The Age of Islands, Elsewhere and Extraordinary Islands

published in USA and Canada as *Elsewhere* (University of Chicago Press)

‘Extraordinary… A fascinating and intelligent book.’ Sunday Times

New islands are being built at an unprecedented rate whether for tourism or territorial ambition, while many islands are disappearing because of rising sea levels or
fragmenting due to shrinking ice. It is a strange planetary spectacle, an everchanging map which even Google Earth struggles to keep pace with. In The Age of Islands, explorer and geographer Alastair Bonnett takes the reader on a compelling and thought provoking tour of the world’s newest, most fragile and beautiful islands and reveals what, he argues, is one of the great dramas of our time. From a ‘crannog’, an ancient artificial island in a Scottish loch, to the militarized artificial islands China is building in the South China Sea; to the disappearing islands that remain the home of native Central Americans to the ritzy new islands of Dubai; to Hong Kong and the Isles of Scilly; to islands far away and near; all have urgent stories to tell.

Available in English, German, Chinese, Dutch, and Spanish

One of the “15 libros de viajes recomendados para este verano 2022”, El Periodico, 8 August, 2022, https://www.elperiodico.com/es/ocio-y-cultura/20220808/libros-viajes-recomendados-verano-2022-14231163

Published in USA and Canada as Elsewhere: A Journey into our Age of Islands . Beck, Germany; Face, Taiwan; Fontaine, Netherlands; Blackie Books, Spain, with Spanish Preface.

University of Chicago Press #AuthorAtHome video introduction:

Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Alastair Bonnett (Author), Damian Lynch (Narrator), Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Publisher)

watch the utube summary: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aMUjdJNUE8

With maps and photos by the author

“The Age of the Island is an essential guide to islands in a state of flux, be they emerging or disappearing. … This highly accessible volume allows the reader to accompany Alastair Bonnett on his seemingly inexhaustible global journey to set foot on new and disappearing islands on (almost) every continent.” Island Studies Journal,

Hunga Tonga – new island in South Pacific

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Cornelius Lely (creator of modern polder building) sculpture, Flevopolder

‘In The Age of Islands, Alastair Bonnett combines a deep knowledge of history and contemporary geopolitics with a seasoned travel writer’s eye for the telling detail, as he gives us
a tour of our terrifying but often beautiful new world.’
JOSHUA KEATING, AUTHOR OF INVISIBLE COUNTRIES:
JOURNEYS TO THE EDGE OF NATIONHOOD

‘Alastair Bonnett’s reporting of islands new and ancient: from trash islands to military islands to brand-new, environment trashing ‘ultra-star’ islands to approaching-extinction islands is a well-researched and open-handed cautionary tale for our times.’
DAN BOOTHBY, AUTHOR OF ISLAND OF DREAMS:
A PERSONAL HISTORY OF A REMARKABLE PLACE

‘An ambitious journey by wing, sail, rubber and road to find
the lost, emerging, off-limits and artificial islands of our fast changing world. Once again, Bonnett respectfully drags geography back to its roots.’
BRAD GARRETT, AUTHOR OF
BUNKER: BUILDING FOR THE END TIMES

PUBLISHED MAY 2022

Traducción: Pablo Álvarez Ellacuria

Blackie Books

blackiebooks.org/catalogo/el-mapa-de-las-islas

“Tras el gran éxito de ‘Fuera del mapa’ y ‘Lugares sin mapa’, el divulgador y geógrafo Alastair Bonnett vuelve a iluminarnos con sus geografías sin cartografiar” Diario de Jerez

Media Coverage

Interview, ‘Notre avenir est-il sur l’eau?’/’Is Our Future on Water’, Directed by Xavier Marquis, June 2025, ARTE, broadcast on public television in France and Germany, https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/114576-000-A/notre-avenir-est-il-sur-l-eau

Public talk: ‘The Age of Islands’, La Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote, UNED, Arrecife, Lanzarote, 29 October 2024, https://lanzarote3.com/en/Lecture-on-the-age-of-the-islands-by-Alastair-Bonnett

