Own your own private island!

“I want to establish my own country. Is there any unclaimed land?” ~ Paul, San Francisco, California

“Sadly, every bit of land is claimed, but don’t let this ruin your dream of being Grand Poobah. For anywhere from the low six figures to the tens of millions, you can purchase your own private island and start from scratch. After you’ve got the island’s facilities (electricity, safe drinking water, etc.) squared away, you’re ready to build your nation. But remember, your island will still be under the jurisdiction of the country it belongs to and subject to its laws. One man, Las Vegas millionaire Michael Olivier, learned that the hard way.” ~ Ask Yahoo

iAfrica.com: According to John Greer of Unusual Villas & Island Rentals you don’t have to be Ted Turner to own your own sand spit. Not all the islands are reserved for the rich and famous. Apparently if you’re a serious island buyer, then Bahamas is the place to pick. It has zero income tax and is a democratic and stable member of the Commonwealth.

Vladi Private Islands of Hamburg, has sold more than 600 islands over the last 25 years and has thousands of private islands to buy or rent on their database.

My favourite island website is Private Islands Online.

Here are some more affordable islands I loved:

• Castle Island, Scotland – €490,000
Castle Island, rising dramatically out of the centre of Lough Kee, a three mile wide circular lake at the centre of the 350 hectare Lough Kee national forest park, presents a dream opportunity to possess your very own Celtic fairy tale. Once sought as the ideal mystic getaway by WB Yeats, this ruinous three storey 19th century castle extends to 4,000 sq.ft.

• Isla Aguja, Panama – $395,000€
A beautiful TITLED 7 hectares or 17 acre island covered in Rainforest, located in the Archipelago de Las Perlas

• American Island, West Canada – CAD 84,900
This fully treed island is quite flat, has beaches all round and two nice bays.