The joys and struggles of living on the world’s most crowded island

Fifty miles off the coast of the port city Cartagena in Colombia, the island of Santa Cruz del Islote exists as a mostly self-sustaining human ecosystem built on fishing. With a population of roughly 1,200 living on just three acres, it’s thought to be the most densely populated island on Earth. While its inhabitants proudly describe the island as ‘one tight family’ where ‘what belongs to one person belongs to everybody’, living there isn’t without increasing difficulties: competition over local fisheries is pressuring many residents to seek opportunities on Colombia’s mainland, where Santa Cruz del Islote natives tend to struggle to adapt.