• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • 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

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.

Advert

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.

Advert

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.

Advert

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.

Advert

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.

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

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
9 hours ago
10 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Amazon Prime series with near-perfect RT score is labeled 'one of the best' by Stephen King

    The series starring Titus Welliver has been branded 'one of the most underrated TV shows'

    Film & TV
  • 9 hours ago

    People horrified after hearing tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s ‘sociopathic’ response about the future of humanity

    People have been creeped out by how he answered a simple question

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Doctor issues warning over hidden symptoms of Lyme disease as tick bites near record highs in US states

    Parts of the US have seen a sudden uptick in tick bites

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    ‘World’s top couple’s therapist’ reveals the one surprising behavior in people’s relationships that ‘scares her’

    The psychologist said this one thing in other couples doesn't seem real

    News
  • 'Danger tourist' who visits the world’s most dangerous countries details ‘close call’ after spending seven hours at gunpoint
  • World's most experienced pilot reveals the real reason why we use the brace position on planes
  • 24-year-old student buys his own private island with girlfriend for 'less than a house deposit'
  • People shocked after hearing exactly what happens to your body if you die in a plane crash