How 1000 people get along on an island the size of a football field

The small island of Santa Cruz del Istole, located in the Caribbean, officially refers to Colombia, but in fact it is almost a piece of land cut off from the world. In addition, it is considered one of the most densely populated islands - about a thousand people live in an area the size of a football field.

At the same time, there is a school and even a restaurant on Santa Cruz del Istola, which, however, is also a port. Monetary relations locals practice a little. Typically, the island is dominated by exchange and neighborly assistance in the form of mutual cooking, childcare and other things. The population lives at the expense of fishing and tourism.

More than half of the islanders are young people. Children have been taught to swim and fish here from a very young age, so that they spend almost all of their time on the shore, busy with fishing and boat gear.

People on the island live each their own life and in their own rhythm: there is its own fashion, its parties, houses are painted, and the streets are literally full of bright clothes. Children play on the streets, teenagers listen to rap in Spanish, and adults cook or discuss boxing, hiding in the shade. It is worth noting that young people here are very creative. For example, she likes to change hairstyles and dye her hair. Recently, however, with the advent of the Internet, young people are increasingly thinking about going outside the island, seeing the world and learning a different life.

At Santa Cruz del Istole, everyone knows each other, there is no violence, crime or armed conflict. But there are completely different problems. For example, lack of drinking water, lack of sewage and places for storage of household waste. The life of the islanders is not easy, but measured. And they have already learned how to get everything that they lack by exchanging for their catch.