Croatian Tourist Resort
Red Island or Crveni otok in Croatian is one of the most renowned tourist locations in the area near the town of Rovinj by the Adriatic Sea in the North-East of Croatia. Actually, Crveni otok consists of two artificially connected islands, and one of those is St. Andrew’s Island (Otok Sv. Andrije). The other is called Maškin Island (Otok Maškin), linked to the former through an embankment. Red Island is certainly one of the most beautiful of Rovinj's archipelagos and, by all means, one of the biggest - with a size of 233.000 square metres.
Red Island has a large number of beaches, mainly stony ones with typical coves covered with pebbles, though part of the shore near the little port has been covered with gravel, making it suitable for children and seniors. The most frequented beaches are the ones situated on the south side of St. Andrew’s Island.
St. Andrew’s Island was probably already populated in prehistorical times, and in the 6th century the Benedictines erected the first church and founded the first monastery there. They left the island in the 13th century. Two centuries later, the abandoned objects were handed over to the Franciscans, thanks to who the monastery and the church were completely renovated. The Franciscans stayed there until the arrival of the French in 1809, after which the buildings on the island of St. Andrew started to decay. This period lasted until 1892, when a cement and lime factory was founded there. At that time the church tower served as the factory chimney.
The Huetterott family bought both islands in 1891, and the monastery was turned into a family summer residence. St. Andrew’s Island was reorganized into a park with various plants from the whole world. Currently over 180 different kinds of plants are growing on the island. J.G. Huetterott equipped the summer residence with many objects of art, and some of them are still in the castle. During that period the island had been the most favourite destination of guests from Austria-Hungary.
The central part of the church from the Benedictine period, that in the ground-plan has the shape of a Greek cross, was maintained on the island. Today, this part has a small nautical museum (an annex to the hotel Istra) with scale models of old ships and copies of frescoes from whole Istria. In the 1890s the monastery had been rearranged into the castle Huetterott, while the vault of the family is on the neighbouring Maškin Island.
UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Gambia
James Island, originally named after St. Andrew, lies some 30 kilometres from the mouth of the River Gambia in the country of the Gambia, Western Africa.
The first European settlers on the island were Baltic Germans from the Duchy of Courland, who also had other colonial possessions in the area. They called it St. Andrew’s Island, though the Island had previously been granted to two separate companies by the British Crown in 1588 and 1618. In 1651 they built a fort named Jacob Fort after Jacob Kettler, the Duke of Courland and used it as a trade base. It was then briefly held by the Dutch from 1659 until it was captured by the British in 1661 and formally ceded to them in 1664.
The British renamed the island as James Island and the fort became Fort James after the Duke of York. The territory was then administered by the chartered Royal Adventurers in Africa Company. They initially used it for the gold and ivory trade and later in the slave trade. In 1669, its administration was sublet to the Gambia Adventurers. 15 years later the Gambia's Administration was taken over by the Royal African Company.
In 1695, Fort James was taken by the French after a battle with the English sailors. It was returned in 1697 and then captured again in 1702. The fort was destroyed and rebuilt several times in this period, both in conflicts between the British and French, and by pirates. In 1750, the Gambian administration was taken over by the Company of Merchants Trading in Africa. In the middle of the 18th century, the Gambia was part of the British Senegambia, but as Britain withdrew from the slave trade, the fort was largely abandoned in 1779.
As an important historical site in the West African slave trade, the island is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ruins of several of the British administrative buildings (including a single cell, apparently used to house the most problematic of captives), a small jetty and a number of skeletal baobab trees.
James Island is suffering heavy erosion, and is now approximately one sixth of its size during the times of the fort. The buildings have now been protected against further erosion but the island is very low and subject to flooding, and buildings are frequently affected by waves.
Caribbean Paradise
The history of San Andres and Providence is marked by pirate tales and conquest. Their first inhabitants (English puritans) arrived around the year 1627 and 1629, and their mission was to look for new horizons. When they disembarked in San Andres they found a fertile territory with an excellent climate. The first group came from the Barbados Islands and right after that directly from England to install at the Old Providence Island. Many people came from Wales and some from Holland. San Andres was colonised first, but the centre of all activities was the island of Providence as it was the main resource of fresh water and a more appropriate place for defence.
In 1633, slaves arrived in the Archipelago, brought there to exploit colouring wood. The Old Providence for its location was converted in an important centre of slave traffic, providing grounds for the growth of piracy and contraband.
In this period, the English contraband and pirates had a refuge in the mountains of Providence, assaulting permanently the Spanish ships that passed by this area of the Caribbean. That way they got the indignity of Spain and after many attacks to the island of Providence, they achieved the surrender of the colons and expulsed almost its total population.
Some of the slaves stayed in San Andres because neither to Spain or England this island was important; converting it to a paradise with natural fountains of fresh and crystalline water, a secret of the habitants for many years.
In San Andres Island there is a prevalence of good weather, but during the second half of the year some sporadic storms can hit the place. The velocity of the wind changes during the year, being the strongest during June and July. In the months of September and October the weather stays calm, with a water temperature between 27 and 30 centigrade, which makes it an ideal place to practice water sports.
76 species of migratory birds and 18 resident species have been identified on San Andres. There are at least 273 species of reefs, fishes and corals found in the mangroves, forest, keys and coastal areas. San Andres is surrounded by reefs and lagoons, including a variety of hard corals and sponges that make a lot of experts and enthusiasts want to investigate and know more about this reserve.
Although Spanish is the official language of San Andres, probably due to the predominant Anglo-Caribbean culture natives often prefer the Creole language, a mixture of English and French.
The Canadian Counterpart
Canada’s own St. Andrew’s Island, better known as Navy Island, is one of the two islands that belong to St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, a town in the Eastern province of New Brunswick.
The town, named for St. Andrews of Scotland, sits on a delta-shaped peninsula, with the St. Croix River to the west, and Passamaquoddy Bay to the south and east. The town even has its own islands, Minister's Island to the east, and St. Andrew’s (or Navy) Island to the south, as well as a now-retired, but colourful lighthouse at Lighthouse Point.
Other delightful attractions in town are the Charlotte Archives and Gaol (pronounced "jail"), the Huntsman Aquarium, the Algonquin Resort Hotel and Golf Course, and many shops and restaurants. The waterfront is considerable, offering several types of views and activities. There is the town wharf, with accompanying boating activities, and on the eastern shore, the beach, which seems to go out forever at low tide, is a popular place to go beachcombing. Boat excursions are available as well.
