unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man visits 'world's most densely populated island' with a width smaller than a soccer field and what he saw shocked him
Home>News>Travel
Published 18:37 26 Nov 2024 GMT

Man visits 'world's most densely populated island' with a width smaller than a soccer field and what he saw shocked him

Santa Cruz del Islote is one of the most overpopulated islands on Earth

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Ruhi Çenet/YouTube

Topics: Travel, World News, News

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

A man visited one of the most densely populated islands in the world and was shocked to see how its residents lived.

The island located off the coast of Colombia and sits on a tiny 2.4-acre patch, which is smaller than your average soccer field, which is 2.7 acres in size.

Called Santa Cruz del Islote, the manmade island was built by fishermen in the 19th century on a coral platform.

Fast forward to 2024 and it's believed that around 800 people now live on the extremely small island.

Advert

Santa Cruz del Islote is a tiny island off the boast of Colombia (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Santa Cruz del Islote is a tiny island off the boast of Colombia (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Filmmaker and YouTuber Ruhi Çenet visited the infamous island earlier this year and in a video posted to his channel in March, he documented what he saw.

Ruhi described the atmosphere as 'chaotic' and that there were people every where you go.

"It's impossible to be alone on these crowded streets," he said.

As the population has increased over the years, almost every inch of Santa Cruz del Islote has something built on it, meaning there's no more room to erect additional housing.

With this in mind, Ruhi was shocked to find that as many as 10 people were sharing a tiny home.

Over 800 people are said to live on the tiny island (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Over 800 people are said to live on the tiny island (Kike Calvo/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Making it even more shocking, one homeowner shared that ten people share three beds between them.

Ruhi's video goes on to show a different part of the house with two double beds in it, where apparently seven children sleep.

According to Ruhi, 200 families live in illegally built homes on the tiny island.

"Everyone builds houses where ever they want," he says. "When they can't find any space, they build on top of existing buildings."

While it's evident that the island is already extremely overpopulated, apparently it's not stopping the island's residents from having children.

Speaking to locals, Ruhi learns that a lot of women have their first child by the age of 16 and will go on to have as many as five kids with different partners.

Despite it being so tiny, Santa Cruz del Islote has still made space for important amenities like a school, a church, a clinic, and a hotel.

It's even said to have a restaurant and a pub.

They might have a small pub, but the island doesn't have sewage and garbage disposal plants. Instead, all of their waste goes into the sea.

As you'd expect, there's limited space for crops so residents are said to reply on deliveries from the Colombian Navy every few weeks.

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • Getty Stock
    2 hours ago

    People with no inner monologue describe what goes on in their minds

    What is it like in someone's mind when they have no inner monologue?

    News
  • Getty Stock Photo
    2 hours ago

    Experts warn trendy high-protein diet could put you at risk of 'silent killer'

    The 'silent killer' affects one in ten Americans

    News
  • Daniel Jayo/Getty Images
    3 hours ago

    World Cup fans after Lionel Messi glimpse could break the law just by crossing the road

    One host city spans two US states, separated by a single road

    News
  • Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    4 hours ago

    Vanessa Trump issues rare breast cancer update ahead of next phase of treatment

    Vanessa Trump revealed she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer last month

    News
  • Cruises are taking trips to a completely made-up island - and tourists are desperate to see it
  • World Cup star receives crucial update after US blocked him from entering country just days before tournament starts
  • World's most popular apps stop working in major internet outage
  • World's most experienced 747 pilot shares truth about why we use brace position on planes