‘Artificial Islands, The Mushrooming Paradox In A World Of Rising Seas’, WorldCrunch, December 23, 2024, https://worldcrunch.com/green/artificial-islands-sea-environment

‘¿Quién y por qué está construyendo islas artificiales?’, Climatica, 6th December 2024, https://climatica.coop/entrevista-alaistar-bonnett-islas-artificiales

‘Las islas del Sur’, 20 August 2024, Letra Global, https://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/letraglobal/letras/20240820/hoteles-del-las-sur-defoe-verne-stevenson/864663678_0.html

‘Las 300 islas que costaron US$12.000 millones y que fueron abandonadas por los millonarios en Dubái’, 2 June, 2024, BBC News Mundo, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cv22pvl1kmzo

‘Solar-powered floating islands could help to regrow coral reefs’, 21 May, 2024, New Scientist, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2432027-solar-powered-floating-islands-could-help-to-regrow-coral-reefs/

Bonnett, A. ‘Nine Books about Island Adventures’, April, 2024, https://booklisti.com/alastairbonnett

Bonnett, A. ‘New islands are being built at sea – but they won’t help millions made homeless by sea-level rise’, The Conversation, 20 March, 2024, https://theconversation.com/new-islands-are-being-built-at-sea-but-they-wont-help-millions-made-homeless-by-sea-level-rise-225727

‘Cómo es la vida en la Perla de Qatar, la lujosa ‘burbuja artificial’ construida para alojar a los extranjeros’, 1 August 2023, El Espanol, https://www.elespanol.com/enclave-ods/historias/20230801/vida-perla-qatar-lujosa-burbuja-artificial-construida-alojar-extranjeros/783421723_0.html

‘Escapismo, ligoteo y magia: el embrujo de las islas’, 26 June 2023, Elle, https://www.elle.com/es/living/ocio-cultura/a44295090/vacaciones-verano-islas/

‘10 + 1 libros distópicos para regalar: el listado definitive’, Novels Distopica, undated, https://noveladistopica.com/10-libros-distopicos-para-regalar

Bonnett, A. ‘Exploring New Islands’, June 2023, On Landscape, 281, https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2023/06/exploring-new-islands

Bonnett, A. ‘A kind of permanent indulgence’, in Jeppe Sengupta Carstensen and Anna Aslaug Lund (Eds) Critical Coast, The Danish Architectural Press, Copenhagen, 486-489, 2023

Interview, ‘Les îles artificielles ont-elles un avenir?’, ATLAS, 28 April 2023,

Giocare col fuoco di domenica, Radio Popolare, 16 April 2023, https://www.radiopopolare.it/podcast/giocare-col-fuoco-di-domenica-16-04-2023/

說好「明日Die魚」故事 [Telling the story of marine death] 29 March 2023, Epoch Times, https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2023-03-29/22330141

Bonnett, A. ‘Why we’re still building islands: Risky but desirable artificial islands remain popular urban solutions, 10th February 2023, City Monitor, https://citymonitor.ai/infrastructure/architecture-design/why-were-still-building-island-cities

‘Fantomöarna: fantasier som sattes på kartan’, 14 November, 2022, OBS, Sveriges Radio, https://sverigesradio.se/avsnitt/fantomoarna-fantasier-som-sattes-pa-kartan

Illes artificials, un mon que inclou l’absurd’, 27 October 2022, Diario de Mallorca, https://www.diariodemallorca.es/bellver/2022/10/27/illes-artificials-mon-inclou-l-77761200.html

‘Gruinard, la isla arrasada con ántrax por los británicos y oculta durante medio siglo’, 18 July 2022, Cultura Inquieta, https://culturainquieta.com/es/lifestyle/item/19519-gruinard-la-isla-arrasada-con-antrax-por-los-britanicos-y-oculta-durante-medio-siglo.html

La 2, ‘Página 2′ [‘’Página Dos’ viaja gracias a los libros … dibujará un mapa de islas misteriosas gracias a Alastair Bonnett’]; 28th June 2022, https://www.rtve.es/rtve/20220627/pagina-doscierra-temporada-seleccion-lecturas-verano/2385558.shtml

