Susan Glaser of Clevland.com explored Cabbage Key, Useppa and Cayo Costa, close in proximity to one another but miles apart in attitude and attractions. Here is what she had to say about these islands.

Florida is home to dozens of world-famous islands, from Key West and Miami Beach to Amelia Island and Sanibel. This story is not about them. Instead, it’s a story about the hundreds of other inhabited islands that line the coast of Florida, remote and uncrowded, with few amenities and accessible only by boat.

To read the full article visit Cleveland.com

In addition to being a luxury resort the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort is also one of the best diving and snorkeling locations in the world. Nestled into the South Ari Atoll the private island resort is surrounded by spectacular diving sites the have gained popularity with not only diving enthusists, but A-list celebrities as well. The resorts Dive Center is managed by internationally renowned SubAqua diving specialists. Guests can select from a variety of PADI courses and excursions for all levels.

Source: Paradizo

After months of searching tourism Queensland has announced the winner of the best job in the world contest. Ben Southall, 34, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the “difficult” assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for the next six months.

Officials stated they were impressed with Southall’s proactive approach to campaigning for the role, which included securing an extensive amount of media coverage. The job requires Southhall to write a blog about his adventures on the island. In return, Southall will be payed $150,000.

In addition to being paid Southall will live for free in an airy, three-bedroom oceanfront villa with a private pool and sweeping views of the surrounding islands. 

Canada.com recently did a feature on a group of people who recently explored Sipadan Island, one of the most famous dive sites in the world.  Brought into the limelight by Jacques Cousteau after shooting a documentary on the island in 1984, this underwater mecca attracts divers from all over the world.

Of course this fame has been a mixed blessing. Recently environmental concerns have prompted the Malaysian government to shut down the island to overnight visits. All this is being done to ensure that the region remains a haven for the sharks, moray eels, clownfish and parotfish who call the reef home.

For more on diving adventures on Sipadan Island visit Canada.com

In addition to insightful articles, the magazine features 114 pages of high resolution images, including some islands that have never before been photographed!  As the world’s only publication devoted exclusively to luxury private island real estate and travel, the magazine is designed for the independent, entrepreneurial personality, and is dedicated to those who want to “make their mark.”

Included with your purchase of the magazine is the Island Buyers Guide, which is described as the essential guidebook to purchasing, developing, and selling private islands.  I have heard great things about it, and it’s being called the definitive resources for any investor interested in purchasing a private island.

I am really excited about this magazine and have already ordered my copy. Visit Private Islands Magazine to order your’s now, apparently supplies are limited.

If you ever find yourself in Scotland, you may want to consider visiting some of its many unique islands. One of the rareist islands is Staffa Island.  This accorion like basalt isalnd was discovered by the vikings and named for its hexagonal “pillar” columns.

The islands unique pillars are the result of a unique lava cooling process that took place over thousands of years. The island is uninhabited and is a National Nature Reserve, where kittiwakes, razorbills, grey seals, minke whales, basking sharks and dolphins make their home.

you can access the island via one of the many day drips offered from the nearby island of Mull. Access is limited from April through September, but the island is generally accessible year round.

Islands are famous for being places of mystery, adventure and wonder. They are also places of legend and curiosity, as is the case with the lost island of Atlantis.

Atlantis has been a popoular myth for generations and was first mentioned in Plato’s dialogues Timaeus and Critias. In the dialogues Atlantis was a naval power lying “in front of the Pillars of Hercules.” Atlantis is often described as a utopian society that was located off the coast of America. Although many scholars have put it in different areas around the world mainly the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.

It is commonly believed that the island was extremely technologically advanced, and that this continent was destroyed by a tsunami or some other disaster that caused the island to sink beneath the waves. The lost island to this day, has many possibilities of where it could “be,” however, no scientific evidence that is strong enough to prove Atlantis existed. Of course that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist!

The most prominent island on the lake is Taquile which has been inhabited for more than 10,000 years. Today, the Quechua-speaking Taquileños are a people whose lives seem gilded with innocence.

When you arrive at the islands tiny port, you are faced with a grueling climb up 525 steps to the main plaza. As the highest point on the island you are afforded incredible views of the homes that dot this whale shaped island since 500 AD. Taquile is home to a community of weavers (men and women) and knitters (just men) of fine alpaca wool. 

I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit Lake Titicaca or Peru, but if life goes my way I will be visiting Taquile this winter. To read more about Lake Titicaca and its islands visit The Independent

Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands has become the dominant site for commercial rocket testing. Historically the island was used by the American military after it was captured by the Japanese during world war two in 1944.

Today the island home to Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). The company which is owned by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, has been in the space business since 2006 since the construction of its commercial launch site on Omelek Island for its Falcon 1 rockets.

Space X has had some difficulty, its first rocket in March 2006 failed one minute into flight after the rocket suffered a fuel leak. A second rocket launched a year later reached orbit five minutes after takeoff but was also lost when it started rolling uncontrollably. Most recently, on August 5th 2008 Space X lost a third rocket that was carrying three satellites into orbit for NASA and the Department of Defense.

However, the outlook is promising for this island space port. The company has won a contract from NASA to take over the cargo services of the space shuttle to the International Space Station in 2010. 

Visit the link for more information on Space X.