining, urbanization, and warfare. It is typically characterized by a lack of vegetation, scorched earth, desolation, and lifelessness. The term can also refer to an area that has been abandoned or neglected due to environmental degradation, pollution, or human mismanagement.