‘Islands in the Sun: Según un geógrafo inglés, “se están construyendo islas a una escala nunca vista’”, Montevideo Portal, 14th June 2022, https://www.montevideo.com.uy/Ciencia-y-Tecnologia/Segun-un-geografo-ingles–se-estan-construyendo-islas-a-una-escala-nunca-vista–uc824670

‘Alastair Bonnett traza el mapa de las nuevas y las viejas islas’, LOFT.IT, 25 May 2022, https://loff.it/oops/read-and-blues/alastair-bonnett-traza-el-mapa-de-las-nuevas-y-las-viejas-islas-382328/

‘Esto no es una guía de viaje: 100 islas para entender nuestro future’, Diario de Jerez, 23 May 2022, https://www.diariodejerez.es/ocio/guia-viaje-islas-entender-futuro_0_1686133278.html

‘Se están construyendo más islas artificiales que nunca’, Ethic, 20 April 2022, https://ethic.es/2022/04/se-estan-construyendo-mas-islas-artificiales-que-nunca/

La era de las islas, Efecto Naím, 28 March 2022, https://youtu.be/ihAb8S8XQbg

Interview, ‘Building new lands’ Geographical, March 2022, pp.52-3

‘Por qué estamos en “la era de las islas artificiales’”, Prensa Mercosur, 6 Feb 2022, https://prensamercosur.net/06/02/2022/por-que-estamos-en-la-era-de-las-islas-artificiales/

‘Nel mondo ci sono sempre più isole artificiali’, 29 January 2022, Wired, https://www.wired.it/article/isole-artificiali-clima-mare-ambiente/

A VerySpatial Podcast: 683: This week we talk to Dr. Alastair Bonnett about islands, diversity, and his recent books, 23 January 2022, https://veryspatial.com/2022/01/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-683/

‘Mitologia de Tonga já previa devastação causada por tsunami’, 23 January 2022, nossa, https://www.uol.com.br/nossa/colunas/terra-a-vista/2022/01/23/mitologia-de-tonga-ja-previa-devastacao-causada-por-tsunami.htm

[CORRECTION: the article above – reproduced in English on other sites – says I visited Hunga Tonga. I certainly tried but bad weather forced me to turn back].

‘La construcción de islas artificiales está de moda’, 12 January, 2022, Nosabesnada, https://www.nosabesnada.com/tendencias/islas-artificiales/

‘Las islas artificiales, los peores enemigos de la sostenibilidad’, 9 January 2022, Escudodigital, https://www.escudodigital.com/tecnologia/sostenibilidad/islas-artificiales-examen_50601_102.html

Why we are in ‘the age of artificial islands’,’ 7 January 2022, BBC.com, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220105-why-were-in-the-age-of-artificial-islands

One of 6 best science books of 2021 according to New Scientist (Netherlands)

“islands on earth: constructed (such as the Flevopolder), ‘accidental’ creation (such as the volcanic Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai of Tonga), disappearing (such as the British Isles of Scilly) and future (such as East Lantau Metropolis near Hong Kong). He does this in such an infectious way that you almost have the feeling that you are accompanying him on all his trips. Highly recommended if you want to dream away scientifically to faraway places during the Christmas holidays.”

https://www.newscientist.nl/blogs/de-beste-wetenschapsboeken-van-2021-volgens-new-scientist/

‘Das Zeitalter der Inseln’: Gefährdetes Paradies, 21 December 2021, Der Standard, https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000131461738/das-zeitalter-der-inseln-gefaehrdetes-paradies

‘Mehr Land in Sicht’ anBord, 9 December, 2021, https://anbord.de/mehr-land-in-sicht/

Interview: ‘Nightlife: featuring islands and why we like to build them’ ,

Suzanne Hill examines humanities fascination with islands over the centuries with UK Geographer Alastair Bonnett, author of “The Age of Islands: In Search of New and Disappearing Lands” 17 September, 2021, ABC Radio, Australian Broadcasting Corporation https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/nightlife/13537096

’Garbage Island: One day, may we live on an island of plastic waste?’, [垃圾島：有一天，我們可能住在塑膠廢棄物的島嶼上嗎？] CommonWealth Magazine, 13 September, 2021, https://opinion.cw.com.tw/blog/profile/390/article/11383

