Psst. Hey, you! Yeah, you! Listen to me, Are you in the market for a private island? Oh,
come on, we all need our own personal getaway! Plus, these prices are unbeatable! …Ok,
fine, I make a lousy salesperson, but there really are whole islands out there that you
can purchase for a fraction of the typical price. But the real kicker is that nobody
wants to buy them! Take, for example…
Piaçabuçu Islands, Brazil Price: $79,500
For just 80,000 bucks, you can become the owner of not one but six islands situated
on Brazil’s Sao Francisco River. These islands can boast picturesque views, exciting wildlife,
and even colonial ruins! So, why hasn't anybody grabbed them up yet? Well, the reason might
lie in the fact that you’re technically just buying the right to use the islands for
99 years. Besides, the contract contains a vague note that you’ll be subject to "small
annual taxes." Hmm, yeah maybe pass on this sketchy deal!
But I’ve got plenty more offers, like…
Little Rocky Island, Nova Scotia, Canada Price: $74,500
Surprisingly, this 8-acre (32,000 sq. m) island is still available, and if you hurry, you'll
be able to buy it! For 75 grand, that is. But given its pretty sandy beaches, untouched
nature, and pine trees, that price point is a steal! Although Little Rocky Island lies
in the Atlantic Ocean, neighboring islands protect it from foul weather. There’s no
property on the island, but you can build anything you like there! As for why it’s
still for sale, that's a real mystery. Perhaps the market is a little flooded, since Canada
has so many private islands for sale!
Tillamook Island, Oregon, USA Price: $50,000
Also known as "Terrible Tilly," this island’s nickname speaks for itself. Well, it’s not
technically an island in the traditional sense, it’s basically a rock with a single lighthouse
on it off the coast of Oregon. Initially, the island was sold for half a million, but
that wasn't the only time it was for sale. So far, nobody has been enthusiastic enough
to buy the place. “Why?” you ask? Well, when you consider the tumultuous weather,
waves that can get so high they sweep over the entire island, and a history that’s
not short of tragedy for those who brave the dangerous waters around it, then, yeah, Tilly
doesn’t exactly sell like hotcakes…
Chandler Island, Maine, USA Price: $39,999
If you have some extra cash, you can buy a 1-acre (4,000 sq. m) island with a view of
picturesque Maine. There’s a little cabin on the island, and you can theoretically build
some other property there too if you want. The only problem is that during high tide,
half of the island gets submerged under water. As a result, the tiny territory of the island
shrinks even more. Bring a life vest.
Fort Carroll, Maryland, USA Price: $31,500
You could become the owner of a historic private island on one condition: you have to restore
the fort situated on it. But it’d cost you less than the average price of college tuition!
Fort Carroll is an artificial island constructed in 1848. What’s left today is an abandoned
hexagonal fort on the island that was once crucial for defending the city of Baltimore.
Many local businesses have made attempts to renovate the fort and turn it into a hotel,
a casino, a conference center, and even a jail. However, nobody has succeeded so far.
The problem with the island is that it's an important bird conservation site that’s
home to tons of herons and seagulls. That's why you can't construct or change anything
on the island since it might spook the birds. Secondly, the fortress itself is under the
protection of the state's strict environmental laws. This makes redevelopment next to impossible.
McGibbon Island, New Brunswick, Canada Price: $29,900 …in Canadian.
People typically associate private islands with some sort of tropical paradise. But Canada’s
McGibbon Island is nothing like that. Perhaps that explains the super low price tag of 30
grand for this small plot of land on the St. Johns River. But it’s probably got more
to do with the fact that McGibbon is completely undeveloped. One of the reasons for this inconvenience
is that every spring, the territory gets totally submerged. So, you can't really build a cozy
house here because it’d float away with the flood waters! But if you like camping
trips, McGibbon Island might be a spectacular investment!
Maatsuyker Island, Australia Price: Free! See that string there, yah it’s
attached… Welcome to a tiny island off the coast of
Tasmania, Australia. To be the only occupant of this island, you don't need to buy it or
pay rent. The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Services offer people to live in this remote,
beautiful location entirely free of charge! The duration of stay is half a year, but that
should be plenty of time to enjoy all the lush greenery, breathtaking ocean views, and
your own personal vegetable garden! As always, there is a catch… First of all,
this offer is open only for couples, and both partners should be equally eager to go to
the island. Besides, you'll need to take care of the property and its wildlife as well as
maintain the equipment and buildings. Your responsibilities will also include weather
observations. And finally, there’s no means of communication with the rest of the world.
That’s right: no TV, no Internet, no cell phone service. Harsh… Once you're there,
you can only leave the island for emergencies. And finally, (finally?) you can only bring
up to 716 pounds (325 kg) of supplies with you when you arrive.
Yeah, pretty strict stuff, huh? But, hey, if you and your spouse are looking to escape
from the modern world for a few months, then I say go for it!
Ok, maybe you don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to buy even the cheapest islands
on the market that nobody else wants. Well, there are plenty of other islands that aren’t
really for sale, but you can live there (or at least visit some of them)! Again, for one
reason or another, nobody wants to! For example, there’s…
Ōkunoshima Island This place lies approximately 2 miles (3 km)
off the coast of Japan. But despite such a convenient location, nobody lives there. From
1929 to 1945, there was a chemical weapons plant on the island that produced poisonous
gas. Yet even after the factory ceased to exist, no one wanted to settle on the island.
In 1988, the Ōkunoshima Poison Gas Museum was opened, and it started to attract tourists.
(what do you get – a free sniff?) But that wasn’t the main reason why the island started
gaining more and more visitors. It was because the place is overcome by rabbits! They’d
begun to thrive and multiply on the island after the factory was closed. And these days,
thousands of friendly bunnies will greet you if you decide to pay them a visit! And if
you do, you should find time to stop in at…
Hashima Island Dubbed "Battleship Island" because it looks
like an old half-destroyed battleship, Hashima is located about 9 miles (15 km) away from
Nagasaki. From 1887 to 1974, there was a profitable coal mine on the island. More than 5,000 miners
together with their family members lived on this 15-acre (61,000 sq. m) piece of land,
all of them cooped up in high-rise tenements. But when the coal ran out, people left the
island, and the buildings were abandoned. Over time, they slowly crumbled away to the
point that it was dangerous to even step foot on the island. Nowadays, the site is open
for tourists. But it's no wonder nobody is eager to live in this gloomy place…
Lazzaretto Nuovo Located in Venice, Italy, this island is also
open for tourists but home to nobody. The reason lies in its rough past. In 1468, the
island became a quarantine area for ships that approached the city. This move was meant
to protect Venice from the plague. In the 18th century, the island was turned into a
military base. And finally, in 1975, the place was left alone, derelict and forgotten. Only
recently has the local community turned it into a museum site.
Jaco Island This place belongs to the Democratic Republic
of Timor-Leste. The island looks like the picture of a true paradise: lush green trees,
crystal blue waters, and white sand. Surprisingly, this place is uninhabitable. But that’s
because the island is sacred to locals, so no one is allowed to live there permanently.
But they don't mind one-day tourist trips or even camping, so you can visit it!
So, which island would you like to go to? Let everybody know down in the comments. For
me, it’s gotta be Rabbit Island! The place must go nuts at Easter time…Also, remember
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