When the sea stretches out like a massive, blue bowl and you’re clinging to a splintered plank, the idea of 10 islands you might be forced to call home can send a shiver down your spine. You stare desperately for any speck of land, hoping the next rise out of the waves is a friendly shore and not a trap waiting to claim you.

Why 10 islands you should steer clear of

10 The Farallon Islands

Imagine you’ve been tossed off the San Francisco coast and the nearest solid ground is a cluster of craggy outcrops. Those are the Farallon Islands, sometimes called the Farrallones, perched just off the Golden Gate.

The catch? Between 1946 and 1970, over 47,800 drums of radioactive waste were dumped into the surrounding waters. Those drums are still lurking beneath the surface, potentially leaching contaminants into the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

The upside is that the islands themselves aren’t known to be contaminated, and the surrounding sea is teeming with fish—though you might wonder whether those fish have been tinged with a hint of radioactivity.

9 Isla De Las Munecas

If you somehow find yourself adrift in the canals of Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, you might stumble upon a tiny island that looks like a refuge. The sight that greets you, however, is far from comforting.

Everywhere you look, dolls—some whole, some missing limbs, some just heads perched on sticks—hang from trees like macabre ornaments. The eerie display stems from a tragic tale.

In the mid‑20th century, caretaker Don Julian Santana Barrera discovered a drowned little girl in the canal and, unable to save her, was devastated. To honor her memory, he hung a floating doll on a nearby tree. Over time, more dolls appeared, each meant to appease what he believed was the girl’s restless spirit.

Half a century later, Barrera himself was found drowned in the same spot. Legend says the dolls whisper, watch, and even drive visitors mad. Still, the island’s shoreline is probably safer than the haunted toys suggest.

8 Isola Della Gaiola

Picture being shipwrecked in the Gulf of Naples and washing ashore on a tiny pair of islets linked by a stone arch. The place looks like a postcard—just 30 meters from the mainland and boasting a deserted villa perfect for a quick nap.

But beneath the Instagram‑worthy façade lies a curse that has plagued owners for a century. Since the 1920s, a string of tragedies has befallen those who possessed the island.

Owners have met mysterious ends: Hans Braun was murdered and wrapped in a rug, his wife drowned, Otto Grunback died of a heart attack, Maurice‑Yves Sandoz committed suicide, Baron Karl Paul Langheim went bankrupt, Gianni Agnelli lost his son to suicide and his nephew to cancer, Paul Getty’s grandson was kidnapped, and Gianpasquale Grappone was jailed shortly after purchase.

So, while the view is stunning, the island’s dark legacy might make you think twice before settling in for the night.

7 Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll dazzles with white sand, swaying palms, and crystal‑clear water. If your boat capsizes nearby, you might think you’ve hit paradise—at least for a brief moment.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 23 nuclear weapons on the atoll, including the massive Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb, which was a thousand times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The native Bikinians were forcibly relocated to nearby Kili Island.

Today, the surrounding sea still supports fish that appear safe to eat, but any attempt to supplement your diet with coconuts, breadfruit, or other local vegetation would expose you to dangerous levels of residual radioactivity.

6 Ilha Da Queimada Grande

Imagine being stranded on a Brazilian island that’s home to up to 4,000 golden lancehead vipers—snakes that exist nowhere else on Earth and are classified as endangered.

Local lore tells of a lighthouse keeper whose family was allegedly attacked by snakes that slipped through the windows, forcing the entire household to flee into the jungle only to be bitten on the beach. The Brazilian government now requires any visitor to be accompanied by a medical professional.

If you ever find yourself washed ashore on this serpentine paradise, the wisest move is probably to paddle back out to open water before the vipers get a chance to strike.

5 Plum Island

Landing on Plum Island off Long Island’s coast might feel like stepping into a Dr. Evil lair—or, more mundanely, a research facility. The island houses the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a U.S. government lab that studies animal pathogens.

Over the years, the island has attracted conspiracy theories, from rumors about secret bioweapon experiments to the legendary “Montauk Monster,” an unidentified carcass that washed ashore in 2008 and was later identified as a raccoon.

Efforts to sell the island have been blocked by environmental groups, and the grounds remain home to foot‑and‑mouth disease research. Stranded there, you might hope for a rescue, but you could also end up sharing a campsite with a few very curious, possibly radioactive, spiders.

4 North Sentinel Island

Sailing through the Bay of Bengal, you spot a mangrove‑covered speck of land with pristine white sand. Before you can even set foot, a voice erupts from the jungle, and you realize you’ve stumbled onto North Sentinel Island.

The island is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world’s last uncontacted peoples. Any outsider who lands there is met with lethal force; the tribe has a long history of killing intruders.

The Indian government has enforced a 4.8‑kilometer (3‑mile) exclusion zone around the island to protect both the tribe and would‑be visitors. Encroaching on this protected area could introduce disease to the Sentinelese or result in a violent encounter.

3 Miyakejima

If you happen to crash near Miyakejima, a volcanic island south of Tokyo, you’ll quickly discover that a gas mask is more vital than a life‑raft.

The island’s volcano constantly belches sulfuric fumes, making the air hazardous. Residents are legally required to carry a gas mask at all times, and on days when emissions spike, the entire population may be evacuated.

Visitors are forced to bring a mask as well; without one, you’d be breathing toxic gases that could prove fatal in a matter of minutes.

2 Gruinard Island

Landing on the barren, treeless Scottish outcrop of Gruinard Island might seem like an invitation to a quiet day with the local sheep—if those sheep weren’t part of a grim anthrax experiment.

During World War II, the British military dropped “dirty bombs” loaded with the virulent Vollum 14578 anthrax strain onto flocks of sheep to test biological warfare capabilities. The island became heavily contaminated and was abandoned.

In the 1980s, activists known as Operation Dark Harvest scattered contaminated soil to pressure the government into decontaminating the island. By 1990, Gruinard was declared safe, and no anthrax cases have been recorded among its sheep since 2007.

1 Ramree Island

Picture yourself in the Bay of Bengal during World War II, your ship bombed, and you scrambling for the nearest land. Your map tells you you’ve reached Ramree Island, a sizable stretch off Burma’s coast.

While the island appears tame today, 1945 saw a horrific episode where nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers, fleeing Allied fire, became trapped in mangrove swamps. Exhausted, dehydrated, and plagued by mosquitoes, they were devoured by massive saltwater crocodiles.

Survivor accounts claim only about twenty soldiers lived to be captured, their minds scarred by the gruesome carnage. If you were to find yourself shipwrecked on Ramree during that period, the best course of action would be to hop into a time machine and head home.

When the ocean turns into a massive, blue bowl and you’re clinging to a splintered plank, spotting a speck of land can feel like a miracle. But imagine that “miracle” is actually a trap—an island that would make you wish you could swim back into the sea. Below are 10 islands you would definitely not want to be shipwrecked on.

Why 10 Islands You Should Steer Clear Of

Some stretches of water hide tiny specks that look like salvation, yet those specks often hide danger, history, or curses that turn a simple rescue into a horror story. Let’s explore each of these foreboding isles, from nuclear leftovers to snake‑infested rocks.

10 The Farallon Islands

Picture this: you’ve just been tossed off the San Francisco coast, waves pounding your battered lifeboat, and a cluster of rugged rocks appears on the horizon. Those are the Farallon Islands, a jumble of sea stacks just a short drift away.

The catch? Between 1946 and 1970, more than 47,800 drums of radioactive waste were secretly dumped in the surrounding waters. Those barrels are notoriously hard to locate and may still be leaching toxins into the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

On the upside, the islands themselves are mostly rock and scrub, and the fish that swim nearby could be a tasty, if slightly questionable, snack. Whether the seafood is contaminated is a gamble you probably don’t want to take.

9 Isla De Las Munecas

The odds of finding yourself adrift in the canals of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City, are slim, but anything can happen—especially after a few too‑many drinks. Imagine the relief of seeing a tiny island and steering toward it for a breath of air.

Instead of sand and palm trees, you’re greeted by a macabre forest of dolls: heads on sticks, torsos dangling from trees, and eyes that seem to follow you. The eerie display stems from a tragic tale.

In the 1960s, caretaker Don Julian Santana Barrera discovered a drowned girl in the canal. Overcome with grief, he hung a floating doll on a nearby tree as a tribute. He kept adding more dolls, hoping to appease the child’s restless spirit.

Half a century later, Barrera himself vanished beneath the same waters, fueling the legend that the island is haunted. While the dolls might be unsettling, the island is otherwise harmless—unless you believe they whisper or stare.

8 Isola Della Gaiola

Imagine being hurled onto a sun‑kissed archipelago just off the Gulf of Naples. The Gaiola group consists of two small islets linked by a stone arch, only about 30 metres from the mainland—a perfect Instagram backdrop, if only you had a phone.

The islands host a crumbling villa that could serve as a makeshift shelter. Yet beneath the picturesque façade lies a string of misfortunes that have plagued every owner since the 1920s.