How to Build an Island

All you need is a dream, investors with deep pockets, and concrete. A lot of concrete

Bonnett, A. ‘How to Build an Island’, Atlas Obscura, 17 August 2021,

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-to-build-island

Dominic Bliss, ‘New islands can be natural or artificial. Both can be problematic’, National Geographic, 14 July 2021

https://tinyurl.com/2ax3rp4c

Interview, Arte TV, ‘Sehnsucht, Freiheit, Isolation’, Twist, 25 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8kzWjnDICw

’From Lantau Tomorrow to Dubai’ [從明日大嶼到杜拜：陸沉時代的造島世紀], 4 October 2021, CUP, https://www.cup.com.hk/2021/10/04/the-age-of-islands/

‘Überall und grenzenlos’ WDR 3 Radio 18 September 2021, https://www1.wdr.de/radio/wdr3/programm/sendungen/wdr3-gutenbergs-welt/ueberall-und-grenzenlos-100.html

Bonnett, A. ‘”Island Times”: Phoenix Island is Known as “Oriental Dubai”, attracting many rich Chinese’, The News Lens, [Taiwan], 5th August 2021, https://www.thenewslens.com/article/154317

’L’avenir est dans les îles ? A propos de «The Age of Islands” d’Alastair Bonnett’, 23 July 2021, rendreledeserthabitable.com, https://rendreledeserthabitable.com/lavenir-est-dans-les-iles-a-propos-de-the-age-of-islands-dalastair-bonnett/

Bonnett, A. ‘Best Books about Islands’, Discover the Best Books, July 2021, https://shepherd.com/best-books/islands

Bonnett, A. ‘The Age of Islands’, Natural History Magazine, February, 2021, pp.28-31

Interview, On islands/Alastair Bonnett, This is Hell Radio (Chicago), 17 November 2020 https://thisishell.com/episodes/1262

Kontext, oe1.ORF.at, 6 August 2021, https://oe1.orf.at/programm/20210806/647938/Der-lange-Atem-der-Baeume

‘De magie van eilanden’, Leesvoer, Robert Visscher and Martine Zeijlstra, June 7 2021, [podcast], shorturl.at/lCRW7

‘Die Möglichkeit einer Insel’, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 20 April 2021 , https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/brexit-insel-sachbuch-alastair-bonnett-gavin-francis-1.5270554

‘Land in Sicht’, Sonntagszeitung, 18 April 2021, https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/land-in-sicht-373439672505

‘Mehr Land’, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 1 April, 2021, https://www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/kuenstliche-inseln-alastair-bonnett-dubai-hainan-the-palm-suedchinesisches-meer-1.5252372!amp?reduced=true

‘Ein planetarisches Spektakel’, Der Speigel, 18 March 2021, ,https://www.spiegel.de/reise/fernweh/insel-buch-von-alastair-bonnett-ein-planetarisches-spektakel-a-7ff121db-6b0b-4720-b115-2f62b3cb0302

‘Deppendorf, Einsamkeit, Pups: Kuriose Ortsnamen, die schmunzeln lassen’, Badische Zeitung, February 20, 2021, https://www.badische-zeitung.de/reise-1/von-nach-broemsenknoell-und-brasilien-liegt-an-der-ostsee–200152604.html

‘De magie van eilanden: wegdromen naar verre plekken’, New Scientist, 22 January 2021, https://www.newscientist.nl/opinie/de-magie-van-eilanden-wegdromen-naar-verre-plekken/

‘Smelten ijs Groenland en Antarctica kan leiden tot stijging zeespiegel met 65 meter’, dpg media, 29 November 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y2nwssw7

‘Enge, nieuwe en zielloze eilanden’, nrc.nl, 27 November, 2020, https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/11/27/enge-nieuwe-en-zielloze-eilanden-a4021688

Interview, David Astle Show, ABC Radio, 10 October 2020

Passport Podcast: The World Islands in Dubai, 29 September 2020, https://pod.fo/e/9eb6e

