It is that time of year when many of us grow tired of the lingering winter and gloomy days. If you’re in that boat, here are a few photos to daydream about.
Rock Islands in Palau
The Rock Islands of Palau, also called Chelbacheb, are a small collection of limestone or coral uprises, ancient relics of coral reefs that violently surfaced to form Islands in Palau’s Southern Lagoon, between Koror and Peleliu, and are now an incorporated part of Koror State. The islands, between 250 to 300 in number according to different sources, with an aggregate area of 47 km² and a height up to 207 m, and are for the most part uninhabited, and are famous for their beaches, blue lagoons and the peculiar umbrella-like shapes of many of the islands themselves.
It’s hard to believe non one soul lives here!.
Tetepare Island
Tetepare Island is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific, It is a part of Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It covers approximately 118 square kilometres. Tetepare supports pristine lowland rainforest and a rich inshore marine area. The meaning of the name is uncertain; it most probably means “wild pig” or “fighting boar” as the island was (and to some degree still is) famous for these animals among inhabitants of the region.
The island has been recognized for its conservation significance and archaeological values. A total of 73 bird species, 24 reptile, four frog and 13 mammal species have been recorded on Tetepare including rare and endemic bird and bat species.
Mamanuca Islands
Photos by David
The Mamanuca Islands of Fiji are a volcanic archipelago lying to the west of Nadi and to the south of the Yasawa Islands. The group, a popular tourist destination, consists of about 20 islands, but about seven of these are covered by the Pacific Ocean at high tide.
Malolo Lailai is the centre of the tourism industry in the Mamanucas. One of the islands, Monuriki, was the main location for the 2000 film Cast Away.
10 of these islands are uninhabited.
Auckland Islands
The Auckland Islands form an archipelago of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands and include the following: Auckland Island, Adams Island, Enderby Island, Disappointment Island, Ewing Island, Rose Island, Dundas Island and Green Island, with a combined area of 625 square kilometres (240 sq mi). The islands have no permanent human inhabitants. Ecologically, the Auckland Islands form part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion.
Skellig Michael
Also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean about 9 miles (12 kilometres) from the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. It is the larger of the two Skellig Islands. After probably being founded in the 7th century, for 600 years the island was a centre of monastic life for Irish Christian monks. The Gaelic monastery, which is situated almost at the summit of the 230-metre-high rock became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe’s better known but least accessible monasteries.
Since the extreme remoteness of Skellig Michael has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well preserved. The very spartan conditions inside the monastery illustrate the ascetic lifestyle practiced by early Irish Christians. The monks lived in stone ‘beehive’ huts (clochans), perched above nearly vertical cliff walls.