Hans Braun, the first modern owner, was murdered and wrapped in a rug; his wife later drowned. Subsequent proprietors—Otto Grunback, Maurice‑Yves Sandoz, Baron Karl Paul Langheim, Gianni Agnelli, Paul Getty, and Gianpasquale Grappone—met untimely deaths, bankruptcies, kidnappings, or imprisonments. The curse seems relentless.

So, if you ever find yourself stranded on Gaiola, you might want to question whether the island’s beauty outweighs its ominous legacy.

7 Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll looks like a postcard—pristine white sand, swaying palms, and crystal‑clear water. A shipwreck here would feel like a lucky break at first glance.

However, from 1946 to 1958 the United States conducted 23 nuclear tests on the atoll, including the massive Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb, which was roughly a thousand times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The native Bikinians were forced to relocate to nearby Kili Island, and the atoll remains contaminated. While the surrounding sea still supports fish that appear safe to eat, consuming coconuts or breadfruit grown on the islands would expose you to dangerous levels of radiation over time.

6 Ilha Da Queimada Grande

When most people think of a shipwreck, they imagine storm‑tossed decks and hungry sharks. On Brazil’s Ilha da Queimada Grande, the real threat slithers on the ground: up to 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, a venomous species found nowhere else on Earth.

Legend tells of a lighthouse keeper whose windows were breached by the snakes, leading to the death of his entire family. The Brazilian government now tightly controls access, requiring a doctor’s presence on any visit.

If you ever wash ashore on “Snake Island,” the smartest move is to scramble back into the sea before a viper decides you’re its next meal.

5 Plum Island

Stranded on Plum Island off Long Island’s coast, you might feel like you’ve stepped onto a secret‑agent’s hideout. The island hosts the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a U.S. government facility that studies animal pathogens.

Its mysterious reputation is amplified by oddities such as the infamous Montauk Monster—a carcass that washed ashore in 2008 and was later identified as a raccoon. Conspiracy theories swirl around the research labs, suggesting hidden experiments.

Efforts to sell the island have faced legal challenges from environmental groups. Today, the island remains a fenced‑off enclave of foot‑and‑mouth disease research, with rumors of undisclosed experiments. You might leave with a feeling that something invisible is watching you.

4 North Sentinel Island

Picture rowing through the sparkling Bay of Bengal when a lone, mangrove‑covered speck appears on the horizon. As you draw nearer, a chorus of angry shouts erupts—an instant death sentence.

North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world’s last uncontacted peoples. Any outsider who lands there is met with lethal force; the tribe fiercely defends its isolation.

The Indian government enforces a 4.8‑kilometre exclusion zone around the island, both to protect the Sentinelese from disease and to keep visitors from a violent fate. Respect the boundary, or you may become a cautionary tale.

3 Miyakejima

If you happen to be shipwrecked off Japan’s Miyakejima, you’ll quickly discover that the island’s most valuable souvenir is a gas mask.

The tiny town sits directly beneath an active volcano that constantly belches sulfuric fumes. Local law mandates that residents—and any visitor—carry a mask at all times. When the air quality plummets, even the masks can’t always keep the toxic gases at bay, prompting full evacuations.

So, unless you’ve packed an extra mask or can borrow one from a fellow castaway, the island’s beautiful scenery comes with a very literal breath‑of‑fresh‑air warning.

2 Gruinard Island

Landing on Scotland’s Gruinard Island might feel like stepping onto a quiet, grassy plain—if you ignore the faint scent of danger.

During World War II, British scientists dropped “dirty bombs” filled with the virulent anthrax strain Vollum 14578 onto the island’s sheep population. The disease turned the island into a biological hazard, forcing the military to abandon it.

In the 1980s, activist group Operation Dark Harvest scattered contaminated soil across the UK to pressure authorities into decontaminating Gruinard. A massive cleanup began in 1986, and by 1990 the island was declared safe.

Since then, the resident test sheep have remained anthrax‑free, with the last recorded case in 2007. Still, the memory of a once‑lethal island lingers, making it a less‑than‑ideal place to wash ashore.

1 Ramree Island

You need to step back in time. Your ship has been bombed in the Bay of Bengal, and you have to swim for the nearest land you can see. You make it. Your waterproof map that you hastily stuffed in your pocket tells you that you are on Ramree Island

Just swim for your life. Turn around. Get picked up by the enemy—just swim.

Ramree is a large island that sits off the coast of Burma. It is relatively tame now, but back in World War II, it was allegedly the stage for the largest massacre of humans by animals in recorded history. Japanese troops who were holding the island of Ramree in 1945 became engaged in fierce conflict with Allied troops, who were determined to take the island. Nearly 1,000 of the Japanese soldiers ran through the swampland to reach more of their cohort on the other side of the island.

The mosquito‑bitten solders, hungry and thirsty, were eaten alive by giant saltwater crocodiles. As the Allied troops waited to capture surrendering Japanese soldiers, they were horrified at the sounds of the massacre. According to some reports, only 20 soldiers survived and were captured, terrified beyond belief at the carnage they had witnessed.

So if you find yourself shipwrecked on Ramree Island in the 1940s, you really need to hop back in your time machine and get out of there.

When you think of remote landmasses, the phrase “10 deserted islands” probably conjures images of pristine beaches and tropical bliss. Yet history proves that many of these isolated spots have served as stages for some of humanity’s strangest, most unsettling dramas. From forced exile to murderous madness, each of these forgotten isles carries a story that is as gripping as it is chilling.

10 Deserted Islands: Unveiling Their Dark Histories

10 The Isle of Demons

Off the icy coast of Newfoundland lies the forlorn Isle of Demons, a name bestowed by the native peoples who believed the rock was haunted by malevolent spirits. In 1542 French noblewoman Marguerite de la Rocque found herself cast onto this bleak shore after being caught in an illicit affair during a sea voyage. The captain—who was also a relative—ordered her exile, leaving her with only a lover and a servant for company. The trio cobbled together a rudimentary shelter from the island’s unforgiving climate and ferocious wildlife. Their ordeal grew even more harrowing when Marguerite gave birth; within sixteen months, her lover, her servant, and the newborn all perished. Defying all odds, Marguerite survived alone for two years, subsisting on whatever she could hunt, until fishermen rescued her in 1544 and escorted her back to Europe. The island’s ominous moniker, originally meant to reflect indigenous superstitions, likely took on a personal resonance for Marguerite after her grueling experience.

9 Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)

Chile’s Más a Tierra, now known as Robinson Crusoe Island, is famed for hosting Alexander Selkirk, the real-life inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s classic novel. Yet few know the bizarre circumstances that led to his abandonment. In 1704 Selkirk clashed with his ship’s captain over the vessel’s deteriorating condition and, convinced the ship was doomed, demanded to be left on the island. He believed rescue would be swift, but the island remained isolated for years. Over four solitary years, Selkirk’s sanity wavered; he kept his mind from unraveling by dancing with the island’s goats and cats, constructing huts from pimento trees, and training the cats to guard against rats that would gnaw at his feet during sleep. When an English privateer finally sighted him in 1709, the crew could barely recognize the once-civilized sailor—his speech was fractured, and his movements resembled those of a wild animal.

8 Roatan Island

Roatan, a Honduran cay, became the reluctant refuge of Philip Ashton, a Massachusetts fisherman who endured one of the most astonishing survival narratives of the 18th century. After being seized by the notorious pirate Edward Low in 1722, Ashton endured nine brutal months of captivity before escaping to the uninhabited parts of Roatan. For the subsequent sixteen months he survived on a diet dominated by wild fruit and raw turtle eggs, living in stark isolation. A brief interlude occurred when another English castaway arrived, offering a knife, a firearm, and gunpowder—essential tools that briefly eased Ashton’s plight before the stranger vanished without a trace. Ashton’s ordeal was marked by bouts of illness, venomous snake encounters, and even an attack by Spanish forces. When a British vessel finally rescued him in 1724, many dismissed his tale as fanciful, yet his detailed account persisted. To this day, legends whisper of buried pirate treasure and restless specters haunting the island’s shores.

7 Elephant Island

Antarctica’s stark Elephant Island earned its reputation as a crucible of human endurance during Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 expedition. After the Endurance was crushed by relentless pack ice, its 28‑man crew drifted on ice floes for five grueling months before finally washing ashore on this barren, glacier‑scarred rock. While Shackleton and five companions embarked on an 800‑mile open‑boat journey to seek rescue, the remaining 22 men fashioned makeshift shelters by inverting lifeboats and subsisted on seal blubber, penguin meat, and seaweed. Their daily routine even included meticulous “cleanings,” where they combed each other’s garments for lice. Despite sub‑zero temperatures regularly plunging below –20 °F and the looming threat of starvation, every member survived. Today, Elephant Island remains virtually uninhabitable, its ferocious winds and treacherous terrain deterring all but the most intrepid explorers.

