Quite Atoll

Question: What country is home to more than 260,000 islands—the most in the world—and recently “gave away” five of them?

Answer: Sweden

When glancing at a map, it’s difficult to appreciate just how many islands there are scattered across the planet. And if you had to hazard a guess, wouldn’t you think that the country with the greatest number of islands would be some tropical archipelago or remote volcanic chain in the Pacific? Nope, it’s Sweden. Although fewer than 1,000 of them are populated, there are 267,570 islands in Sweden, the most in the entire world. The total area of Sweden’s islands is close to 3 million acres, which corresponds to 3% of the Scandinavian nation’s total land area. The majority of Sweden’s islands are located in the Baltic Sea regions of the Bay of Bothnia and the Bothnian Sea.

When there are more than a quarter million islands in your back yard, it makes sense to share the wealth and give a few of them away, doesn’t it? That’s exactly what Sweden decided to do, sort of. But before sharing some fascinating facts about Sweden’s mind-boggling number of islands, we should clarify what is meant by an “island.”

Not all islands are created equal

Islands come in all shapes and sizes, of course, but what exactly is an “island”? It’s not as straightforward as you might think. Even geographers have struggled to come up with a consensus on the number of islands in the world. While modern mapping tools have greatly simplified the process, each country still uses its own criteria to define and count their “islands.” Some nations call any landmass, regardless of size, surrounded by water at high tide an island. Others impose thresholds based on an area of land or length of coastline before classifying it as an island—for instance, only landmasses of 270 square feet or greater are classified as islands in Sweden, and only coastlines at least 330 feet in length count as islands in Japan.

When coming up with a list of which countries have the most islands, then, a few general guidelines were followed. First of all, only “natural” islands—whether inhabited or not—are classified as islands. Artificial islands or any of those fancy rock formations and sandbanks that disappear with each high tide don’t make the cut. But any way you measure it, Sweden comes out the clear winner.

Who did Sweden beat out in the world island competition?

Now that you know how Sweden’s network of freshwater and marine islands adds up to the most in the world, perhaps the number two and three finishers won’t come as a surprise—Norway and Finland. The geology of this scenic region—with its inland lakes and fjord-laced coastlines— is responsible for producing thousands of discrete landmasses, giving Norway 239,057 islands, the second biggest number in the world. Plus, they get Arctic Svalbard and the Lofoten Islands to boot. In third place is Finland, with 178,057 islands. When you combine Finland’s sprawling island network with their claim as one of the happiest countries in the world, it really doesn’t seem fair ...

When you leave Scandinavia, the total number of islands per country drops precipitously. The country with the fourth greatest number of islands is Canada, with 52,455, followed by the United States with 18,617. Next is Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago, with 17,504 islands. Then, it’s Japan with 14,125, followed by Australia with 8,222, and the Philippines with 7,641—but perhaps the Philippines deserves extra credit since more than 2,000 of their islands are inhabited. China takes 10th place with 6,961 islands.

While most surveys agree with this top 10 grouping, just a few years ago the Chilean government came up with new estimates of their number of islands. Prior to that, they were in 11th place with approximately 5,000 islands. Their most recent number is 43,471 islands (19,571 public islands and 11,078 unnamed islands), which would put them in fifth place and bump the United States and the rest of the countries down one spot. Again, since countries define what an island is in different ways, results, as they say, will vary. But nothing is going to bump Sweden off of their prized position at the top of the list. And in recent years, they called attention to their surfeit of islands with an unusual opportunity ...

We have so many islands, how would you like one of your own?

Aware that private islands are considered the ultimate luxury, Sweden recently “democratized that dream” by giving five people the chance to win one of their own. To be clear, you don’t get to actually “own” it. Along with other benefits, winners get to be “custodians” of a private island for a full year and can use it any way they wish. Applicants were asked to explain why they deserve to become an “island custodian” and the most creative submissions were chosen (as of this writing, winners had not been announced). The competition was open to all international travelers over the age of 18 with one notable exception—no billionaires were allowed to enter. The reason for this is that Sweden believes that true happiness isn’t tied to financial wealth. They prefer to define luxury as “simplicity, silence, and freedom in nature,” not material excess. So, applicants were asked to confirm they weren’t billionaires.

Even if you didn’t win your own Swedish island, however, you can still visit them. Sweden has what’s called a Right of Public Access law that gives everyone the freedom to roam any and all of their 267,570 islands—as long as you respect nature and wildlife. We’re not sure if that goes for billionaires, though.

