We published an article about the most amazing uninhabited islands around the world a few days ago. These uninhabited islands offer the ultimate Robinson Crusoe experience. In this list however, we are going to introduce you to some of the most beautiful island cities around the world.
These islands were once uninhabited too, but after being settled became so heavily urbanized that the built-up areas eventually took over the entire island, forming island cities.
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Most Beautiful Island Cities:
10. Lindau
The historic city of Lindau is located in the eastern part of Lake Constance (Bodensee). The island city is near the meeting point of the Austrian, German and Swiss borders. Bridge and railway connect the city with the mainland. The population of the city is about 3,000. Lindau is one of the best island destinations offering medieval and half-timbered buildings.
9. Santa Cruz delIslote
Santa Cruz del Islote is located off the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Unofficially, it is the most crowded island in the world. Around 1200 people live in some 90 houses that are crammed on an island of about 1 hectare. There is no space for a cemetery, so the islanders bury their dead in a nearby island. The only public square on Santa Cruz is about half the size of a tennis court. So they play football on the neighboring Mucura Key.
8. Isola deiPescatori
‘Isola deiPescatori’ means Fishermen’s Island. It is the most northerly of the three major Borromean Islands in Lago Maggiore. It is the only island to be inhabited all year round with about 50 people living on it. A promenade encircles the island, which is joined by cobbled alleys to a narrow street that runs along the spine of the island.
The houses built against the promenade are constructed to allow for it is frequently flooded. The picturesque charms of the island make it famous for tourists all over the world. As a result, tourism has become the most important source of income for the islanders. But the traditional occupation of fishing still exists.
7. Mexcaltitan
Located off the Pacific coast of Mexico, Mexcaltitán is a small man-made island city. Marshy, mangrove-lined channels surround the city. During the rainy season, June to October, the streets are flooded with water and everyone uses a boat to go from place to place.
According to some experts, the Mexcaltitán is actually the legendary Aztlán, the ancestral homeland of the Aztec people. Now a day it is a shrimping town. Here shrimps are spread out to dry on any available surface throughout the town.
6. Trogir
Trogir is located close to the city of Split. It is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Hidden restaurants and eye-catching galleries are revealed by the tiny medieval streets winding through the mesmerizing island city.
A wide seashore promenade snakes around the town, which culminates in a charming port full of sailboats. The city features a pleasing blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. A spectacular Venetian Cathedral of St. Lawrence, a town hall and a medieval fortress is some of the famous destinations of Trogir.
5. Nesebar
Nesebar is often referred to as the “Pearl of the Black Sea”. More than three millennia of ever-changing history define the rich island city of Nesebar. A narrow man-made causeway connects the ancient part of the town, which is situated on an island, to the mainland.
The city bears evidence of occupation by a variety of different civilizations over the course of its existence. Nesebar is considered as the town with the highest number of churches per capita. The city represents the rich architectural heritage of the Eastern Orthodox.
4. Flores
Located on Lake Petén Itzá, Flores is connected to land by a causeway. The twin towns Santa Elena and San Benito lie on the other side of the causeway. The last independent Maya state held out against the Spanish conquerors on the island of Flores. When the Spanish attacked by boats in 1697 the Mayan city, Noh Petén (literally “City Island”), was destroyed.
Many tourists visit Flores only because of its proximity to the famous Maya ruins of Tikal. But Flores itself is one of the most beautiful island cities around the world. The city features colonial, red-roofed buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, a historic church, and many hotels and restaurants. When the tourists come here they will find that this island city is more than just a take-off point, but a memorable attraction in itself.
3. Malé
Malé is the capital city of Maldives. It is also the most populous city in the Maldives. There are over 100,000 people crowded onto the small island. All infrastructures have to be built in the city itself because there is no surrounding countryside.
Desalinated groundwater is used as a water source while the electric power is generated in the city using diesel generators. Solid waste is used to fill in lagoons located in the nearby islands. In this way, the nearby larger airport island was built.
2. Manhattan
Manhattan is one of the five boroughs of New York. When people picture New York City they most often think about Manhattan. In fact, Manhattan is a city island that includes most of the best-known attractions in New York. The word, the Lenape were the previous inhabitant of the area before the Europeans came.
They named the island as ‘Manhattan’ which means the “island of many hills”. The Dutch built a Fort on Manhattan Island in 1625 which marked the birth of New York City. With 1,634,795 people living in a land area of 59.47 km² (22.96 square miles), Manhattan is one of the most densely populated island cities in the world.
1. Venice
Venice is famous for its canals. Venice is built on an archipelago of 117 islands which are connected by 455 bridges. The function of roads is served by the canals in the old center. In Venice, almost every form of transport is on water or on foot.
However, the island city is slowly sinking. The Piazza San Marco, the lowest area of the island is totally flooded with water during the high tides in autumn and winter. The city has sunk by around 7 centimeters (2.8 inches) for every century over the last 1,000 years. The recent reports have stated that the city of Venice has lowered by around 24 centimeters (9.4 inches) in the last century alone.
The rising of the sea levels in the Adriatic may be the main cause of the sinking of Venice rather than the city sinking into its own foundations. Raising the city to a greater height above sea level by pumping water into the soil underneath the island city is one of the proposed solutions.