6 Palmyra Atoll

Roughly a thousand miles south of Hawaii, Palmyra Atoll has cultivated a reputation as one of the world’s most cursed islands. Though technically uninhabited aside from a few researchers, the remote Pacific atoll has amassed a disturbing ledger of mysterious deaths, disappearances, and uncanny phenomena. Its darkest chapter unfolded in 1974 when the yacht Sea Wind arrived bearing two couples; only one couple ever left the island alive. Malcolm and Eleanor Graham were brutally slain, their bodies never fully recovered. The surviving pair was later convicted of the murders, yet many details remain shrouded in ambiguity. Sailors recount bizarre electromagnetic anomalies that fry equipment, compasses that spin erratically, and an overwhelming sensation of being observed. World War II servicemen stationed there experienced unusually high rates of suicide and mental breakdowns. Despite its picture‑perfect tropical veneer, the atoll has inexplicably repelled numerous multi‑million‑dollar development schemes, with investors mysteriously abandoning projects without explanation.

5 Flannan Isles

Scotland’s remote Flannan Isles are home to one of the most baffling maritime mysteries of the twentieth century. In December 1900, the three lighthouse keepers stationed on Eilean Mòr vanished without a trace, leaving half‑eaten meals, an overturned chair, and a clock stopped dead. When a relief vessel finally arrived, the island was utterly deserted; Thomas Marshall, James Ducat, and Donald MacArthur were nowhere to be found. Their logbooks documented a severe storm, yet the final entry chillingly read, “storm ended, sea calm. God is over all.” The mystery deepens because reaching the sea from the lighthouse required a steep cliff descent; had the men been swept away, at least one body should have washed ashore, yet none ever did. The isles also boast a pre‑historic legacy, with ancient structures hinting at earlier habitation, and locals for generations have refused to spend a night there, citing inexplicable voices carried on the wind. The now‑automated lighthouse stands as a silent testament to the men who simply evaporated into thin air.

4 Clipperton Island

Donut‑shaped and isolated in the eastern Pacific, Clipperton Island witnessed a harrowing descent into madness and brutality during the early twentieth century. In 1914, roughly a dozen Mexican families were deposited on the atoll to mine guano when the Mexican Revolution severed their supply lines. As desperation set in, most men succumbed to scurvy and starvation, leaving women and children at the mercy of lighthouse keeper Victoriano Álvarez, who declared himself the island’s “king.” Over the ensuing months, Álvarez subjected the survivors to horrific abuse, murder, and sexual slavery. The women eventually rebelled, killing their tormentor in 1917. When an American gunboat stumbled upon the atoll, only three women and eight children remained from the original near‑hundred‑person settlement. A solitary coconut palm now stands on the island, rumored to have sprouted from the grave of one of Álvarez’s victims. Though today the island is a French overseas territory, it remains uninhabited aside from swarms of land crabs that will devour anything lingering too long.

3 Jure Sterk’s Ghost Island

In January 2009 Slovenian solo sailor Jure Sterk vanished while attempting a circumnavigation. His vessel, the Lunatic, was later found adrift near Australia, engine still running, one sail hoisted, but with no sign of its skipper. The enigma deepens because Sterk’s logbook entries abruptly stopped on January 1, offering no indication of trouble or distress. His final recorded coordinates pointed to an unnamed, uncharted island that appeared on his navigation charts yet is absent from any official maps. Search teams that attempted to locate this mysterious landmass at the noted coordinates found nothing but open ocean. Some theorists suggest Sterk may have encountered a “temporary island”—a volcanic nub that briefly breached the surface before sinking again. Others note a spooky coincidence: three other solo sailors have disappeared in the same region over the past century, spawning theories ranging from rogue wave phenomena to otherworldly forces.

2 Ilha da Queimada Grande (Snake Island)

Just off Brazil’s coast lies Ilha da Queimada Grande, ominously dubbed “Snake Island” because it hosts the world’s highest concentration of venomous snakes—estimated at one to five snakes per square meter. The island’s most notorious resident is the golden lancehead viper, whose potent venom can liquefy human flesh and claims a fatality rate of about 7 % even with prompt medical treatment. The Brazilian government has outright prohibited anyone from setting foot on the island. The last known human inhabitants were lighthouse keepers who met a grisly fate in the 1920s when snakes slithered through their windows, leaving them dead in pools of blood, riddled with bites. Earlier attempts to cultivate bananas on the island ended in tragedy, with workers reportedly dying aboard their boats before ever reaching the mainland. Local fishermen swear they sometimes hear human screams echoing from the island at night, despite its official uninhabited status, fueling rumors of clandestine activities or perhaps the anguished cries of the countless snakes themselves.

1 North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island, nestled in the Bay of Bengal, is arguably the world’s most fiercely defended “uninhabited” island. It is home to the Sentinelese, the last pre‑Neolithic tribe believed to have lived in complete isolation for up to 60,000 years. Their determination to remain untouched is legendary; they violently reject any outside contact, firing arrows at approaching boats, helicopters, and any intruders daring enough to draw near. In 2006 two fishermen drifted too close and were killed; in 2018 American missionary John Allen Chau met the same fate while attempting to convert the tribe. Despite decades of observation from a distance, virtually nothing is known about their language, customs, or even precise population size, with estimates ranging wildly from 15 to 500 individuals. The Indian government, acknowledging the tribe’s desire for seclusion, has established a three‑mile exclusion zone around the island and ceased all attempts at contact. The Sentinelese thus stand as perhaps the last human population on Earth with zero knowledge of the modern world beyond their shores.

Welcome to a whirlwind tour of the 10 strange mysterious islands that have baffled explorers, scientists, and storytellers for centuries. From vanished landforms on ancient charts to isolated outposts of covert experiments, these ten locations hold secrets that still echo across the seas.

10. Isla Bermeja, The Lost Island

Cartographers dating back to the 1700s consistently placed Isla Bermeja off the Yucatán Peninsula, farther out than any other Mexican claim. The island seemed perfectly positioned to bolster Mexico’s offshore oil claims and to counteract United States’ encroachments in the Gulf. Yet a 2009 investigation by the National Autonomous University of Mexico revealed that the island simply does not exist where the maps say it should.

According to the study, exhaustive sonar sweeps and aerial reconnaissance failed to locate any landmass at the indicated coordinates. The island was supposed to sit 55 nautical miles beyond Mexico’s 200‑nautical‑mile limit, effectively extending the nation’s exclusive economic zone. Though the search came up empty, Elias Cárdenas, head of Mexico’s congressional Maritime Committee, vowed to keep the hunt alive, speculating that the island might have sunk or become submerged elsewhere.

Conspiracy circles in Mexico have spun wild theories: some claim a U.S. bombing, others blame global warming or a massive earthquake. Cárdenas dismisses the bombing idea, noting that any such strike would have been unmistakably evident. The island’s disappearance was first reported in 1997 when a naval fishing expedition could not find it. Before vanishing, Isla Bermeja—estimated at 80 km² (31 mi²)—served as the reference point for Mexico’s 200‑nautical‑mile limit. Today, the Alacranes Islands define the end of the country’s maritime claims, shrinking its economic zone dramatically.

When you think of a getaway, the image of a sun‑kissed isle probably springs to mind. Yet the world’s islands are far more than postcard scenery – they are treasure chests of bizarre history, hidden rituals, and unexpected modern quirks. In this roundup of the top 10 islands, we dive into tales that range from wartime laboratories to self‑made artificial isles, from rabbit‑filled havens to a phantom location that never existed. Buckle up for a whirlwind tour of the most intriguing island stories on the planet.

Why These Top 10 Islands Captivate Us

The allure of islands lies in their isolation, which breeds unique ecosystems, cultures, and legends. Each of the ten spots below showcases a different facet of that magic – whether it’s a species that defies classification, a currency that predates Bitcoin, or a graveyard that quietly holds a million forgotten souls. Together they form a compelling mosaic that proves islands are more than vacation spots; they are living museums of humanity’s greatest curiosities.

10 Rabbit Island

During the Second World War, Okunoshima – now affectionately called Rabbit Island – served a grim purpose: the Japanese military used it as a testing ground for poisonous gases. Laboratory rabbits were exposed to the same agents that later caused the deaths of up to 80,000 Chinese civilians in the 1930s and ’40s.

Fast forward to the present, and the island presents a stark contrast. Hundreds of bunnies hop freely across the landscape, delighting visitors who feed them and snap endless selfies. The island’s administration has even banned predators such as dogs, cats, and hunters to protect this fluffy population.

Curiously, the origin of today’s rabbit herd remains a mystery. The original test animals were euthanized by U.S. forces after the war, leaving a vacuum that was later filled by an unknown group of rabbits.

Local legend claims that in 1971, a group of schoolchildren released just eight bunnies onto the island. Those eight proved more than enough; without natural predators, the rabbits multiplied rapidly, and the island now hosts a thriving, albeit human‑dependent, rabbit community.

Life on a diet of human treats has taken its toll: the average rabbit now lives only about two years. Their burgeoning numbers have also strained the local ecosystem, forcing the animals to rely heavily on visitors for sustenance.

9 Anglesey’s Monuments

Anglesey, a Welsh island steeped in myth, is most famously linked to the enigmatic Druids. While the existence of Druids is still debated, the island’s Neolithic and Bronze Age structures stand as undeniable proof of ancient ingenuity.

