Which islands in the vast oceans are the 10 smallest islands on earth? The tiniest islands are nameless, uninhabited land masses and probably nobody has ever counted or measured them all. The trip to the 10 smallest islands in the world, which are inhabited by people or which promise a unique holiday, leads to dream islands and secluded islands around the world.
Heavenly Islands
Anyone looking for small and smallest islands rightly thinks of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, which consist of around 1,200 large and small islands. At only 70 x 200 meters, Vadoo is one of the smallest in the region rich in tiny islands. Bright white sand, palm and a beautiful lagoon with turquoise water make Vadoo to an island paradise as a picture book. One of the smallest islands in the Pacific Ocean is Palmerston, a remote atoll in the southern part of the Cook Islands, which has a total of only 2.1 square kilometers of land. The only inhabited island of the atoll is no larger than 600 meters in diameter and a habitat for around 50 inhabitants. The islanders are all descendants of the English William Masters, the 1863
Cayo Espanto, one of the more than 200 islands off Belize in the Caribbean Sea, is one of the 10 smallest islands on earth – made for unforgettable dream vacations. Cayo Espanto is part of the Pinkerton Islands and only 320 x 560 meters in size. The small island offers a very exclusive resort with five bungalows for mostly prominent guests. Further south-east, in front of Colombia near Cartagena, the 10-hectare Isla Mucura is a really tiny dream island with a bright beach, palm trees and an attractive, affordable resort.
European islands
Corvo in the Atlantic Ocean is the smallest inhabited island in the Azores and with only 17 square kilometers is a worthy candidate for a place among the 10 smallest islands on earth. The green island, made up of an extinct volcano, is home to around 425 inhabitants and over 1,000 cattle, has an airport and also some accommodation for tourists. Comino, with a size of only 3 square kilometers, 4 inhabitants and a hotel, a very small island in the Mediterranean, is equipped for expeditions beyond the tourist flow and is applying for a place among the 10 smallest islands on earth. Comino lies between the islands of Gozo and Malta and got its name from the Maltese word for caraway, which was grown there in the Middle Ages.
With a size of only 11 hectares, the Danish ox island in the Flensburg Fjord is probably the smallest inhabited island in the Baltic Sea. Only three people live there and the islet offers a good opportunity for anchoring for pleasure boats. Hallig Süderoog in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park is the smallest inhabited island in the North Sea. The heart-shaped Hallig is inhabited by only two people all year round and is only 62 hectares in size. It can only be entered during guided tours and is a popular place to celebrate weddings.
The smallest inhabited island in the Scilly Islands, a British archipelago southwest of Land’s End, is a patch of land called Bryher. With 1.22 square kilometers, Bryher is also a suitable candidate for a place among the 10 smallest islands on earth. The small island is currently inhabited by 83 people, has a hotel and several holiday apartments and, thanks to the Gulf Stream, has a surprisingly sunny and quite mild climate. The smallest island in the world – so the Guinness Book of Records says – is just a rock, built with a lighthouse: the “Bishop Rock”. It shows the entrance to the English Channel near the Isles of Scilly.