The world's smallest island: "Just Room Enough"

Just Room Enough Island is located along the Saint Lawrence River off Alexandria Bay, New York City (USA). One of 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands archipelago on the border between the United States and Canada, this island has an area of ​​only about 310 square meters.², roughly the size of a tennis court.

All that exists on this island consists of a house and a tree, which is why it is the smallest inhabited island in the world.

This place was formerly called Hub Island, but after being purchased in 1950, it was renamed Just Room Enough. The Sizeland family, who owned the island, bought it with the intention of building a vacation home to visit when they had free time. But their hopes of a peaceful home were quickly dashed when the island unexpectedly became a tourist attraction on the St. Lawrence River due to its unique characteristics. The Washington Post once described it as a place where visitors must be very careful because "one wrong step and you'll find yourself swimming."

According to local convention, any landmass rising above a vast body of water is considered an island within the Thousand Islands archipelago if it meets two requirements: it must be above water year-round and have at least one living tree. By precisely fulfilling both of these requirements, Just Room Enough has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's smallest habitable island.

Previously, the world's smallest island belonged to Bishop Rock, home to an isolated lighthouse off the coast of British Sicily. However, the lighthouse was automated in 1982, allowing its caretaker to return to the mainland and making Just Room Enough Island the new record holder.

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