The crown jewel is Bryn Celli Ddu, a 5,000‑year‑old passage tomb whose entrance tunnel aligns perfectly with the midsummer sunrise, creating a dazzling solar display each year.

In 2019, archaeologists began excavating a nearby burial mound situated just 46 metres (about 150 feet) from the tomb. This newer mound appears to have been added a millennium after Bryn Celli Ddu, suggesting a long‑term ritual landscape.

Further digs uncovered a circle of pits, assorted artifacts, and additional structures surrounding the tomb. Though personal details about the builders remain elusive, the evidence points to successive generations returning to the site over thousands of years to augment its sacred architecture.

8 The Cat‑Fox

Deep within the forests of Corsica roams a creature locals dub the cat‑fox. Larger than a typical house cat, these animals sport tails marked with two to four rings, dog‑like teeth, unusually short whiskers, and broad ears.

In 2012, wildlife rangers finally got a chance to test the animal’s taxonomic status. They coated a stick with an attractive scent and left it in the wild. When the stick was retrieved, it was covered in fur from the cat‑foxes that had eagerly rubbed against it.

DNA analysis of the collected hair revealed that the animal does not match any known species. Its genetic material most closely resembles that of the African forest cat (Felis silvestris lybica), yet it remains distinct.

One plausible hypothesis suggests that early farmers introduced domestic cats to Corsica around 6,500 BC. If this theory holds, the cat‑fox could represent an ancient lineage that survived millennia in isolation, only now coming to scientific attention.

7 Neolithic Artificial Islands

The Outer Hebrides of Scotland are peppered with over 600 crannogs – man‑made islets constructed of stones and timber in lakes and lochs. While most date to the Iron Age, recent research has pushed the origins of several crannogs back into the Neolithic period (4,000‑2,500 BC).

The Neolithic era is famously murky; while monuments like Stonehenge testify to sophisticated engineering, written records are virtually nonexistent. The discovery that some crannogs predate the Iron Age by three millennia reshapes our understanding of prehistoric ingenuity.

In 2012, a diver uncovered Neolithic pottery fragments surrounding several crannogs. These artifacts allowed archaeologists to identify five crannogs that were in use during the Neolithic, suggesting a ritualistic purpose.

It appears that ancient peoples deliberately visited these artificial islands to cast their finest pottery into the water, perhaps as offerings. The exact meaning remains lost, but the practice hints at a complex ceremonial relationship with water and constructed land.

6 World’s Most Plastic‑Polluted Place

Henderson Island, a remote, uninhabited speck in the South Pacific, might appear pristine – until researchers arrived in 2017. Their surveys revealed a staggering density of plastic debris, the highest ever recorded on any landmass.

Scientists counted up to 671 pieces of plastic per square metre, amounting to an estimated total weight of over 17 tons. On a single beach, more than 3,500 new plastic fragments washed ashore each day, turning the shoreline into a glittering graveyard of waste.

The island’s plight stems from its location within the South Pacific Gyre, a massive circulating current that gathers debris from across the globe. Samples showed plastic originating from 24 different countries, underscoring the truly international nature of marine pollution.

5 Google Sheep View

Google Street View has mapped almost every corner of the planet, but the Faroe Islands of Denmark remained conspicuously absent for years. Frustrated islanders finally took matters into their own hooves.

Durita Dahl Andreassen, a tourism bureau employee, equipped local sheep with 360‑degree cameras, securing the devices with the blessing of a shepherd. The flock roamed the archipelago’s 18 islands, capturing breathtaking vistas from a uniquely bovine perspective.The resulting footage, dubbed “Sheep View 360,” was uploaded to Google’s Street View platform, finally giving the world a comprehensive visual tour of the Faroe Islands – and proving that sometimes the most unconventional camera crew yields the most memorable results.

4 The Rai Stones

On the tiny Pacific island of Yap, massive limestone discs known as rai stones serve as a form of currency. Some of these stones are larger than a person, and they have historically been used to settle marriages, settle disputes, pay ransoms, and act as inheritances.

Because moving a rai stone is practically impossible, ownership changes are recorded through an oral tradition. Everyone in the community knows who holds which stone and the history of each transaction, ensuring transparency without a physical exchange.

This ancient ledger bears a striking resemblance to today’s blockchain technology, which also provides an open, tamper‑proof record of cryptocurrency ownership. Both systems rely on communal verification to maintain trust.

Archaeologists have been astonished to discover that the functional principles of Yap’s stone money predate modern digital currencies by centuries, highlighting how human societies have long sought reliable ways to record value.

3 Hart Island’s Body Problem

New York City’s Hart Island, unofficially known as the Island of the Dead, has been the city’s burial ground for the indigent since 1868. When families cannot claim a body or afford a funeral, the city inters the remains in mass graves across the 101‑acre island.

Today, roughly one million bodies lie in pine‑coffined stacked graves, with about 1,000 new interments added each year. In 2018, erosion exposed thousands of skeletal remains along the shoreline, prompting locals to dub the area “bones beach.”

Forensic anthropologists have been dispatched to flag and document the exposed remains, but the challenge persists as storms and flooding continue to erode older burial sites.

Recognizing the severity of the problem, FEMA allocated $13 million toward shoreline stabilization projects, aiming to protect the island’s graves from further erosion and preserve the dignity of those interred.

2 Canada’s Record‑Holding Islands

Geographers love a good paradox, and the world’s most elaborate nesting of land and water is an island‑in‑a‑lake‑on‑an‑island‑in‑a‑lake‑on‑an‑island. For years, the record belonged to an island on Volcano Island in the Philippines.

In 2012, a group of Google Earth enthusiasts scoured satellite imagery for a larger configuration. Their quest led them to a tiny, unnamed speck of land nestled within a lake, which itself sits on an island off the coast of Victoria Island in Canada.

This minuscule island sits in a long lake roughly 120 km (75 mi) from Victoria Island’s shoreline. Its discovery crowned Canada with the title of hosting the world’s biggest island‑in‑a‑lake‑on‑an‑island‑in‑a‑lake‑on‑an‑island.

Canada already boasts several island‑related records, including the largest island‑in‑a‑lake and the largest lake‑on‑an‑island, cementing its reputation as a haven for geographical superlatives.

1 Null Island

Modern mapping services rely on geographic information systems (GIS) to pinpoint locations. Occasionally, glitches cause these systems to default to the coordinates 0° N, 0° E – a spot in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.

Geographers have whimsically christened this phantom point “Null Island.” Because many GIS errors snap to these coordinates, the imaginary island becomes one of the most “visited” places on Earth, accumulating countless address queries and points of interest.

Enthusiasts have leaned into the joke, designing a flag, a backstory, and even a Wikipedia entry for Null Island, treating it as a bona‑fide location despite its non‑existence.

The actual site at 0° N, 0° E is a NOAA‑maintained buoy that collects climate and oceanographic data. While there’s no landmass, the buoy’s presence gives the coordinates a real‑world purpose beyond cartographic mishaps.

When you start day‑dreaming about retirement or a forever‑home, a tropical island inevitably pops up in your mind. Yet most of the time it stays vague – a hazy picture of palm‑shaded beaches and turquoise water. To turn that fantasy into a concrete goal, we’ve compiled a globe‑spanning roster of the most breathtaking islands you can actually visit once lockdowns lift. Buckle up, get comfy, and let the top 10 truly spectacular islands inspire your next post‑Covid escape.

Top 10 Truly Spectacular Islands Overview

10 Seychelles

First on our list, the Seychelles archipelago sits in the Indian Ocean, just off the coasts of Kenya and Madagascar, and boasts some of the planet’s most vibrant greenery. It epitomises the tropical island ideal: blazing sun, crystal‑clear waters, and swaying palms everywhere you look. The good news for travelers is that a modest human footprint already exists – you can fly straight in and lodge at a stunning resort without having to fend for food in the wild.

The Seychelles International Airport opened relatively recently in 1971, meaning the islands still feel fresh and ripe for exploration. With a blend of untouched nature and modern amenities, this destination offers an almost flawless vacation experience that should definitely earn a spot on your shortlist.

9 Palawan

Next up, the Philippine gem of Palawan is a treasure trove of natural wonders. Its 110‑plus islands provide endless variety for the classic activity of island‑hopping, with each stop offering lush mountains, hidden lagoons, and pristine beaches. The archipelago’s diverse landscapes guarantee that there’s always something new to discover on the next island.

Beyond the scenery, each island hosts its own towns and cultural flavors, and you can join guided boat tours, kayak excursions, or simply drift in the sparkling blue water. Palawan truly lets you dip your toes into every imaginable adventure.

8 Corfu

The Greek island of Corfu offers a resort‑style vibe wrapped in millennia‑old history. Human activity dates back to 1300 BC, meaning the island has witnessed over three thousand years of battles, myths, and civilizations. Its storied past is woven into a landscape dotted with forts, castles, and ancient ruins.

Despite its developed infrastructure, Corfu still showcases abundant natural beauty – from verdant wildlife to sparkling seas – alongside its architectural heritage. It’s a perfect blend of nature and culture, relatively unknown in the western world despite its popularity across Europe.

