Top 8 Most Unique Islands in The World

Here’s the list of most unique islands in the world from various categories. These unique island become “unique” because they have some different feature than other islands in the world. Note that some of island is not an island in the ocean, but can be island in the lake or even island in the river. Here’s the list of most unique islands in the world

8. Ometepe: World’s Oldest island formed from the Volcano

Ometepe is one of the oldest island in the world. Formed from two volcanoes sticking out of the lake of Nicaragua in the Republic of Nicaragua. Its name comes from the Nahuatl word ome (two) and tepetl (mountain), meaning two mountains. Two volcanoes are Concepción and Maderas. Although this is a dangerous volcanic island, but there are residents living there, about 35,000 people. The majority of the population are doing agricultural and breeding. This area is one of the tourist destinations place as well in Nicaragua.

Ometepe

7. Ellesmere: Inhabited Frozen Island

Ellesmere is one of the Island in the world that reaching freezing temperature. The island that located in Canadian territory, exactly in the west Greenland, has a barren and mountainous nature and become a ‘laboratory’ of the geologists and biologists that are studying the changes of nature. It’s reported that this island is inhabited by 146 people nowadays.

Ellesmere Island

6. Azores: Remote volcanic Island with Various Seasons in a Day

The island that located in the Atlantic ocean is really unique. When you come here and want to cook, no need to think about making a stove, just dig the soil and enter the pot then your food would be cooked. Azores is a volcanic archipelago located off the coast of Portugal.

Another uniqueness is that the weather in the island that can change quickly. The normal temperature in the winter is about 13 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius when summer. But here the weather can change quickly. Temperature can drop and rise so quick. No wonder people say, in this island you can witness various seasons in one day. Bizarre, Isn’t it?

Azores

5. Java: Island of People

Java is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. Total population reached 125 million people. Java is part of Indonesia, and also the island where Indonesian usually live. On the island there are two mega-city that is Jakarta and Surabaya. On the other hand, the island of Java have spectacular scenery. The island is vulnerable from volcano eruption and also earthquake as It’s in the range of active volcanoes and in the range of earth fracture as well. Java is also the location of Borobudur as one of the seven wonder of the world.

Borobudur in Java Island

4. Peacock, Holy Island in Middle of the River

Peacock Island is a tiny island that called the holy island because of the Umananda sacred temple complex that located there. This tiny island is in the middle of a Brahmaputra river in Assam Province, India. Umananda Temple was built in 1594 by the King of Ahom Assam.

Among the temples in Assam, this temple, that dedicated for the worship for Lord Shiva, is one of the temple with the most visitors. To reach the temple, people must cross the river by boat from Kachari ghat. There is ferry service available from 7am in the morning until 5 pm in the evening.

Peacock Island

3. Spratly Islands: World’s Most Disputed Islands

Spratly Islands is a group of 650 coral islands located in the South China Sea, between the Philippines and Vietnam. The Spratlys, as they are called, are part of the three islands in the South China Sea, consists of more than 30,000 islands and coral reefs, Because of that It complicates the geography, government and economy in the Southeast Asian region. It’s unclear what the potential of this island, but it’s heard that preliminary survey has been conducted and the results is these islands contain many indicated oil and gas.

The uniqueness of this island is that 45 islands are occupied by a small number of military forces from various countries: China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei. Made it the most disputed islands in the world.

Spratly Islands

2. Samosir: Largest Island Within Island

Samosir Island is located in the middle of Lake Toba, a large lake in the big island of Sumatra, part of Indonesia. The island covers a large number of surface area on the lake. This island also have a unique culture and scenery that makes this island so unique. There are also two small lakes on the island itself. Samosir Island is believed to be the largest island within an island. The extent of 630 km square, only slightly smaller than the original area of Singapore that is 714 km square.

Samosir Island was created around 30,000 years ago during a massive volcanic eruption. Toba lake itself was created 75,000 years ago also caused by volcanic eruptions. In addition to Samosir Island, volcanic eruptions also cause the appearance of the peninsula on mainland Sumatra island that today become a small town Prapat.

Samosir Island in Toba Lake

1. Gunkanjima: Ghost Town in the Middle of the Sea

In the early 1900s, Gunkanjima is a prosperous island for its coal. Mitsubishi Corporation, which manages the coal mining here, really makes Gunkanjima become the rich city and densely populated, although the vast of the island is less than 1 km square.

To accommodate the miners, ten apartment complex built there. A tall labyrinth connected with the terrace, corridors and stairs. There are schools, restaurants, and gaming houses, all surrounded by a protective wall. The island is known as “Nashi Midori Shima,” the island without a green color. In the Year 50′s the population reached 6000 people, this is the most densely populated islands in the world at that time.

But the coal mines that continuously dredged up to the seabed in the long time is exhausted and the island was closed. The island that did not have any green plants die over time. Fifty years later, the island is like a ghost island with crumbling apartments. Year 1974-2009, the island is sealed off from visitors. But recently emerged new regulations, this unique island opened to tourists. The island is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gunkanjima