Cool naturally-shaped islands

The huge turtle floats but never swims, Taiwan’s Guishan Island is actually a volcano and the only active volcano in Taiwan. It’s also the largest and the only island with residents in the Yilan county. Besides being a special island that resembles a turtle, Guishan Island is a well-known tourist destination especially for those who want to do some whale watching.

Tavarua is a heart-shaped island resort in Fiji that is just close to Viti Levu, the main Fijian Island. The island surrounded by coral reef is a spot you’ll love because of the activities you can do such as surfing, sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and kayaking. You won’t even need to worry about food and relaxation for the resort is complete with restaurants and facilities to cater to your needs.

The Philippines can be known for its giant crocodiles and there’s also an island that looks like one. It’s more surprising to see one near the country’s most popular beach destination, Boracay. The island is called Crocodile Island for an obvious reason and also because it’s one of the best diving spots near the white beach. Crocodile Island is just 20 minutes sailing time from Boracay.

With an area of 4,640 square meters, Isabela Island is considered as the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago. It’s the youngest among the other islands, formed 1 million years ago as a merger of six  active shield volcanoes. Isabela Island is known to be the home of wild tortoises with a great population that beats the tortoise population of the other islands of Galapagos.

From Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu, you can fly to see the aerial view of the Manukan, Mamutik, and Sulug Islands that form a welcoming smile. If you see the smiley, then you’ll know you’re above the islands known to possess great beaches and coral reefs made popular for their scuba diving and snorkeling. These islands are three of the five islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park between 3 to 8 kilometers off Kota Kinabalu.

Molokini is a crescent-shaped volcanic cone (caldera) partially submerged in the Alalaleiki Channel between the islands of Maui and Kaho’olawe. Molokini is also Hawaii’s only Island Marine Sanctuary possessing beautiful coral reef and marine animals with over 200 species of fish and rare Whale Shark visits. Over 50 species of plants grow along the slopes that surround Molokini. Also include here the seabirds and the other species of birds that live in the steep slopes of this islet.

You’ve read it right. An actual phallic-shaped tropical island exists and it’s located in the popular paradise of Fiji. The island’s real name is Mavuva Island and it’s right off the northern coast of Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu. Mavuva sits in a protected coral lagoon with a variety of marine life and belongs entirely within the world’s third largest barrier reef, the Great Sea Reef. It’s not bad to have a getaway in this oddly-shaped island right?

This boomerang-shaped island belongs to the disputed Spratly Islands lying on the coasts of the Philippines, Malaysia, and southern Vietnam. The group of islands has more than 750 coral reefs, islets, atolls, cays, and islands in the South China Sea. This boomerang island and the other remaining islands of this group aren’t only chased by these surrounding countries due to its shape but mainly because of its land rich in gas and oil deposits.

When you go on a holiday in Croatia, don’t miss the scenic beauty of the islands of Brijuni. Brijuni is a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea. The archipelago is known to be home of some of the world’s important archaeological and cultural sites such as the 200 dinosaur footprints discovered in one of its island. Besides the archaeological stuff in Brijuni, one island named Gaz Island catch people’s attention just because it looks like an itsy-bitsy cutie fish.

Sirenuse is a the dolphin-shaped archipelago located just off Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy, between the Isle of Capri and the village of Positano. Also known as Li Galli, Sirenuse got its name after the Greek mythology’s Sirens who believed to have visited the islands frequently and tempted Ulysses on his way back home with their enchanting voices. Now, the island is filled with resorts and hotels and has become an ideal snorkeling site.

If you looked at a certain angle from above, you’ll realize that the small paradise known as the Islet of Vila Franca do Ocampo actually looks like a good slice of pizza with a huge pepperoni placed at the middle. The islet you see is the crater of a submerged volcano and the almost perfectly round lake at the center is linked to the sea by a narrow channel. The Islet of Vila Franca do Ocampo is just off shore the larger island of Sao Miguel.