BIZARRE ISLANDS

FIJI

It seems like an island paradise but that wasn’t the case for a long

stretch of history. As one early explorer wrote, the tribes on the island 

have a long history of cannibalizing, torturing, and generally

disrespecting the children and elderly.

IZU ISLANDS

Thanks to volcanic activity, the air on this Japanese island contains

 the highest concentration of sulphur on Earth. For this reason the 

inhabitants are required to carry gas masks with them at all times.

For a visitor it can be quite a terrifying spectacle.

THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH

A man-made island but this one was unintentional. Thanks to the ocean

currents most of the garbage dumped in the Pacific ends up in one place.

That place also happens to be twice the size of the United States.

Don’t go looking for this island on Google Earth though, because you

won’t find it. Most of the debris is small plastic particles that have

broken down and sit just below the surface.

PALM ISLANDS

And yet again we have man-made islands on our list. This time they

can be found just off the coast of Dubai. What else are they going to

do with all that money?

FORT BOYARD

You thought we were done with man-made islands? Wrong!

Taking nearly 50 years to the build, this French fortification/concrete

island was no easy project. By the time the French military was done

building it in 1857, however, advancements in gun technology had made

its military and tactical advantages obsolete. Yes, you guessed it…it

was then turned into a prison.

ALCATRAZ

How could we mention island prisons without bringing up Alcatraz.

Undoubtedly the most famous island-prison in the US it housed the

likes of Al Capone and Mickey Cohen before closing its doors in 1963.

SOCOTRA

Belonging to Yemen, this island has had a history of extreme geographic

isolation. As a result, many of its species of animal and plant life are

found nowhere else on the planet.

VULCAN POINT

Also known as Vulcan Island, this small bit of rock is actually an

island within a lake within an island within a lake within an

island within the Pacific Ocean.