An island full of rabbits and another that’s a graveyard of shipwrecks. The Earth is dotted with strange and interesting islands that are worth learning about.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, which urged us to learn about bizarre islands that “exist”. Also, check out today’s Word Search, where you can spot a number of islands from around the world.
Here are three islands that may surprise you:
1. Sable Island, Canada
Often called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, Sable Island is located 300km south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada. The island is full of strange, mindboggling features. It has only one tree – a scrawny pine that’s just three feet tall. The island’s furious winds and a lack of nutrient-rich soil prevents trees from growing there. Sable Island also hosts the world’s biggest breeding colony of grey seals. But the island is perhaps best known for two things. The first is the fact that it houses a number of shipwrecks. Because of rough waters and thick fog around the island, and its submerged sandbars, over 350 recorded vessels have met their end at Sable Island. Its second best-known feature is its wild horses. There are over 500 of them, that continue to reside there after surviving centuries of harsh winters.
2. Okunoshima Island, Japan
You’ve heard of the Planet of the Apes. Now, discover the island of the rabbits. Okunoshima Island, in the Hiroshima prefecture of Japan, once played an important role during World War II, as a poison gas factory for chemical warfare carried out in China. But today, it’s known for something that’s harmless and much cuter. The island is home to over 1,000 wild rabbits. The story goes, in 1971, a young boy freed eight rabbits on the island. Today, their rabbit descendants are a huge tourism magnet, and it’s possible to feed or play with them when visiting.
3. Isola della Gaiola, Italy
Off the Gulf of Naples, are two islets that form an island. Connected by a narrow stone bridge, the Isola della Gaiola offers fantastic panoramic views and it is thought that Virgil, a famed Roman poet, once taught there. Yet, the locals refuse to step foot on it, for fear of becoming a victim of the island’s curse. The island is said to bring terrible bad luck and misfortune to its owners. In the 1800s, a hermit nicknamed Il Mago or The Wizard, lived on the island. At some point, he disappeared without a trace. The next owner, Luigi de Negri, built a spacious villa on the island – the remains of which are still there today. He suffered financial ruin shortly after. In 1911, Captain Gaspare Albenga was cruising with his ship around the island, deliberating on whether he should buy it – he crashed into the rocks and drowned. And so, the curse became part of the island’s reputation. Today, the island remains abandoned, and is part of the Gaiola Underwater Park, a protected marine area.
Which is the strangest island you know of? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
