The world is home to some unusual islands, from Snake Island (Ilha da Queimada), Brazil, known for its high concentration of venomous snakes, to Scotora, Yemen, with its alien-like landscape, to the rotating island in Argentina. But, located in the state of New York, close to the Canadian border, lies a tiny island perfect for someone looking to get away from the chaos of life.
Part of the Thousand Islands chain, this island is known as the world’s smallest inhabited island, taking up just 3,300 square feet, or about one-thirteenth of an acre. It is smaller than a football pitch and just larger than a tennis court. However, despite its tiny size, this island is home to a house, a tree, shrubs and even a small beach. Welcome to the aptly named Just Room Enough Island, also known as Hub Island.
Just Enough Room Island lies on the Saint Lawrence River, between Heart Island and Imperial Isle, close to the US border with Canada. It forms part of Alexandria Bay, a village within the town of Alexandria, Jefferson County. From Boldt Castle – one of the biggest attractions in the region – this little red house is very easy to spot.
It belongs to the Thousand Islands chain, which consists of 1,864 islands scattered across the Saint Lawrence River.
The Sizeland family bought the island in the 1950s, having longed for a holiday getaway, and built a house there. Owing to the island’s small size, The Washington Post stated in 2010: “The speck of land squeezes a house and a couple of wrought-iron benches pushed hard up against the shingles onto its banks.
“One misstep, and you’re swimming.”
As it is private property, visitors cannot visit the island. However, it has become a popular spot for tourists to hop aboard boats to get a closer look.
When the river is at its lowest level, the rocky island emerges and its inhabitants are rewarded with a larger area. However, during the spring melt, the water can reach right up to the house’s foundations.
Bishop Rock – a skerry off that forms the westernmost part of the Isles of Scilly off the British coast – was formerly the smallest inhabited island, but lost its title in 1982 when the lighthouse became automated and had no need for human presence.
Meanwhile, the tiny island nation of Tuvalu in Oceania is being swallowed by the sea at an alarming rate. In some places, the waterline rises by almost four millimetres per year. Some now warn that much of the island – whose highest point is just 15 feet above sea level – could cease to exist within decades.
