There is a certain beauty to islands that persist no matter the exact region and conditions in which they occur. The enchanting lapping up the waters, the essential blue scenery dotted by specks of green and every other shade of nature and even the ideal but not wholly true representation of a bright and beautiful weather brings upon these landforms a collective expression of the idyllic. The beauty of them stands in and despite all aberrations but there still would be some islands that would stun also with other expressions of uniqueness. Here’s lounging in some of the most exquisite of islandic idylls encountered the world over-
Socotra, Yemen
A status of being a UNESCO World Heritage Site already testifying its claim to distinction, the intriguingly astonishing island of Socotra makes for a world of diverse wonders. Resonating perfectly with its intriguing description as being ‘the mot unique looking place on Earth’, this jewel of Arabia or more accurately the jewel of biodiversity in the Arabian Sea stands out in a stark visage of the many Dragon’s Blood Tree exclusive to its identity.
Derived from this premise of unparalleled beauty is also numerous uniquities ‘endemic’ to Socotra. Believed to be the place corresponding to the mythological allusion of the Garden of Eden is this island the very name of which means paradise in Sanskrit. Socotra most definitely is an intriguing proposition that asserts as not just an unique island but a special existence indeed in totality.
Grimsey Island, Iceland
As the only point in Iceland that crosses the Arctic Circle, the distinction of Grimsey Island is one of geographic exceptionality for a country otherwise lying entirely south of the polar circle. That it occurs as well within a nation that is islandic itself in topography makes for even more eminent a case in uniqueness. Asserting also in its north identity the vantage favourability in offering stupendous visual access to the phenomenon of the Northern Light is this geographically small but otherwise substantial existence of the Grimsey Island.
Galešnjak, Croatia
What better than a heart shaped island to discover such wonder of the natural landform that perhaps every one of us would love to drift away to? Croatia’s Galesnjak Island is the perfect place to be, as it is one of the few naturally occurring heart shaped entities bathing the world in the true feels of this special emotion. Uninhabited to an extent that there exists no any option even in accommodation for tourists who regularly seek out the appeal rested in this islandic heart of the world. The alternate identity for the Galešnjak would naturally occur as being the Island of Love in being so true to its hearty premise that would not give away even to the exerting force of the winds and waters regularly washing over its being.
Ulleungdo, South Korea
Clear waters, clearer air and the clearest ‘conscience’- the spiritual island of Ulleungdo in South Korea is a h(e)aven indeed of all things beautiful. A volcanic island that supposedly possesses mystical powers conjured up by the ‘rich energy of the land and clear energy of the sky’ such that the all-important forces of yin and yang assume harmonious expression, Ulleung Island is the paradise where pristinity rules supreme.
In the breathtaking expanse of this popular tourist destination that entices despite- or perhaps in its serene remoteness, the emotions of what one encounters is pure indeed. The environment in which Ulleungdo occurs is pollution free, even when the weather of it asserts as erratic that which combined with the rugged scape of the island makes it an experience earned in all of its unique aspects. Besotted with views and hues that span as surreal and match up to the exact appeal of its pristine presence as also being South Korea’s snowiest show is this remarkable island of an unworldly allure.
Sandön, Sweden
The Gotlandic Sand Island is what Gotska Sandön literally translates as, and it is the very geography of its being upon which the quotient of uniqueness arise. Existing in the identity of being a National Park since 1902, what however ups the ante in terms of appeal is the fact that it has served as the premise for compelling crime plots to unfold- thankfully within the absorbing world of words. The setting of Sandön is what has inspired such soars of the literary imagination; in its forested expanse of mosses and pines, the dark picture of what is painted through this canvas of the islandic makes for a gripping narrative itself of all things stirring.
Malan Island, Pakistan
Fascinating enough in its disappearing and reappearing act of recent accounts, the Malan Island of what lies some kilometers off the Pakistani nation houses in itself a quirky element of intrigue. The very origins of this island would be a boomrazzle indeed- in its overnight birthing on a certain March date in 1999, the uniqueness asserted in this watery emergence of the landmass would be a curation of its entire character. Malan Island, also called Peer Ghaib would subside below sea level just a year after its sudden show of face. Ocean currents and strong winds would lead the island to once again dwell in obscurity for more than a decade after, when it once again sprang to life in 2010 and has been a hive of touristry activities since then. An offshore mud volcano, Malan Island expresses today as an offbeat place that is worth exploring.
Uros Islands, Peru
Refer to them as the Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca and the magic of what shines through this Peruvian identity is glaringly evident. And while this collective composition in living for the Uru people is only one of the many such global floating islands that are entities naturally forming or otherwise constructed by humans, there is another dimension upon which such expression of uniqueness comes to be.
The Uros Islands are a feature of the Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. They are built by the natives themselves, out of Totora reeds that are anchored with ropes attached to large Eucalyptus poles deep seated in the lake. Tourist favorites themselves, it also would be tourism itself that helps in sustaining the unique essence of these islands that are entire villages as well, making it a travel ‘destination’ unlike any other even across the dimensions of our list brimming with uniqueness.
La Isla de las Muñecas, Mexico
The uniqueness of Mexico’s Island of the Dolls asserts as eerie instead in the mysterious nature of what has earned it distinction. In its disturbing image conjured up by hundreds of dolls hung here and scattered there, mutilated or beheaded, sometimes wrapped in cobwebs or worked about in pretty much any assertion of the weird, La Isla de las Muñecas however would be quite popular a tourist attraction. It is from the local legend of the spirit of a little girl haunting the island that the practise of hanging dolls came to be, as a way to drive the ghastly out of it. Explored also in popular culture as a premise hauntingly beautiful, aggravated indeed by its accessibility being a singular case through the trajinera, this particular island prevails as a spine-chilling account of supernatural ‘beauty’.
Just Room Enough Island, United States
No other moniker could be clearer enough in alluding to the distinction of this island as being the smallest in the world. Also known as the Hub Island, this single entity that is part of the expansive group of Thousand Islands is accounted for by a house, a tree, shrubs, and a small beach. The privately owned Just Room Enough Island is summed up by a mere 1/13th acre of area and makes for quite a sight to behold in its identity as part of the Sizeland family house that which finds amusing description as an “island-sized cottage on a cottage-sized island”.
Null Island
There are so many eccentric attributes that compose the unique character of Null Island. But none of them would be a match for its greatest and most essential identity- of simply not existing! No matter how bizarre it might sound, the most visited place on earth does not even assert as a definite something that could be visited.
At the geographical coodinates 0°N 0°E, the Null Island is presumed to counter its identity of the void. That of course is not to be, even when its very plausible geographical location occurring at the intersection of the equator and the prime meridian might not strike as any instance in absurdity. The island ‘came to be’ as a result of fallacious working with geographic information systems (GIS) and has found validation as a geospatial joke ever since. But the indispensable assertion of what its ‘existence’ amounts to in more worldly context means that we could not have let this one slip off the radar for sure.
