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It is well worth taking a tour off the conventional tourist route to visit this ancient island just 300 km offshore from the mainland town of Brodarica, Croatia. Karpanj is the smallest and lowest inhabited island of the Adriatic at only 7 m above sea level at its highest point. A nobleman by the name of Juric purchased the uninhabited island in 1436 and donated it to the Franciscans who built a monastery there. When the Turks started plundering the coastline, the monk sheltered refugees from the mainland and eventually allowed them to build a settlement on the island.
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Just off the coast of Northumberland, (England) lies a group of some 20 tidal islands. Divided into groups they are also known as ‘Farnes‘. Apart from a few seasonal bird wardens, they are uninhabited, rugged and bleak, the smallest islands are just bare, rocky peaks, while the largest support vegetation on peaty soil. Photo by: hsacdirk
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The Dutch island of Terschelling lies along the Dutch coast for 29 km creating a barrier between the North and Wadden Seas. It is most accessible of the West Frisian Islands, with miles of sandy shoreline and a wonderfully varied landscape for its size. The north coast is a white-sand beach up to 1 km wide, backed by windswept dunes with a hinterland of pine forest. To the south is salt marsh – lush meadowland where catle graze and cranberries grow. The entire eastern end of the island is a nature reserve for migratorybirds.
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Dave Drimmer’s Cosmic Muffin, recycled a plane Boeing B-307 to a boat and this is the most perfect example. Deemed un-flyable in 1969, Hughes’ former ‘flying office’ was rescued from the landfill by Fort Lauderdale Realtor and pilot Kenneth W. London who then spent the next four years transforming it into an exotic houseboat that has been featured everywhere from CNN to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
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The Bimini Cays, 75 km east of Miami and Florida, mark the highest point of a submarine ridge that emerges from the turquoise water at North Bimini, and runs the length of the island along the Gulf Stream. There in complete contrast to the sandy slopes of the bay side where most people live, there’s only a narrow coastal ledge before the ocean floor drops into a sudden deep. This is the fishing capital of the Bahamas, the site of the world record catches of marlin, sailfish, giant tuna, swordfish, wahoo and bonefish. Photo by: picmanbahamas
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The two Manitau Islands in Lake Michigan were once settled, but are now uninhabited. This doesn’t mean they are abandoned, as both are part of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Each has a ranger station and the islands are emerged as a destination for day trips and adventure camping holidays. The visitors who need to stay require park and camping permits. Photo by: jensenl
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The Thousands Islands are a network of in fact nearly 1,800 islands that span the American-Canadian border in the Saint Lawrence River. Some, like Wolfe Island, the largest at 124 sq km have significant year-round populations, while others are merely rocky outcrops visited by migrating birds. The whole area is hugely popular as a holiday destination, particularly for sailing – so much so that it’s sometimes called the ‘fresh water boating capital of the world’. Photo by: hermez
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