7 Anguilla

Anguilla, a quieter corner of the Caribbean, stands apart from the region’s bustling hotspots. Because cruise ships, casinos, and high‑rise hotels are prohibited, the island retains a low‑key charm that many travelers crave. Its crystal‑clear waters and untouched shorelines provide a pristine backdrop for relaxation.

While development is minimal, a handful of upscale resorts ensure comfort, and the friendly local community keeps the vibe lively with evening parties and music festivals. Anguilla delivers a fresh, unspoiled Caribbean experience.

6 Boracay

Another Philippine marvel, Boracay, checks every box for a dream tropical getaway. Its immaculate white‑sand beaches stretch for miles, and the island offers sailing, snorkeling, island‑hopping, and hiking in abundance. Travel packages often bundle flights, accommodation, and transport, making the journey hassle‑free.

Because it’s a favorite among tourists, infrastructure is well‑established, ensuring you can enjoy a seamless vacation without sacrificing the island’s natural allure.

5 Ko Lipe

Ko Lipe in Thailand epitomises paradise, boasting immaculate waters and lush greenery. Rather than staying high above the sea, visitors can lodge in beachfront bungalows, waking to sunrise or sunset right from their doorstep.

The island also offers a vibrant nightlife scene with bars and live music, and nearby islands provide endless touring options so you’ll never run out of spectacular vistas.

4 St. Barts

St. Barts flips the script by catering to travelers with deep pockets. Luxury reigns supreme here – from ultra‑modern villas to private superyachts – delivering an indulgent escape for those seeking premium comfort.

Beyond lavish shopping, the island boasts gorgeous beaches, fine‑dining establishments, and upscale accommodations. If you can afford it, St. Barts offers an unrivalled blend of opulence and natural beauty.

3 Kauai

Kauai, one of Hawaii’s lesser‑known gems, dazzles with dramatic mountains and a wealth of activities. From guided ATV tours and zip‑lining to golf and horseback riding, the island satisfies adventure‑seekers of all stripes.

Resort towns provide top‑tier service after a day of exploration, making Kauai a seamless blend of raw natural splendor and modern luxury – perfect for both vacationers and retirees.

2 Ambergris Caye

Ambergris Caye, part of Belize’s Caribbean coast, strikes a perfect balance between comfort and adventure. Its expansive size supports a plethora of water‑based pursuits such as diving, sailing, fishing, and even trips to the famed Great Blue Hole, a 300‑foot‑deep sinkhole.

The island safeguards a variety of protected species, offering chances to spot rare fish, birds, and monkeys. Historical attractions, including Mayan ruins, add cultural depth to this modern tropical haven.

1 Santorini

Rounding out our list, Greece’s iconic Santorini delivers everything a traveler could wish for: sun‑kissed beaches, dramatic cliffs, historic towns, and even an active volcano. Imagine jet‑skiing to the volcano, lounging on lava‑sand beaches, then dining beside the water in a centuries‑old village – all in one unforgettable day.

With its blend of natural wonders, cultural heritage, and endless activities, Santorini truly earns the crown as the ultimate island destination.

ten tragic tales of New York City’s small islands begin with the iconic Manhattan, but beyond the bustling borough lie dozens of diminutive landforms whose histories are steeped in sorrow.

ten tragic tales Overview

10 A Pox on Thee: Roosevelt Island’s Ruins

Few illnesses have left as deep a scar on humanity as smallpox. The disease claimed the lives of France’s King Louis XV and forced England’s Queen Elizabeth I to conceal disfiguring facial wounds with heavy makeup. In the United States, an estimated ninety percent of Native Americans perished after contracting the virus from European settlers, some of whom even used infected blankets as a crude form of biological warfare.

The World Health Organization finally declared smallpox eradicated in 1979, but not before the contagion made a grim imprint on New York’s own medical history.

Roosevelt Island is a narrow, two‑mile stretch sandwiched between Manhattan and Queens, boasting its own subway stop, a famed tram that once carried Spider‑Man, a handful of residential towers, and a technical campus of Cornell University. At its southern tip sit two starkly contrasting structures: a meticulously maintained park honoring Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the crumbling remnants of a nineteenth‑century hospital where smallpox patients were isolated from the rest of the city.

From 1856 through 1875 the facility—now known as Renwick Hospital after its architect—treated roughly seven thousand patients annually. Over two decades nearly ten thousand of those sufferers succumbed to the disease within its walls.

As the island’s residential population swelled, city officials relocated the smallpox ward to the even more remote North Brothers Island, leaving the original site increasingly underused.

By the 1950s the once‑busy Renwick Hospital lay abandoned, its structures succumbing to decay and the elements as the city moved on.

9 Randall’s/Ward’s Islands: Fun Present, Dysfunctional Past

A mile north of Roosevelt Island sits Randall’s Island, a shorter yet broader piece of land where Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx converge, accessible via the Robert F. Kennedy (formerly Triborough) Bridge. Today the island is best known for bustling concert venues, a popular mini‑golf course, and a myriad of sports fields used by city schools for soccer, baseball, and football practice.

That lively reputation masks a darker heritage. For many decades the city used the island as a holding ground for its most marginalized populations—those who were poor, ill, or institutionalized. Officials treated the surrounding river as a natural moat, earning the moniker “Island of Undesirables” for the area.

In reality, the nickname originally applied to its neighbor. Randall’s itself was split off by an artificial waterway called Little Hell Gate Channel, creating the secondary parcel known as Ward’s Island. Though less than a square mile, Ward’s housed the terminally ill, criminally insane, and juvenile delinquents, alongside a notorious orphanage and a potter’s field. The island even contained a sewage‑treatment plant, earning it a less‑than‑flattering reputation.

Reconnected in the 1960s, the two islands have gradually shed much of their grim past. The former asylum site now functions as the Manhattan Psychiatric Center, a facility that, while still serious, is far less decrepit than its predecessor.

8 Made for Quarantining: Hoffman & Swinburne Islands

Even though the Statue of Liberty’s famous inscription has welcomed “tired, poor, huddled masses” since 1876, New York City historically tried very hard to keep contagious newcomers at bay. Just south of the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, which links Brooklyn to Staten Island, sit two tiny man‑made islands—Hoffman and Swinburne—created in 1873 and 1870 respectively.

Before Ellis Island opened its doors in 1892, immigrants suspected of carrying disease were processed at Castle Garden on Manhattan’s southern tip. When those suspected of infection arrived, the city sent them to Staten Island, which at the time was not part of the city proper. To better isolate them, the city filled in land to fashion two quarantine islands: the larger Hoffman for asymptomatic carriers, and the smaller Swinburne for those showing symptoms.

The islands functioned as a miniature petri dish, separating the healthy from the ill. Remarkably, only about a dozen deaths were recorded there, including that of a physician. During World War I, Swinburne’s hospital treated American soldiers afflicted with venereal disease.

Today both islands lie uninhabited, serving as bird sanctuaries within the Gateway National Recreation Area, their decaying structures silently testifying to a bygone era of disease control.

7 What’s in a Name? Rat Island

A half‑mile off the Bronx’s causeway‑connected City Island, in Long Island Sound, sits a tiny 2½‑acre rock known as Rat Island. The origin of its unflattering name remains murky, with three plausible stories competing for credibility.

The most mundane explanation points to navigation. Because the island sits between the larger City Island and Hart Island, early mariners may have used rattles—hence “Rat”—as audible warnings to alert night‑time vessels of nearby shoals. This theory is championed by the island’s current owner, Alex Schibli, who suggests “Rat” shortens “rattle.”

A more colorful tale recalls the 1800s typhoid scares, when the island hosted a modest 40‑person quarantine hospital. Back then, it fell under the jurisdiction of Pelham and earned the nickname “Pelham Pesthouse.” The influx of sick people inevitably attracted vermin, giving rise to the moniker Rat Island.

The most intriguing story links the name to the nearby prison on Hart Island. In the nineteenth century, guards referred to inmates as “rats.” Escaping prisoners would swim toward City Island, using the tiny islet as a resting point—sometimes even disguising themselves with boxes to look like floating debris—earning the spot its infamous name.

6 Smallest & Oddest: U Thant Island

On August 28, 1973, New York subway riders experienced a nightmare when a concrete slab in the Steinway Tunnel collapsed, killing one passenger and trapping over a thousand commuters in searing heat and smoke for more than an hour. The tunnel, named for the piano‑making Steinway family of Astoria, Queens, had already endured a fatal explosion in the 1880s that bankrupted its contractor.When the tunnel finally survived, the debris that fell into the East River formed a 200‑by‑100‑foot mound of earth, originally called Belmont Island after the project’s chief financier.

Unbeknownst to most, the tiny island later fell within the sightline of the United Nations headquarters, completed in 1948. In 1972, activists declared it “Soviet Jewry Freedom Island” and occupied it for two‑and‑a‑half hours to protest Soviet emigration restrictions.

