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Geography teaches that an island is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water. When it comes to islands, one often imagines a white sandy beach, from which picturesque palm trees stick out, turquoise water and a pretty bungalow ten steps away.
Meanwhile, there are many islands in the world that are far from romantic dreams. Moreover, many of them are so tiny that we decided to collect them in one article and share them with you.
We present you the 10 smallest islands in the world on which people live: the most beautiful inhabited places on Earth.
10 Visovac, 3.15 ga
Location: Croatia.
In Croatia, between the cities of Knik and Sibenik, there is the Krka National Park. It is named after the river that flows through it and overflows into the lake. In this very place is the island of Visovac with an area of only 17 m², or approximately 370×170 m.
Впервые Visovac mentioned in documents of the 14th century, in the donation of Louis of Anzhur. This is an island overgrown with poplars, which houses a 17th-century Franciscan monastery and a museum attached to it.
The monastery looks amazing, especially from afar: on a patch of land in the middle of the lake, light walls rise, above which a bright red roof stands out, and a chapel rises to the right. The oldest parts of the building date back to the 14th century. No wonder this place attracts so many tourists.
9. Caye Chapelle, 2.20 ha
Location: Belize.
Belize is a small Caribbean country located on the northeast coast of Central America. Kaye Chapelle – a private island 26 km from the city of Belize. It originally belonged to Isaiah Emmanuel Morter, Belize’s first black millionaire.
The island is located near the national marine reserve, the second largest barrier reef in the world, which attracts divers from all over the world.
But there is also something to see on the island. There is a runway, a golf course, conference rooms and even a club. By 2021, Four Seasins plans to build a luxury hotel complex on Caye Chapelle.
8. Tiberina, 1.80 ha
Location: Italy.
According to legend, when the rebellious Romans threw the tyrant Tarquinius the Proud into the Tiber, so much silt and dirt stuck to his unholy body that an entire island grew. Its name literally means “an island on the Tiber”, and in ancient times it was notorious. But in the 1st century BC. plague was raging in Rome, and Tiberine It was decided to build a sanctuary for the god of healers Aesculapius.
The island was given the shape of a boat, similar to the one from which the snake crawled out, having advised on the construction of the temple, the shores were lined, and a bridge was thrown to the island.
Later, already in the 10th century, a church was built here in honor of Adalbert of Prague, and today the Basilica of San Bartolomeo is located on Tiberin. They say that the relics of St. Bartholomew are buried there. Anyone can visit the island, two bridges lead to it.
7. Migingo, 1.65 ga
Location: Lake Victoria, Uganda/Kenya.
Island Migingo washed by the waters of one of the African Great Lakes, Victoria. There are still disputes about which country it belongs to. The tiny rocky 1,65 hectares are claimed by Uganda and Kenya.
In 1991, two fishermen immediately announced that they had set up a tent on Migingo, but it was not possible to decide who was the first. Today it is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It is literally covered with huts made of wood and sheets of corrugated iron.
Residents are extremely proud of their settlement, which today, according to various sources, has reached 400 people. It has its own shops, a pharmacy, bars, a beauty salon and several brothels. The inhabitants are mainly engaged in fishing: there are many Nile carp and other commercial fish near the island.
6. Island of Lake Bled, 1.40 ha
Location: Slovenia.
Just imagine: a lake surrounded by lush greenery with turquoise water, mountains with snow caps rise in the distance, in the middle of the lake there is a small island, and on it is a church with a red tiled roof. This absolutely fabulous picture can be observed by any tourist who has visited Slovenia, because Lake Bled itself island of Bled is a popular tourist attraction.
Numerous boats scurry between the shore and the island. They moor to the shore, from which 99 steps lead to the Mariinsky Church. Those who wish to get married in it often follow an old tradition: for a happy life, the groom must carry the bride to the church in his arms.
5. Wilhelmstein, 1.25 ha
Location: Germany.
In the north of Germany, 30 km from the city of Hannover, lies the lake Steinhuder Meer. An artificial island was erected on this lake in the 18th century by order of Count Wilhelm. The count was so worried about his safety that he tried to protect himself as much as possible.
Local residents dragged sand, stones and gravel non-stop for 5 years, resulting in an island of no more than 12,5 thousand m². It was named after the count Wilhelmstein.
A small pier is located near the southern coast, in the center there is a fortress in the form of a four-sided star. At various times, a military school and a prison were located on the island, today the fortress and the castle belong to the Schaumburg-Lippe family, the descendants of that same Wilhelm.
4. Pontikonisi, 1 ha
Location: Greece.
Other name – mouse island. It is so green, overgrown with trees, that it is difficult to see what exactly is on it. But you can clearly see the white steps leading to the top of the hill. From afar, they resemble a mouse tail, hence the second name.
The island is located in the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Corfu. Despite the very small size, only 1 ha, Ponticonisi is a world famous landmark. It houses the Byzantine chapel of Pantokrator (in iconography, this is Christ the Almighty – a special way of depicting Christ).
In the 16th century, a monastery was erected here, which gradually fell into decay and was revived only in the 20th century, when nuns came to the island. Pontikonisi has become world famous for its colorful Byzantine iconography.
When viewed from an angle, the island resembles the wreck of a ship. The ancient Greeks were sure that this was the ship of Odysseus himself, who angered Zeus and got into a terrible storm.
3. Bishop, 720 m²
Location: England.
Bishop – it’s not even an island, it’s a rock in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of England. It is part of the Isles of Scilly and belongs to the county of Cornwall. For a long time, Bishop was considered the smallest built-up island, because it fits one lighthouse. Moreover, it was not so easy to build it: aggressive waves nullified all attempts. And only in 1858 the lighthouse was built, huge granite slabs were used for this.
Now the total weight of granite is 6 tons – only against such a colossus the ocean is powerless. Despite the lighthouse, in 000 Bishop’s ship ran aground because of a mistake, more than 1875 people died as a result of the disaster. Today, the island has electricity from solar panels.
2. Dunbar, 490 m²
Location: Honduras.
On the Dunbar there was only one building. And this is not a lighthouse at all, as on Bishop, but a full-fledged luxurious white villa. From it, a white ladder descends to the pier, which has not been empty recently.
The fact is that the owner either got bored on the island, or six bedrooms were too much for him, or maybe he needed money, but he began to rent part of the house as a hotel.
Despite the fact that there is nothing on the island except for the villa, there is no end to those who want to settle in it. The reason for this was the excellent diving sites and the exoticism of the offer.
1. “Enough Space” on the St. Lawrence River, 306 m²
Location: USA.
Name Islet “Just Enough Space” speaks for itself. It fits only one house, a sprawling tree and several benches. Land area – 306 m². For comparison, 13 of these islands will fit on a football field!
“Just enough space” is one of the islands in the archipelago with the same unpretentious name “Thousand Islands”. It is located in the waters of the St. Lawrence River on the border between Canada and the United States.
“Just Enough Space” is owned by the Sutherland family. They claim that they dreamed not of becoming the owners of their own island, but of getting real solitude. However, their dwelling quickly became known to the whole world, and tourists began to visit the island every now and then. No personal space!