Private island

Aprivate islandis a disconnected body of land wholly owned by aprivate citizenorcorporation. Although this exclusivity gives the owner substantial control over the property, privateislandsremain under the jurisdiction of national and sometimes local governments. Their size can vary widely, from that of a typical suburban yard to several hundred square kilometers.
Southeast Asiahas numerous islands, withIndonesiabeing an archipelago of 17,000 islands and the Philippines having around 7,100. Real estate laws restrict foreigners' ability to buy property in the geographical area, and many islands either have unclear ownership rights or are already settled. Private islands that are available in Southeast Asia's real estate market are also prohibitively costly due to being in high demand by hotel developers. Developments address these difficulties by selling private islands that have villas and neighbor islands that have high-end hotels; the proximity keeps costs of habitation down.
Europehas hundreds of thousands of islands, many of which are privately owned. With 17,000 islands inFinland, 221,831 islands inSwedenand thousands inCroatia, Europe is increasingly becoming a hotspot for private island holidays.Many islands, although privately owned, are not suitable for development due to legal and governmental restrictions or due to the physical characteristics of the island.
TheFalkland Islandsin theSouth Atlantic Oceanfeature a number of private islands, typically run as sheep raising family farms and tourist destinations. Prominent among these isWeddell Island, one of the largest private islands in the world, with a surface area of 265.8 km(102.6 sq mi).While theHawaiianisland ofLanaiis still bigger at 364 km(141 sq mi), technically it might not qualify as part of its territory (about 2%) does not belong to the principal owner.
Swains Island in theTokelauarchipelago has been owned by the family of Eli Hutchinson Jennings since 1856. In the late 1910s, the U.S. and Britain agreed that the island fell under U.S. jurisdiction, and in 1925 it was administratively joined withAmerican Samoa. In the 1950s, after a labor dispute between the Jennings family and workers on itscopra plantation, a form of local government was established for the island, but the Jennings's ownership of the entire island was affirmed.
Virtually all islands in the world are claimed and governed by some national government. That nation's laws apply, and any attempt by the owner to claimsovereigntywould generally be unrealistic. Nevertheless, some people still try to set up their ownmicronationson islands, like real-estate millionaireMichael Oliver's attempt at building alibertariancity-statecalled theRepublic of Minervain the southernPacific Ocean. There are widely varying government policies regarding private islands: for instance, islands off the coast ofChina, like any other land within the country,cannot be purchased outright, but only leased from the government for a maximum period of 50 years.
"Private" islands in theUnited Kingdom,Brazil,Chileand some other countries are not always legally entirely private – in some casesforeshore, such as a beach, is owned by the government, and is hence publicly accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim.The same applies tofreedom to roamin Nordic countries: only the yard of a house and the immediate vicinity is legally protected against trespassing, and the water bodies around the island are freely navigable.
There are many thousands ofuninhabited islandsin the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Some islands can be bought undeveloped, while others already have roads and/or houses. Islands are also available for rent.Many celebrities have their own private islands.
Commercial development of uninhabited islands can raise ecological concerns, as many have a fragile environment.
The real estate market for private islands varies globally. Prices tend to be lower inNova Scotia, parts ofMichiganandMaine, and parts ofCentral America; and higher in Europe,the Bahamas, and Oceanic countries likeFrench Polynesia.Islands with amenities have higher market value and are not sold as frequently.Some are available for travelers to rent, a trend which increased in the 2000s witheconomic recessionmaking it more difficult for some owners to maintain them.
In the 2000s, theUnited States housing bubbleincreased the cost-per-acre for private islands. The effect was fueled by the advent of the Internet, which provided greater access to island inventories.Conservationgroups' efforts to restrict development reduced the supply of private islands in the market, raising prices.
Since 1992 a number ofcruise lineshave acquired "private islands" to offer their customers exclusive beach experiences. Such islands (or sections thereof) were further developed to have restaurants and perhaps additional attractions such as parasailing, waterparks, zip lines, horseback riding, spas and more.Some islands havepiers, others are reached bytender. The purchase of an island allows the cruise line to achieve greater control over the venue and to influence the quality of experience of their passengers.Certain private islands may be used not only by the cruise line that bought the property but also by associated lines.