# How do I get my own island? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604 "2004-02-23T04:20:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pothead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecb155/32.png) [@pothead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pothead)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/1 "2004-02-23T04:20:52Z")
How do I get my own island? From where or who can I buy it? Do I even have to buy it? Can’t I just cruise around some oceans and settle some uninhabited island? If I bought an island, would I have soverignty over it or would it be considered part of some nation? Whats the going price for islands in different neighborhoods (Caribbeans, South Pacific, SE Asia)? I’ll be sure to invite all the dopers to my island paradise once I can figure out where to get it. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/2 "2004-02-23T04:32:05Z")
Try [eBay](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2379690077&category=1607). They had a New Guinea archipelago up for sale about a year ago. I once stumbled across an IIRC German realty company online which specialized in island sales. [This](http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/home_e.html) may be it, but it doesn’t look familiar. Eh, it’ll do the job. It appears all of them are parts of countries – to conduct a real estate transaction I suppose you would need some lawful ownership. I can’t think that there are any islands of significant size (or even insignificant) not under the jurisdiction of any nation, but I suppose if you found one and just squatted, there isn’t a lot anybody could do (except annex you of course) to protest. Brings the guys of [Sealand](http://www.sealandgov.com/) to mind. They seem to be doing OK on an old artificial island in international waters – they are apparently under no flag but their own. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/3 "2004-02-23T04:38:19Z")
Basically you just contact a realtor who specializes in such things. You would not have sovereignty, it would still be part of whatever nation. You might be able to negotiate with the country and purchase your sovereignty, but it’s highly unlikely. Jose Cuervo, the tequila maker, did it and formed “Cuervo Nation”. [Here is an island broker](http://www.privateislandsonline.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/4 "2004-02-23T05:13:03Z")
I took a trip to Vancouver Island once; I picked up a real-estate magazine from someplace, and was surprised to note you could purchase your own small island fairly cheaply - somewhere between 10 and 100 thousand. Of course, having electricity, water, a house, easy access, etc. etc. cost a bit more. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/5 "2004-02-23T09:04:05Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > I took a trip to Vancouver Island once; I picked up a real-estate magazine from someplace, and was surprised to note you could purchase your own small island fairly cheaply - somewhere between 10 and 100 thousand. Of course, having electricity, water, a house, easy access, etc. etc. cost a bit more. 😉 So… Are you gonna need a _bridge_ to get to that island of yours? I just happen to have one for sale. It’s in Brooklyn right now, but I can move it for you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kermujin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@kermujin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kermujin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/6 "2004-02-23T09:09:39Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > I took a trip to Vancouver Island once; I picked up a real-estate magazine from someplace, and was surprised to note you could purchase your own small island fairly cheaply - somewhere between 10 and 100 thousand. Of course, having electricity, water, a house, easy access, etc. etc. cost a bit more. 😉 I live on a smallish gulf island in BC; there are quite a number of privately owned islands around here (mind you, they’re _tiny_). I’d have to look into it to figure out how long they’ve been owned, though; I suspect it’s been a while… ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/7 "2004-02-23T11:36:48Z")
Why would the fact that your plot of land is surrounded by water make it any different to owning any othe property? I know plenty of people with their own islands in the Stockholm archipelego. All it takes is money. 😕 Declaring yourself a nation state or sovereign works more or less the same way whether your property is mainland or an island surely? The question is about the same as saying “I just bought two acres of farmland in Ohio, come visit me in Itekistan”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/8 "2004-02-23T11:46:54Z")
The interesting [Foonotes to History](http://www.buckyogi.com/footnotes/) site informs us that > [@](#): > > Artificial Islands- For some reason, the late 1960s saw a rash of artificial islands declared independent nations. None of the platform nation projects were successful, and with the clarification of international law under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, it appears that individuals, corporations, and other non-state entities may never gain the right to erect new sovereign entities on unclaimed or artificial territory. Well, it was fun while it lasted. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/9 "2004-02-23T11:55:10Z")
I (or rather my wife) has two. Off the coast of Panama City Panama. One has flowing water, the other is a ‘desert island.’ We would love to get rid of them both. Send me a PM. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/10 "2004-02-23T12:51:40Z")
\*\*How do I get my own island? \*\* First, you need to travel to Hawaii. Next, you need to take a three hour cruise, a three ho-ur cruuuuiiisssse… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-own-island/230604/11 "2004-02-23T13:15:07Z")
Islands for sale: [http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/home\_e.html](http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/home_e.html) I’m partial to swan island [http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/sales\_islands/sites/08\_swan.html](http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/sales_islands/sites/08_swan.html) Because it has an airstrip and a WX station that brings in AU$1800/month Brian