Standing in a packed train in rush hour might make the ordinary Brit feel there couldn’t possibly be anywhere more crowded.
Well, you would be very wrong. In some places around the world the lack of room is a 24/7 problem, one which residents and locals have to get used to and deal with regularly. That is the case on the Santa Cruz de Islote in Colombia.
Built in the 19th century and located just two hours from the country’s capital Cartagena, its entire land mass is just 2.4acres. That’s only a fraction bigger than a football pitch – leaving barely any room for people, let alone motorbikes or cars.
Over the years it has gone from being a local fixture to a global point of interest as bloggers and journalists visit the island to find out how people live in such a small place.
Much to their surprise, they find that despite the lack of space there are shops, a school, a restaurant, hostel, and even a health centre. All of this packed onto an area that leaves locals with only around 10 square metres of space, reports infobae.
Upon visiting the islet, journalist Diego Robledo expressed how the locals live when they run out of space. He said: “Many houses have two floors because there is no room to build on the sides. Families simply add a level when they need more space.
“They use hollow bricks and cement, but the structures are quite precarious. The roofs are made of metal sheets that can withstand the tropical climate. The windows, many of them without glass, remain open all day due to the stifling heat, and you can hear absolutely everything the inhabitants say.”
Diego also remarked on the astounding lack of privacy on the island, discussing how a word said on one side of the island can be heard on the other. You also get used to being able to see into someone else’s private home. Another factor to get used to is the lack of sound from the cars and motorbikes that would be there in other, bigger, places.
Diego, 51, also discovered there was one group of people who were markedly absent from the island, the police. Not only that, but the authorities weren’t there and neither was there any form of state presence.
He explained: “They have a kind of neighbourhood council that decides everything and intervenes when there are conflicts. There are no robberies, and minor conflicts are solved among themselves. The guide told us that the neighbourhood committee acts as a mediator and is in charge of maintaining order.”
While Diego’s account of his visit is extraordinary, he isn’t the only blogger to have visited Santa Cruz in recent months. YouTuber and filmmaker Ruhi Çenet documented what he saw on his channel, reports UniLad.
Recounting his adventure he said it was “impossible to be alone on these crowded streets” and like Diego, he also commented on the questionable planning solutions. He said: “Everyone builds houses wherever they want. When they can’t find any space, they build on top of existing buildings.”
Despite Santa Cruz’s remarkable multi-century survival, it is predominantly reliant on outside help from other islands and the mainland to continue with regular deliveries of supplies keeping it going.
