Santa Cruz del Islote

The islet is roughly a hectare - about two football pitches - and estimates of the population run from around eight hundred to over twelve hundred depending who is counting and when, which by any of those figures makes it the densest island population in the world, several times denser than Manhattan. It was settled by fishing families from the mainland who found no mosquitoes here, and it grew by families building outward and upward and filling in around the coral with rubble. There are around a hundred houses, two shops, a school and no cemetery - the dead are taken to the mainland. Fresh water is shipped in and electricity runs limited hours. The reef around it supports the fishing that the community lives on.

History

The islet was uninhabited until the 1860s, when fishermen from Cartagena and Tolú began to settle there to rest and shelter from storms, building it out with shells, coconut shells, tree trunks from nearby islands, sand and even rubbish; they were drawn by the fish around its coral and by the absence of mosquitoes. As the islanders tell it, the tide one day brought in a cement cross, which the settlers set up in the centre, and the island took its name from it. A community council was formed in 2013, a tidal surge flooded homes in 2018, free internet arrived in August 2020, and on 2 July 2021 it became the first territory in Colombia fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (Wikipedia, Santa Cruz del Islote).

Highlights

• About a hectare holding a thousand-plus people - the densest island anywhere.
• Around a hundred houses - built outward and upward on filled coral.
• No cemetery - the dead go to the mainland.
• Water shipped in - and electricity on limited hours.

When to go

December to April. Half a day.

What to expect

This is a crowded community's home, not an exhibit - go with an operator who pays a community contribution and behave accordingly. Photography of people needs asking. There are effectively no visitor facilities. Fresh water and power are scarce.

Nearby

Isla Mucura is close; Tolu is on the mainland.

Key facts