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Street View of Tern Island
Honolulu County, Hawaii

Tern Island

This airstrip atoll is uninhabited by humans, but absolutely full of birds.
Barra Head Lighthouse.
Isle of Barra, Scotland

Barra Head Lighthouse

The highest lighthouse in Scotland shines from an abandoned island.
Do most islands really look like this?
islands

Most Islands Don't Actually Have Palm Trees on Them

A quick and dirty calculation reveals the reality behind the stereotype.
Eric Grundhauser March 9, 2018
The heroes of <em>Isle of Dogs</em>, standing on Trash Island.
islands

The Visual Influences Behind Wes Anderson's 'Isle of Dogs'

Real-world landscapes played a role in shaping Trash Island.
Eric Grundhauser March 9, 2018
Cunningsburgh, on Mainland, Shetland, with meadows full of "coles" of hay, photographed by J.D Ratter, c. 1920s.
libraries

The Libraries That Preserve the History of Small Islands

Tiny islands, great archives.
Anika Burgess March 9, 2018
Nomans Land Island, from above.
islands

This Bomb-Covered Island May Soon Host Rare Bunnies

Noman's Land, off Martha's Vineyard, has gone from practice target to potential rabbit sanctuary.
Cara Giaimo March 9, 2018
A Solent seaplane coming in to land.
islands

Remembering the Coral Route and Its Luxurious Flying Boats

For a brief period of time, the rich and famous used seaplanes to island hop across the Pacific.
Natasha Frost March 9, 2018
Elsinore Heron Isle, a place of indecision.
maps

Atlas Obscura Readers Draw Their Personal Fantasy Islands

We asked you to create your own ideal island, and you did not disappoint.
Eric Grundhauser March 9, 2018
A chicken family joins some Key West tourists for dinner.
islands

All Your Favorite Island Vacation Spots Have Been Overrun by Feral Chickens

Key West, Kauai, and Bermuda each have too many chickens—but very different ways of dealing with them.
Cara Giaimo March 8, 2018
The great auk was most comfortable in the water.
islands

After the Last Great Auks Died, We Lost Their Remains

Before they went extinct, great auks were some of the world's most fascinating creatures.
Sarah Laskow March 8, 2018
Cormorants on Lake Merritt.
islands

The Long, Complex History of Oakland's Man-Made Bird Islands

This five-piece archipelago on California's Lake Merritt is a unique avian hotspot.
Zoë Beery March 8, 2018
This Sitka spruce, sometimes called "The World's Loneliest Tree," contains hard evidence of humans' outsized influence on the planet.
islands

The Island That May Hold the Key to the Beginning of the Anthropocene

A subantarctic spot off the coast of New Zealand is home to a very special tree.
Cara Giaimo March 8, 2018
Surtsey Island, just 16 days after the first eruption in November 1963.
islands

This Tiny Volcanic Island Is the Ultimate Natural Laboratory

Only careful, highly trained scientists ever set foot on Iceland's Surtsey.
Kelsey Kennedy March 7, 2018
The lonely lighthouse stands in isolation atop the rock pillar.
Iceland

Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse

A lonely beacon, precariously perched atop a remote sliver of rock.
Welcome to Tern Island, you wingless freakazoid.
maps

Go Tour This Digitized Island Full of Birds

Terning and terning in the widening gyre.
Cara Giaimo March 7, 2018
Morandi's home on the island of Budelli, where he has been the sole inhabitant for 30 years.
islands

What Is It Like to Live Alone on an Island for 30 Years?

Mauro Morandi has been the sole resident of Budelli, Italy, for decades, but that time may be coming to an end.
Vittoria Traverso March 6, 2018
A present-day view of the Chatham Islands gives a clue to the island's traditional name, meaning "Misty Sun."
islands

The Sad Story of the Moriori, Who Learned to Live at the Edge of the World

How the remoteness of the Chatham Islands forged a resilient people.
Natasha Frost March 6, 2018
The bog on Minnesota's North Long Lake last fall.
islands

How Do You Solve a Problem Like a Giant Floating Bog?

The residents of Crow Wing County, Minnesota, have had enough of their floating island.
Andrea Appleton March 6, 2018