Five years later, followers of spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy, who served as the UN’s interfaith chaplain, leased the land and renamed it after Burmese former UN Secretary‑General U Thant, a close friend of Chinmoy. The island now hosts a modest “oneness arch” displaying personal items belonging to Thant.

5 Fake Island, Real Damage: The Black Tom Explosion

In 1916, while the United States had not yet entered World War I, the nation’s industrial might supplied vast quantities of munitions to Allied forces. Most of these shipments left from a man‑made island in New Jersey’s Hudson River known as Black Tom, allegedly named after a local fisherman of darker complexion.

Black Tom featured a bustling railroad hub perched on a treacherous rock that made navigation hazardous. On July 30, 1916, German saboteurs detonated a massive charge among the two million tons of war material awaiting shipment.

The blast registered between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter scale, shattering windows up to twenty‑five miles away, cracking the outer wall of Jersey City’s City Hall, and sending shrapnel that tore a hole in the Statue of Liberty’s skirt. Nearby Ellis Island was evacuated, seven people lost their lives, and the explosion caused roughly $20 million in damage.

This act of sabotage, combined with German submarine warfare and attempts to enlist Mexico against the United States, helped push America into the war the following year. Today Black Tom is part of Liberty State Park, which later served as a massive triage center after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

4 Just Offal: NYC’s Smelliest Island

Before the city became known for subways and taxis, it was a horse‑powered metropolis. By 1900, an estimated two hundred‑thousand horses roamed the streets, a fact that explains why many historic brownstones feature stairs leading to the front door—no one wanted to step out onto a floor slick with horse manure.

When these horses died, their bodies were rendered into glue and fertilizer. Between 1850 and 1930, the majority of this processing occurred on a narrow strip off Brooklyn’s southeast shoreline called Barren Island. The resulting runoff of decaying animal matter gave birth to the infamous “Dead Horse Bay,” a name that endures to this day.

Around 1900, the same tract was repurposed as a municipal trash dump. By 1930 the landfill reached capacity, was capped, and left to rot. In 1950 the cap failed, allowing slower‑degrading debris—especially glass bottles—to surface, creating a bizarre juxtaposition known as “Glass Bottle Beach.”

For years, treasure hunters scoured the shoreline, hoping to uncover vintage artifacts among the refuse. However, last year authorities shut off public access after detecting elevated levels of radioactivity in the area.

3 Among America’s Worst: Riker’s Island

The island synonymous with incarceration in New York City was not always the notorious prison complex it is today. Originally owned by Dutch settler Abraham Rycken, who bought the land in 1664, the island remained in the Rycken family until the city purchased it for $180,000 in 1884.

During the Civil War, the island served as a training ground for New York troops. Its fortunes turned in 1925 when city officials, seeking to replace the overcrowded and dilapidated prison on what was then called Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island), selected Riker’s as the new site for a modern correctional facility.

At the time of the prison’s opening in 1932, the island was already a dumping ground. By 1930, roughly 1.5 million cubic yards of refuse—more than the debris displaced to build the original World Trade Center—had been piled there, much of it coal ash that sparked spontaneous phosphorescent fires.

Today Riker’s houses ten separate city jails, ranging from minimum‑security to maximum‑security facilities. Until recently, many detainees were low‑level offenders unable to afford bail, languishing in the city’s notoriously backlogged courts.

2 A Mile Long, a Million Dead: Hart Island

Just a half‑mile east of the more populated City Island lies Hart Island, a mile‑long, one‑third‑mile‑wide parcel that arguably bears the most macabre history of any New York City landmass.

The island first entered public use in 1864 as training grounds for Black Union troops during the Civil War. That same year, a prison camp for Confederate POWs was added after Union leaders refused to exchange Black prisoners, prompting a halt to prisoner swaps.

Over the ensuing decades Hart Island hosted a tuberculosis sanitarium, a jail, a homeless shelter, and a boys’ reformatory. Its most infamous role, however, was as a potter’s field, where the remains of over a million individuals—unclaimed, indigent, or disease‑ridden—were interred in shallow mass graves.

Burials continue today, albeit at a reduced rate of roughly 1,500 per year. Inmates from nearby Riker’s Island perform the gravedigging, meaning prisoners literally dig the final resting places for the city’s dead.

Recently, a concerted effort has begun to identify as many of those buried on Hart Island as possible, featuring an interactive map that tracks progress and honors the countless forgotten souls.

1 Hart‑breaking: Hart Island, COVID & AIDS

In the previous entry we noted that Hart Island’s burial rate had slowed—until March 2020, when the COVID‑19 pandemic flooded New York City with unprecedented numbers of deaths. The city’s morgues quickly overflowed, forcing officials to store bodies in massive freezer trucks and other improvised facilities.

By March 2021, officials projected that one in ten COVID victims in the city would be laid to rest on Hart Island. Media outlets displayed haunting images of workers in protective gear digging shallow graves, as 2,300 adults were interred there in 2020—2.5 times the 2019 figure and a full 1,000 more than the peak year of the AIDS crisis in 1988.

The year 1988 marked the height of AIDS‑related deaths in New York. Starting in 1985, the city began shipping its AIDS victims to Hart Island, burying them in a secluded section of the potter’s field and using deeper graves—several feet of earth—rather than the customary three‑foot depth.

Hart Island holds only one marked grave: a modest concrete slab commemorating the city’s first pediatric AIDS victim, inscribed simply with “SC (special child) B1 (Baby 1) 1985.”

These intertwined tragedies—COVID‑19 and AIDS—underscore Hart Island’s enduring role as the final resting place for New York’s most vulnerable, cementing its reputation as a somber testament to the city’s hidden histories.

An island is an idyllic destination for millions of travelers worldwide. Especially when the said island is sun-drenched with white sand beaches and surrounded by nothing but turquoise ocean. However, those with an adventurous side seek out the more obscure islands that harbor a secret or two, which makes for a fascinating visit every time.

Sometimes these secrets are awesome; sometimes, they’re creepy. On this list is a mix of both these types of islands found around the globe.

10 Suwarrow

Suwarrow forms part of the Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean and often suffers storm surges because it is an extremely low-lying atoll. The island was declared a National Heritage Park in 1978 and falls under Cook Islands law. Two island caretakers share the space with over a million sea birds, which include eleven different species.

Suwarrow was once described as the most romantic island in the world, but it is the lure of being a treasure island that put it on the obscure map. A ship’s crew from Tahiti was doing salvage work on the island during the mid-19th century when the captain dug up an iron chest filled with gold and silver coins. In 1876, Henry Mair discovered a rusted box inside a turtle’s nest containing more treasure in the form of gold and silver necklaces, coins, and brooches. He had no way of taking the loot with him, so he decided to rebury it. Mair then drew up a treasure map of sorts to remember the location.

Mair was killed in the New Hebrides in 1891, and his treasure map was never found.^[1]

9 Flatey Island

Flatey Island was named top of the list of The Best 50 Islands in the World 2019, yet most people have never heard of it. The island is just under two kilometers (1.25 miles) in length and boasts a whopping six permanent residents.

Flatey lies off the west coast of Iceland and is the only one out of 3,000 in Breiðafjörður Bay that is inhabited. Furthermore, it is also the location of Iceland’s very first library and Flatey Church. It is only accessible by ferry, and cars are not allowed on the island. The beautiful landscape has served as inspiration for filmmakers, with the most notable movie set on Flatey being The Honour of the House (1999).^[2]

8 Mou Waho

There are five islands on the stunning Lake Wanaka in New Zealand, the most obscure and remote of which is Mou Waho. Long ago, it was inhabited by both Europeans as well as Maori, and sheep farming boomed. Today, bird life flourishes here, especially buff weka.

Mou Waho or “Outer Island” is referred to as an “island, within a lake, on an island, in a lake, on an island in the ocean.” Near the top of the island is Arethusa Pool, which has its own islet set into it. Climbing to the highest point above it, you will see island, water, island, water, and island. And this stunning sight is accessible within a mere 3-kilometer (1.86-mile)walk.^[3]

7 Okinawa

If Okinawa sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen The Karate Kid or binged the movie’s spin-off, Cobra Kai. It is on Okinawa, in Tomi Village, that Mr. Miyagi once lived before leaving for America. In Cobra Kai, Daniel LaRusso returns to the island, only to find that it has become unrecognizable.

In real life, Okinawa is part of Japan but, technically speaking, not Japanese. Those who live on the island are known as Nippon-jin, and the island is a haven for the elderly. It is also the birthplace of karate, with the fighting method developed by Okinawans as an answer to the attacks of Japanese samurai.

Okinawa is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the world. The Kadena Air Base, an American airbase, once held “Building 2283.” This building was the home of an Air Force officer in the 1970s. The officer murdered his family inside the home before killing himself. When the next family moved in, the father of the family attacked his wife and children with a knife. After these terrible incidents, the building became a storage shed before reportedly being demolished in 2009.

It is said that it took a long time before anyone was able to successfully tear the place down because workers kept getting severe headaches and suffered from hallucinations whenever they set up their equipment.

