Just Room Enough Island is located along the Saint Lawrence River off Alexandria Bay, New York City (USA). As one of 1,864 islands in the Thousand Islands archipelago on the border between the US and Canada, this island has an area of only about 310 m2, about the size of a tennis court.
All that exists on this island is just one house and one tree, which is also the reason why it is the smallest inhabited island in the world.
The island was formerly known as Hub Island, but was renamed Just Room Enough after it was purchased in 1950. The Sizeland family, who owned the island, bought it because they wanted to build a vacation home to call home. But their hopes of a peaceful home were quickly dashed when the island unexpectedly became a tourist attraction on the St Lawrence River because of its uniqueness. The Washington Post once described the island as a “careful visit” because “one wrong step and you’ll find yourself swimming.”
Just Room Enough is only about 310 square meters, about the size of a tennis court.
According to the convention here, a piece of land floating on a vast body of water will be considered an island in the Thousand Islands if it meets two requirements: it is above water all year round and has at least one living tree. By satisfying exactly the above two requirements, Just Room Enough is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's smallest island with life.
Previously, the world's smallest island was Bishop Rock, a remote lighthouse off the coast of the British Isles of Sicily. However, the lighthouse was automated in 1982, allowing its keeper to return to the mainland and make Just Room Enough Island the new record holder.
