Island Games: Looking At The Different Islands

Athletes from some 22 different islands are presently in Bermuda taking part in the 2013 NatWest Island Games, having come from the Caribbean and sovereign nations of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Alderney, the smallest island in attendance with some 1,900 people on their 3 sq miles, has a small team with one athlete pulling double duty in both athletics and sailboarding.

The largest island — size wise — present is Greenland with a land mass exceeding 800,00 square miles, while the island with the largest population is the Isle of Wight with around 140,000 people.

The athletes from the Spanish island of Menorca received a warm welcome at the Opening Ceremony, as the announcer mentioned the fact that mayonnaise originates from Menorca, earning applause from the crowd, with some mayonnaise-loving Bermudians amusing others in the crowd by shouting out “thank you!”

The list below contains a quick look at the islands who have sent athletes to these Games, with their estimated populations and size. At the Opening Ceremony all the dignitaries thanked the athletes for making the trek to Bermuda for this year’s Games, which mark the first time they have been held outside of Europe.

Aland

The Åland Islands is a Swedish-speaking region of Finland that consists of an archipelago lying at the entrance of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.

• Area: 610 sq miles
• Population: 28,355

Alderney

Alderney is the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and is the closest of the Channel Islands to both France and the UK. They have brought 5 athletes to the games, with one athlete competing in both athletics and sailboarding.

• Area: 3 sq miles
• Population: 1,903

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands, which most Bermudians are familiar with, is a British Overseas Territory located in the Caribbean Sea south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.

• Area: 102 sq miles
• Population: 54,878

Falklands Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago located in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina. Like Bermuda, the Falklands are a British Overseas Territory

• Area: 4,700 sq miles
• Population: 2,932

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group under the sovereignty of Denmark, situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Norway and Iceland.

• Area: 540 sq miles
• Population: 49,709

Froya

Frøya is the westernmost municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.  One of the least populated islands in the Games, Froya has brought a football team, one swimmer and a golfer.

• Area: 88.7 sq miles
• Population: 4,314

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Like Bermuda, Gibraltar is a densely populated territory, and its best known landmark is the Rock of Gibraltar.

• Area: 2.6 sq miles
• Population: 29,752

Gotland

Gotland is Sweden’s largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. Gotland is located about 90 km east of the Swedish mainland and about 130 km from the Baltic States.

• Area: 1,229 sq miles
• Population: 57,221

Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. With a population of just under 60,000 on some 800,000 plus square miles, it is one the least densely populated countries in the world.

• Area: 836,109 sq miles
• Population: 56,370

Guernsey

Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey, is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.

• Area: 30.1 sq miles
• Population: 65,345

Hitra

Hitra is a municipality and an island in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway, and is famous in Norway for its large and dense population of Red Deer.

• Area: 249.2 sq miles
• Population: 4,256

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.

• Area: 221 sq miles
• Population: 84,655

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 3 to 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire.

• Area: 960 sq miles
• Population: 138,400

Jersey

Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is a British Crown dependency just off the coast of Normandy, France. It is the largest of the Channel Islands.

• Area: 2,121 sq miles
• Population: 97,857

Menorca

Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain.

• Area: 268.6 sq miles
• Population: 94,383

Orkney

Orkney is an archipelago in northern Scotland, 16 kilometres north of the coast of Caithness. Orkney comprises approximately 70 islands of which 20 are inhabited.

• Area: 380 sq miles
• Population: 20,100

Saaremaa

Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia. They are the only island who has brought a basketball team to these Games.

• Area: 2,673 sq miles
• Population: 39,231

Shetland

Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north-east of mainland Britain.

• Area:567 sq miles
• Population: 22,400

St Helena

Saint Helena is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. One of the most remote islands in the world, Saint Helena has no commercial airports, and travel to the island is by ship only.

• Area: 47 sq miles
• Population: 4,255

Western Isles

The Outer Hebrides, also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland.

• Area: 1,190 sq miles
• Population: 27,700

Ynys Mon

Ynys Môn is an island off the north west coast of Wales. Two bridges span the Menai Strait, connecting it to the mainland.

• Area: 276 sq miles
• Population: 69,700

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