UNUSUAL ISLANDS

HOWLAND ISLAND

This US territory in the Pacific Ocean is where Amelia Earhart was

supposed to land on her around-the-world journey. Since then the

island, along with her fateful journey, has been under much scrutiny.

HASHIMA ISLAND

Today this former Japanese mining colony resembles a deserted

battleship, but at one point in history it was actually the most

densely populated place on the planet. The Japanese crammed it full of

forced labourers from China and Korea during WWII. As you can

probably guess, visiting the island can be quite a spooky experience.

THE FLOATING ISLANDS OF LAKE TITICACA

Entirely man made, these floating island are woven together out of

reeds by a local tribe called the Uros. A long time ago the tribe

likely made these floating islands their home in order to avoid trouble

with other local tribes. These days the Uros still inhabit the floating

islands and make their living off of fishing and tourism.

EASTER ISLAND

Belonging to Chile, this Pacific island is littered with hundreds of huge

statues known as Moia. No one knows why the ancient Polynesians

built these statues but one thing is certain – it wasn’t easy!

GREAT BLUE HOLE

Found off the coast of Belize, this isn’t really an island. It’s

actually the opposite of an island! It’s a huge sinkhole in the ocean

floor that is surrounded by an atoll. Teeming with aquatic life, the

Great Blue Hole is considered one of the world’s greatest dive spots.

NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND

As part of the Andaman Islands, this island is “administered” by India

but its locals have resisted contact ever since its discovery. In fact,

any attempts to even get near the island with a helicopter are

typically met with spears!

POVEGLIA ISLAND

Starting with the Romans who sent all of their plaque victims to this

island near Venice, for most of history it has been a dumping ground 

for the sick and diseased. In 1922 a mental hospital was built on

the island and according to legend some crazy experiments took place.

You may have guessed it but today the island is uninhabited and none

of the locals even want to visit.

RAMREE ISLAND

Infested with saltwater crocodiles, during WWII nearly 500 Japanese

troops were eaten alive here. In fact, the incident is listed in the

Guinness Book of World Records as the 

“greatest disaster suffered from animals”.