Santa Cruz del Islote, the Most Crowded Island in the World

Santa Cruz del Islote is a small Caribbean island, located in the San Bernardo Archipelago, just off the coast of Colombia. This strip of land has a population of 1,247 who all reside in less than 12 thousand square meters. This makes 105,000 people per square foot - undoubtedly the place with the highest population density in the world. The island has four times more density than the island of Manhattan in NYC.

Legend has it that the island was discovered 150 years ago by a group of fishermen looking for new waters throw their nets. They decided to spend the night there and, in the morning, they were surprised to realize that they had not been bitten by mosquitoes, which was rare for the area. They then decided to stay on the island forever.

Today there are 90 houses on the island, two shops, a restaurant and a school that does not go beyond the tenth grade. There is no sewage system, no running water and electricity is provided by a generator that works only five hours a day. Drinking water is provided every 3 weeks by the Colombian Navy ships, and there is not even a cemetery - the dead are buried in the nearby islands.

The inhabitants of Santa Cruz del Islote live off of fishing and tourism, but most of them work in the resorts of the surrounding islands. There is no crime on the island. The inhabitants live in contact with nature, taking what the sea has to offer, steering clear far from the routes of drug traffickers who fight for the control of the Colombian territory. This happy oasis is surrounded by crystal clear waters and beautiful islands perfect for a hike and to see the island up close.

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