Private Islands - Ownership

Ownership

Compared to property on the mainland, an island property has much more restricted access, both by potential trespassers and by the residents, who need to transport all supplies by boat or aircraft. Livestock has often been kept on islands, because an island is a natural enclosure, preventing the escape of cattle and sheep.

There are many thousands of uninhabited islands in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of uninhabited islands can raise ecological concerns, as many have a fragile environment. Some islands can be bought undeveloped, while others already have roads and/or houses. Islands are also available for rent. Some celebrities have their own private islands.

There are widely varying government policies regarding private islands: for instance, islands off the coast of China (and real estate in general) cannot be purchased outright, but only leased from the government for a maximum period of 50 years. 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 claim sovereignty would generally be unrealistic. Nevertheless, some people still try to set up their own micronations on islands. Since islands can, under international law, only be claimed if they are at least 30 cm above the high tide point, some have even attempted to build sovereign islands, like real-estate millionaire Michael Oliver's attempt at building a libertarian city-state called the Republic of Minerva in the southern Pacific Ocean.

"Private" islands in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Chile and other countries are not legally entirely private – any foreshore, such as beaches, is owned by the state, and is hence publicly accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim. The same applies to freedom to roam in 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.

Historically, some cruise lines provided passengers with access to small, undeveloped islands. This led to cruise lines purchasing islands to achieve greater control over them, to improve the quality of experience of their passengers.