And perhaps creepiest of all, there was a daycare center next door to Building 2283, and the young children that attended the school kept throwing their toys over the fence that separated them from the building. When asked why they were doing this, the children said that the kids on the other side asked them to…^[4]

6 Saba

Saba island may be the smallest of its kind in the Dutch Caribbean. However, she boasts the highest point in the Dutch Kingdom, namely Mount Scenery, which towers 887 meters (2,910 feet) into the air. Mount Scenery is a potentially active volcano, with its last eruption having taken place in 1640.

Not only is Saba the smallest island in its surroundings, but it also holds the world’s smallest runway. Located along the edge of a beach, the runway is a mere 400 meters (1,312 feet) long, which means that if a pilot overshoots, he will plunge himself and his passengers right into the Atlantic.

A wonderful fact about this magnificent little place is that it is one of the safest places in the world for solo female travelers. There is next to no crime, and the locals are extremely friendly toward tourists. On the island, there are many sights to take in other than the stunning vista of the surrounding ocean, including several old burial sites on private properties.

The 1933 movie King Kong used the silhouette of Saba for “Skull Island.” Looking at the island, even just in a photograph, it’s easy to picture giant animals roaming around or surprising you by peeking over the top of the volcano.^[5]

5 Andros

When it comes to the Bahamas, visitors tend to seek out New Providence, Paradise Island, and Grand Bahama Island. However, if you’re planning a visit to the Bahamas, a trip to the hidden gem of Andros Island should definitely form part of your itinerary.

Andros is the biggest island in the Bahamas by far, stretching over 5,960 square kilometers (2,300 square miles). It is also the fifth-largest island in the entire Caribbean. It is often referred to as the Secret Garden of the Bahamas, as it is home to over 60 species of wild orchids. Furthermore, Andros is also home to the third-largest barrier reef in the world. The region separating Andros and New Providence is called TOTO (Tongue of the Ocean). It holds very deep water surrounded by islands, reefs, and shoals.

It is rumored that the mythical creature, Chickcharney, still roams the island, with some believing that the legend comes from sightings of a prehistoric barn owl. However, remains of the owl, Tyto pollens, have yet to be discovered on Andros.^[6]

4 Fadiouth Shell Island

In Mbour, Senegal, you can find Fadiouth Shell Island. As the name suggests, the island is made up of millions of clam shells that have accumulated over hundreds of years. The streets here are paved with shells and lead to a wooden bridge which, in turn, leads to a second shell island.

The second island is also completely made from shells but is known more for its cemetery than its fabrication. It is estimated that around 90% of Senegal residents adhere to Islam. However, the entire cemetery on the second island is marked by white Christian crosses. It is seen as a monument to the very-much-in-the-minority Christian religion of the country. It is definitely a strange sight to behold. The cemetery is also seen as a testament to the religious tolerance in the area.^[7]

3 Danger Islands

Until 2018, biologists believed that the number of Adelie penguins had been steadily declining. Then scientists discovered a supercolony of more than 1.5 million Adelie penguins on the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The penguin colony has gone undetected for many decades, mainly because of the danger of the waters surrounding the islands and the remoteness of the islands themselves.

The Danger Islands were first discovered by James Clark Ross in 1842, who saw the hazard that the ice in the area presented. The expedition didn’t even notice the islands until their ship was almost upon them because the ice concealed them so well.^[8]

2 Corregidor

At the entrance of Manila Bay in the Philippines lies Corregidor Island. Historically, the island was fortified with coastal artillery batteries meant to defend the entrance as well as Manila itself from attacks by warships. During the Second World War, Corregidor was instrumental during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines but was also heavily damaged during the later stages of the battle.

Today, the ruins on the island serve as a memorial for the soldiers who lost their lives. The Pacific War Memorial stands on the highest part of Topside on the island. There is a Japanese Garden of Peace, built in honor of the Japanese soldiers who died on Corregidor during the war. Those who visit the island can also take in the sight of the lighthouse, which is one of its oldest landmarks.

Naturally, because of its bloody history, Corregidor is considered to be haunted by those who lived and fought here many years ago. The Old Corregidor Island Hospital, which dates back to 1912, is said to be the creepiest place on the island today. Some have heard screaming and crying emanating from its ruins. Others claim to have heard the sounds of a normally-functioning hospital from its empty corridors.^[9]

1 Santa Catalina

If you’re in the mood to party on a glass-bottom boat while taking in the views of the Pacific Ocean, a trip to Santa Catalina Island will be right up your alley. Catalina lies just over 32 kilometers (20 miles) off the coast of Southern California and is a favorite with those who want to escape the busy city life.

During WWII, Catalina was inaccessible to visitors as it became a military training base. The Catalina Island Museum provides a glimpse of the island’s history for those who want an educational break from the beach.

But while you’re wandering around Catalina, you should keep an eye out for the spectral ballplayer who is often seen at the Catalina Country Club. Visitors have reported seeing apparitions walking through solid walls in the local theater, wearing 1920s attire. Some have even had a close encounter with an old woman dressed in a white robe floating around in the restroom.^[10]

Urban heat islands (UHI) are areas with significantly higher temperatures than the regions surrounding them. The retention and generation of heat in the urban core contributes to climate change and lower air quality for people living in and near the heat islands. They also have a negative effect on rainfall downwind of the UHI. UHIs are also a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Cities which have insufficient cooling at night during periods of hot weather have shown increases in heat related deaths, much of which has been attributed to UHIs.

There causes are many, but fortunately solutions exist to counter their negative effects on the population and on the environment. Several of these solutions are doubly attractive as they simultaneously address other urban issues, such as quality of life and eliminating food deserts. They help make cities more attractive and livable for residents and visitors alike. Here are ten ways to mitigate the detrimental effects of UHI and create better cities for the present and for future generations.

This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!

Urban heat islands (UHI) are areas with significantly higher temperatures than the regions surrounding them. The retention and generation of heat in the urban core contributes to climate change and lower air quality for people living in and near the heat islands. They also have a negative effect on rainfall downwind of the UHI. UHIs are also a leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Cities which have insufficient cooling at night during periods of hot weather have shown increases in heat related deaths, much of which has been attributed to UHIs.

There causes are many, but fortunately solutions exist to counter their negative effects on the population and on the environment. Several of these solutions are doubly attractive as they simultaneously address other urban issues, such as quality of life and eliminating food deserts. They help make cities more attractive and livable for residents and visitors alike. Here are ten ways to mitigate the detrimental effects of UHI and create better cities for the present and for future generations.

10. Creating more pocket parks

Converting disused or abandoned urban properties into small parks, called pocket parks by urban planners and architects, has proven effective in combating the heat island problem. Post World War II Athens, Greece, underwent a housing boom, during which row upon row of apartment blocks replaced detached homes with surrounding greenery. Beginning in the late 1990s, Athens undertook projects to create pocket parks from small abandoned lots and in alleyways and mews. Roads designed to accommodate automobiles have also been converted to green spaces lined with paths for pedestrians and automobiles. The expanded greenery helps cool the city, as well as improves the air quality.

Other cities have seen the value of pocket parks, including their contribution to an enhanced quality of life by offering convenient opportunities to ease out of urban stress. Chicago has dozens of such small parks, with more planned. Mexico City has built about 3.5 acres of small pocket parks scattered across the city, including in disused spaces under bridges and overpasses. Paris is known for its wide boulevards and open spaces, but it too has adopted pocket parks as part of long term urban planning.

Pocket parks alone do not present the solution to UHIs, but they can and do contribute to the reduction of the urban core’s heat retention. At the same time, they offer little oases of peace and relaxation without leaving the urban area. Their use is influencing urban planners, both for quality of life and attempts at creating less heat-retentive urban cores. Whether in a large, international city or a mid-sized town, they are an effective tool against UHIs.

9. Create heat reflecting, rather than absorbing roofs

Dark colors absorb heat, while light colors reflect it. Thus, it makes sense that dark colored roofs absorb heat in daylight and release it during the relatively cooler hours of night. The slowly released heat remains, for the most part, in a bubble over the area, the very image of the UHI. On a day when the ambient air temperature is at 90 degrees, the temperature of a dark, heat absorbing roof can exceed 190 degrees. A dense concentration of such roofs traps a lot of heat, which is a significant contribution to the increased temperature of the UHI in comparison to the rural areas which surround it.

Heat reflective roofs are an obvious solution to the heat retention problem. And, as with pocket parks, they offer other advantages as well. They can reduce internal temperatures of the building, reducing the need for air conditioning. Absorbed heat is damaging to roofs; reflected heat reduces wear on roofs and contributes to a longer service life. Cool roofs thus benefit the community as well as the owner and occupants of buildings on which they are installed.

Beginning in 2012 in New York, volunteers began painting dark roofs white, in an attempt to reduce the city’s heat retention. As of 2018 they had painted almost 7 million square feet of formerly dark tar roofs, a lot of paint and a lot of time. Even with that effort, 99% of the city’s roofs remained untreated, an indication of the severity of the problem.

