Island of Love, Croatia

Croatian islet Galešnjak (also called Island of Love and Lover’s Island) is located in the Pašman channel of the Adriatic sea, between the island of Pašman and the town of Turanj (near Zadar) on mainland Croatia. It is one of the worlds few naturally occurring heart-shaped objects. Galešnjak came to prominence after its unusual shape was highlighted on Google Earth.

The island has a surface area of 0.132 km2, with its beach measuring 1.55 km in length. It features two peaks, the highest of which is 36 m high above sea level. Galešnjak is privately owned and contains only wild plants and trees. Even the owner of the uninhabited island didn’t realize how perfectly heart-shaped the island was until he was swamped with requests from couples to stay there.

The island’s unusual shape was first recorded in the early 19th century by Napoleon’s cartographer Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré, who included it in his 1806 atlas of the Dalmatian coast (kept today at the National and University Library in Zagreb).

It seems many lovers from around the world consider it the ideal spot for a romantic Valentine’s Day break.