Islands have fascinating attractions for people. They are often exotic and offer an escape from everyday life. Plus, many of them have a rich history and culture to discover. But hey, the most important thing about islands is their Fun Facts!
My colleague David is a walking encyclopaedia of island knowledge and gave me his hottest island facts during a (slightly extended) coffee break. I’ve collected them for you so that you can just blurt out the fun facts at the next party!
Animal Fun Facts:
- Island dwarfing is a phenomenon where animals on an isolated island are smaller than their relatives on the mainland. An example is the elephants on the island of Sri Lanka. The elephants on this island are smaller than their relatives on the Asian mainland. They also have other physical characteristics, such as a longer tail, due to a lack of natural enemies, they also do not have tusks.
- Several hundred cats live on the Japanese island of Aoshima, so the island is often called “Cat Island“. The cats were originally used to control the mouse population in the fishing villages. Officially, only 22 people live on the island, but there are said to be 122 cats.
Facts from film & television (& books, & podcasts)
- Who lives in the pineapple deep in the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!!!
Supposedly, Bikini Atoll in Micronesia is the inspiration for the cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants, which is set in an underwater town called Bikini Bottom. The atoll was the site of nuclear tests during the Cold War until 1958, so the talking sea creatures in the series, are meant to show the impact of nuclear testing underwater. - Robinson Crusoe Island (before 1966 Isla Más a Tierra) in Chile is named after the famous novel by Daniel Defoe and was the actual prison of Alexander Selkirk, on whose experiences the novel was based. Today the island is a popular tourist destination & known for its natural beauty and remote location.
- “I don’t want to die!” – the last diary entry of John Chau in November 2018. The missionary wanted to convert the indigenous & largely isolated people, the Sentinelese, to Christianity. When Chau tried to cross over to the island he was shot at with arrows & killed. You can listen to the whole story in the Crime Podcast by Die Zeit. Podcast recommendation!
Curious
- If you want to grow really old, you apparently have to go to Sardinia. This is where Perdasdefogu, the “village of the centenarians“, is located. Numerous researchers are also interested in one of the highest concentrations of over 100-year-olds in the world. You can also taste the fountain of youth from our Falkensteiner Resort Capo Boi. Within an hour’s drive, you can visit the “village of the centenarians”.
- Most Icelanders believe in elves and other mystical beings. Iceland also has an official elf commissioner. Yes, you read that right. The elf commissioner makes sure that no elves or other mythical creatures are disturbed during construction projects. Admittedly, this is not a regular job title. The original Elf Commissioner, now deceased, even made maps of where elves could be encountered. It is not uncommon for road layouts to be altered in Iceland because otherwise an elf family might be disturbed.
- There are also islands in the beautiful Wörthersee, all easily accessible by boat and always worth a trip. Unfortunately, some boaters experience their very own Robinson Crusoe moment after one or two too many aperitifs. The following also applies to the water: Don’t drink and drive! 😉 Let Captain Robert take you out on the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden‘s own motorboat.
- “Rich” & famous” became the island of Tuvalu in the South Seas mainly through their internet address “.tv”, which they rent out to the whole world. They earn around 4 million euros a year with it.
Hopefully, you will find David’s island knowledge as interesting as I do. You can definitely spice up the next boring small talk at the hotel bar.