8. Creating rooftop gardens and farms

Painting roofs white, or treating them with a reflective coating, isn’t the only way to achieve a cooler roof. That’s a lot of wasted space up there. Putting it to use as areas where greenery is grown reduces heat absorption, improves air quality, and offers another benefit as well. Greenery in the form of fruits and vegetables can offer locally grown fresh produce within the urban core. It is neither far-fetched nor a vision of the distant future. In a growing number of cities urban rooftop gardening and commercial farming is a reality.

In Montreal, a grocer converted his 25,000 square foot roof into a produce farm, growing tomatoes, herbs, beets, lettuce, and other vegetables. Grown in soil, and watered by the store’s dehumidification plant, the rooftop farm’s produce is packaged and sold in the store below. In Tel Aviv, Israel’s Dizengoff Center, a large shopping mall, the flat roof supports two huge greenhouses which grow vegetables hydroponically. During the growing season it produces about 10,000 heads of lettuce per month, for sale to customers outside the mall. It grows a slew of other vegetables as well, and as in Montreal, provides a cooler roof for the buildings below.

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm sits above a three-story warehouse, across the East River from Manhattan in Brooklyn. Its 6,000 square feet of growing space supplies produce for sale at its own farmer’s market, as well as to restaurants in the area. Like the facilities in Montreal and Tel Aviv, it also maintains beehives for the harvesting of fresh honey. Cooling UHIs by growing fresh food on the roofs is a simple and easily achievable means of reducing urban heat, improving the air, and giving access to locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables.

7. Lighter pavement in streets and parking lots

As anyone walking across an asphalt parking lot on a hot sunny day can attest, dark pavements absorb a lot of heat. And pavement is an essential part of any city, for vehicles and pedestrians to move about. An American Environmental Protection Agency report suggests that anywhere from 35-40% of an average city’s urban area is covered in pavement, making it a major contributor to UHIs. And cooler pavements are more difficult to achieve, since they cannot be covered with greenery. Other factors also need to be considered, such as driver and pedestrian safety, visibility, and pavement durability.

Current types of pavements can be treated with materials, such as coatings, to increase the amount of light which is reflected, rather than absorbed. Other types have been studied for suitability for future repaving of streets, roads, and parking lots. One is permeable pavement, which is coarser in density, allowing for greater convection during the daylight hours, and reduces the amount of heat which is stored in the pavement for later release. It also allows for more absorption of water, reducing storm runoff during heavy rains. Lighter colored pavements also reduce the need for candlepower in street lighting.

The use of cool pavements can reduce heat retention, leading to a reduction of the temperatures of UHIs, as well as offer better visibility to drivers at night. There are cost concerns. Replacing or modifying existing pavements in cities is a seriously complicated proposal, and implementation affects traffic patterns, commuting times, and other complications of urban life. But the potential advantages to be gained may well outweigh the costs, when overall adverse effects of UHIs are considered.

6. Create better blue spaces in urban areas

Blue spaces are water within an urban area, whether running streams, lakes and ponds, or fountains and pools. Properly designed and maintained they mitigate heat islands. Improperly designed or maintained they may make matters worse. Water cools primarily through evaporation at the surface. But it also absorbs heat, with standing water temperature rising during the course of the day as sunlight warms the surface.

Man-made blue spaces such as fountains run by pumps can actually add to the heat retention effect, since pumps create friction while operating. They also contribute to power demand, another source of heat retention. The cooling effect of blue spaces in cities is enhanced when it is combined with the use of green spaces, which in effect creates an island within an island, or a cool space surrounded by a larger UHI. More such islands reduce the overall heat retained by the UHI.

More blue spaces in urban areas have been shown to produce other benefits beyond temperature reductions. Living near blue spaces has been shown to reduce stress, improve physical exercise, and lower obesity rates, all considerable advantages. Of course, to gain the full benefit of natural blue spaces, such as rivers, centuries of effluents into the water needs to be cleaned up in all too many urban areas.

5. Plant more shade trees in the urban area

The larger the shade canopy, the less sunlight reaches the heat retaining surfaces of a city. This includes not just pavements and rooftops, but the exterior walls of brick, stone, and concrete buildings, as well as the interiors of those sided with glass. Shade trees can also protect large areas of blue spaces, and the combination of increased blue and green spaces is one of the most effective ways of reducing heat retention during daylight hours.

Urban parks and forests offer other advantages as well. Both quality of life and the quality of the air are improved by large, shaded, forested areas in cities. A 2014 study by Georgia Tech revealed Louisville, Kentucky, as one of the fastest growing UHIs in the United States. It also revealed that a major contributor to the increased heat was the lack of shade trees in many areas of the city, including the downtown area. The relationship between shade trees and heat retention is clear. More trees = cooler city.

Cities typically lose trees to a variety of causes, including pests, blight, new construction, and natural activities such as thunderstorms and winter blizzards. The Georgia Tech study found that planting more trees and increasing the shade canopy is the single most effective method of reducing heat buildup and the resulting UHIs. Simply put, trees and shade offer natural protection from the potentially damaging rays of the sun and the heat they produce.

4. Vertical gardens improve air quality and lessen heat retention

Vertical gardens are becoming more and more popular in cities around the world, both for their esthetic value and for their cost-effective impact on heat retention. In Singapore, 18 towers built for the purpose are covered with growing plants, and backed with solar powered lights. The result is a dramatic display of vegetation which helps cool the city at the same time it provides a major tourist attraction. In Mexico City, officials took a more practical approach. Columns supporting bridges and elevated roadways are lined with felt, through which plants grow, watered by their own rainwater collection system.

In Paris, the façade surrounding the entrance to the Musee du Quai Branly is covered with more than 15,000 plants covering its vertical walls, framing the entrance in greenery. The Athenaeum Hotel in London has seven stories of plants climbing an exterior vertical corner of the building. Vertical gardens, besides offering dramatic displays of plants, cool the air, improve air quality, and also protect the structure on which they are grown from absorbing heat during sunlit hours.

Beirut, as well as other communities in Lebanon, has also turned to vertical gardens to address the issues of UHIs, air quality, and beautification. Vertical gardens are a part of the solution for all three, but only when used in conjunction with other attempts at mitigation. They also help reduce city noise for residents, and plants act as a natural filter for rainwater. They can also be used to produce herbs and other consumable plants, though as of this writing they have yet to gain favor in the United States.

3. Reduce traffic congestion

Automobile and truck traffic are a major contributor to UHIs. Reduction of their use produces obvious benefits to cities, reducing both UHI severity and pollutants in the air. Lighter colored cars also absorb less heat. Dark colored cars in bumper-bumper traffic obviously negates the benefit of lighter colored pavements.

But any attempt to reduce the use of the automobile is immediately controversial, especially in the United States. There, in major cities, it is common to sit in traffic for well beyond the length of the workday, and a decision of any governmental body to eliminate dark colors for cars would be met with howls of protests over infringements on personal liberty. Reducing automobile use would immediately reduce the temperatures of UHIs, but is unlikely to happen any time soon.

It is a scientific fact that automobile emissions contribute to both air pollution and UHIs and in hot weather conditions the contribution is multiplied. Reducing traffic congestion is therefore desirable if one wishes to reduce the impact of UHIs. There are other methods of reducing congestion without restricting the number of vehicles on the road. In the UK, these methods are being explored and, in some cases, implemented.

2. Create cooler storm water runoff to improve water quality

Stormwater runoff from hot roofs and pavements has been shown to increase temperatures of streams and lakes. Increased temperatures induce negative effects on aquatic life, both plant and animal. The result is unhealthy waters which become lifeless and lose much of their ability to cool and filter. Deteriorating water quality is another result of UHIs which affects the lives of those in the urban area, as well as the lives of those who live downstream.

One solution is the creation of bioswales, constructed dips in the features of the landscape which can hold water temporarily, allowing it to cool, before routing it to streams. Permeable pavements, which cool the surface of the urban area, also absorb and diffuse more water, rather than directing it to storm drains. All of the mitigation efforts so far listed have a positive impact of cooling storm runoff, which would benefit streams and lakes.

Because water in rivers flows downstream, the effects of UHIs on water quality extends beyond the urban area, impacting aquatic biodiversity far from the heat center. The adverse impact of UHIs on water quality is a major incentive for cooling urban environments.

1. More efficient air conditioning could reduce UHIs

Air conditioning cools interiors by absorbing heat which is released to the outside air. Cooling interiors are heating the city where the interiors are located. In essence the heat (and humidity) internal to a building is ejected outside. In a densely populated area on a hot day, massive amounts of heat are added to the air outside, creating a dome which traps sunlight creating heat.

Yet air conditioning and refrigeration are facts of modern life. More efficient methods of cooling the air within buildings and vehicles would go a long way toward mitigating the effects of UHIs. Research to attain more efficient air conditioning is underway. If and when attained it will be just one of the several weapons deployed by future generations to combat the dangers of UHIs.

None of the strategies in this list will succeed in eliminating UHIs alone. But in varying combinations, depending on local politics, community involvement, and environmental factors, combinations of several could have a mitigating effect on UHIs, making cities more comfortable, and thus livable, across the globe.