Here is how Visit Sweden and the National Property Board, sponsors of the island giveaway, described the series of islands that travelers had an opportunity to win in their recent competition:

• Tjuvholmen Island—A fringe of pine and spruce woodland wraps much of the shore, with lighter patches of birch and alder closer to the water. Here, you often see and hear terns, gulls and sea eagles. If you bring a friend, you’ll probably hear them too.
• Medbådan Island—If this island could speak, it would tell you to arrive by canoe. Shaped by the last ice age, this island has a center that holds a sheltered pocket of spruce and pine with low shrubs. Enjoy the calm brackish water, go for a swim or a gentle paddle among the skerries.
• Skötbådan Island—Say hello to this low stretch of rock in open salt water. It used to be part of the fishing industry, where herring nets were anchored. Islands like this weren’t scenic escapes then. They were tools. But don’t call it that–it might get upset. Sit, breathe in the fresh air and watch sea life unfold.
• Storberget Island—This island is literally called “the big mountain.” But don’t be fooled. It’s not. This rugged island is shaped by the open sea. Pale granite covers the surface. On a windy day, it makes you feel alive; on a warm day, it makes you want to go for a swim. Just don’t forget to bring a tent.
• Marsten Island—Pale stone and sparse vegetation meet open sky. You can catch a fish in these clear waters or let it catch you. If you prefer people, Skrea strand with its beach life and cafés lies just around the corner. You can go say hi.

Sounds rather idyllic, doesn’t it? If the island life appeals to you, make sure you don’t miss the next time Sweden offers an opportunity to win one of their islands for a year. They sure have enough of them ...

Some more fascinating facts about islands of the world

• Live long and prosper—Vulcan Point, an unusual island in the Philippines, is one of the world’s very few “third-order islands.” That means it’s an island inside a lake inside an island inside a lake inside an island. The tiny nesting doll of an island is located in the caldera of Taal Volcano. The volcano is surrounded by Taal Lake, which resides in Luzon, which is itself an island.
• There be dragons—The remote Yemeni island of Socotra has often been called “the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean" for its biodiversity and unique plant species. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the tiny island’s star attraction is the distinctive Socotra dragon blood tree, whose branches stretch to the sky forming a tightly packed canopy that resembles an umbrella. The tree’s foreboding name comes from the bright red sap that oozes from its trunk.
• No pesky neighbors to worry about—Pitcairn is the only inhabited island of the British Overseas Territory known collectively as the Pitcairn Islands. With 50 or so residents, it’s considered one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. Pitcairn’s closest neighbor is Tahiti, 1,350 miles away. All of Pitcairn’s residents are descendants of British sailors who famously mutinied aboard the HMS Bounty in 1789.
• Hey, do you smell rotten eggs?—Miyake-jima is a picturesque island in the Izu archipelago south of Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, because these islands sit atop an active volcano chain, eruptions of Miyake-jima’s Mount Oyama are fairly common, giving the island the distinction of having some of the highest concentrations of poisonous sulfur gas in the world. The island has a system of sirens to warn its 2,500 or so residents to quickly don gas masks if gas levels get too dangerous. Residents were forced to evacuate for five years due to high sulfur levels after the last major eruption in 2000. They were only allowed to return if they kept gas masks with them at all times.
• The island of your screams—Yes, we said artificial islands don’t count as “real” islands, but Mexico City’s La Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls) is too good to pass up. Legend has it that a man named Don Julian Santana Berrera left his family to live on this artificial island built on channel located in the district of Xochimilco. When a girl drowned in the surrounding waters, Don Julian dredged up discarded dolls from the river and strung them up on trees in her memory. A short boat ride will take you to the small island with its creepy memorial of hundreds of dolls hanging on trees.
• The hot little island of Runit—One of the few visible scars left over from the nuclear weapons testing conducted by the U.S. between 1946 and 1958 near the Bikini and Enewetak atolls in the South Pacific is the tiny island of Runit. Much of the landmass of the uninhabited island is taken up by a 350-foot-wide “nuclear coffin” containing large amounts of radioactive debris. Originally built 25 feet above sea level, the dome will require monitoring as sea levels rise and waves begin to lap against the coffin’s exterior. Once a cute little island, it’s too bad we had to Runit ...
• Virginia is for language lovers—Located off the coast of Virginia, Tangier Island is known for its fauna and endemic fauna—but mostly for the mysterious language spoken by its residents, a blend of English that sounds more British than American peppered with phrases known only to the islanders. Linguists theorize that the unusual dialect evolved from the language spoken by its original ancestors, who came here from Cornwall in the 17th and 18th centuries. Island expressions like “having the meebs” (you’re smelly), “in the sweet peas” (to be asleep), or “you’re hucky” (you’re dirty) are heard nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, Tangier Island is slowly sinking due to rising water levels and will likely have to be evacuated in a few more decades.

Discover Sweden’s close connection to nature during the Stockholm, Sweden post-trip extension to Fjord Cruise & Lapland: Norway, Finland & the Arctic Circle.