為什麼大家都想航向小島？專訪《地圖之外》作者Alastair Bonnett拆解島嶼神秘吸引力 [Why does everyone want to head to an island? Interview with “Beyond the Map” author Alastair Bonnett dismantling the island’s mysterious attraction]La Vie [Taiwan] 5 August 2020, https://www.wowlavie.com/Article/AE2001127

‘The World’ islands under construction, Dubai

‘How a Newcastle author accidentally wrote the perfect lockdown travel book’, The Chronicle, 20 June 2020, https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/how-newcastle-author-accidentally-wrote-18431985

Interview, ‘The rise and fall of islands’, Late Night Live, ABC Radio National, 11 June 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/the-rise-and-fall-of-islands/12345122

NEW BOOK: EXTRAORDINARY ISLANDS

Explore the World’s Most Extraordinary Islands: A Journey Through the Strange, Scary, Remote, and Naturally Odd

Dive in to a captivating exploration of 29 of the world’s most unique and enigmatic islands, each with its own compelling story. This visually stunning book is divided into four sections, each revealing a different facet of these extraordinary locales

Hardcover Book 192 Pages, Ivy Press

ISBN 9781836005773

https://www.quarto.com/books/9781836005773/extraordinary-islands

Strange Uncover islands that defy the ordinary. From Ocean Flower in China, an artificial lotus-shaped archipelago now mired in financial ruin, to Santa Cruz Del Islote, ‘the world’s most crowded island’, these islands challenge the boundaries of imagination. Marvel at the Floating City in the Pacific, a visionary eco-island, and learn about Kihnu, famous for the central and visible role of its women.

Scary Venture into the eerie and unsettling. Discover Runit’s ominous concrete dome packed with nuclear waste, or the haunted island of Poveglia off the coast of Venice. Experience the chilling history of Fire Island, where Russia’s most dangerous murderers are imprisoned.

Remote Journey to the furthest corners of the Earth. Explore Socotra and its unique flora and fauna, and Inaccessible Island, surrounded by cliffs and rarely seen by human eyes. Visit Fort Jefferson, a remote and enigmatic outpost of the American landscape. Encounter North Sentinel Island, home to the world’s last uncontacted tribe.

Naturally Odd Marvel at nature’s peculiar creations. Witness René-Levasseur, a circular island formed by a meteor impact, and Ferdinandea, a volcanic island currently underwater. Discover the magical floating islands of pumice and ice, and the first discovered extraterrestrial islands.

Each chapter is a voyage into islands of wonder and mystery, offering a unique perspective on our world’s most intriguing and lesser-known corners. Whether it’s an exploration of ambitious human endeavours or natural marvels, this book is a visual and narrative feast for the curious traveller.

Strange

Tana Qirqos: Sacred Island of the Ark

Tanna: ‘Cargo Cult’ Island

Santa Cruz del Islote: The Big Horizons of a Crowded Island

Chars of Assam: Unsettled Islands

Kihnu: Island of Women

Samson: An Island Back in Time

Ocean Flower: A Modern Fairy Tale

Maldives Floating City: Islands of the Future?

Scary

Runit: Monster Island

Poveglia: The Horror and the Lies

Anak Krakatau: Child of Krakatau

Fire Island: Russia’s Prison Island

BRP Sierra Madre: A Frontline Island

Barque Canada Reef: Vietnam’s New Military Islands

Remote

Fort Jefferson: America’s Distant Fortress

Inaccessible Island: The Furthest Shore

North Sentinel Island: Modern Survivalists?

Yesterday and Tomorrow Islands: A Cold War Across Time

Aasta-Hansteen: Mega Rigs at the Edge of the High Seas

San Nicolas Island: A Story of Survival and Loss

Socotra: Dragon Blood Trees and Fighter Jets

Naturally Odd

Mayda Insula and the Magic Islands of Titan

A23a: A Travelling Island

Kipuka: Islands Surrounded by Lava

Ferdinandea: A Fleeting Island

Tuppiap Qeqertaa: Discovering a New Island

Floating Island, Northumberland

Pumice Raft: The Ocean’s Transport Islands

Île René Levasseur: The Eye of Quebec