Only six people live on this tiny island that’s just been named the world’s best

A tiny place you’ve never heard of has taken the title of the world’s best island, beating The Maldives, Santorini, Bali and Fraser Island.

The tiny island of Flatey, with a permanent population of six, has been named the top island in the world by Big 7 Travel. Picture: iStock

It’s just been named the world’s best island, but this tiny speck of land is only regularly enjoyed by six permanent residents.

Flatey Island, off the west coast of Iceland, has taken top spot in travel website Big 7 Travel’s list of the 50 best islands for 2019.

The annual list draws on reader polls, media coverage and staff’s travel experiences to determine which islands make the cut.

The rugged island is only 2km wide.

Flatey is the only inhabited island in Iceland’s Breiðafjörður bay.

And this year Flatey, with its tiny population of six people, has blown iconic spots like Palawan, Santorini, Bali and The Maldives out of the water.

Australia’s Fraser Island came 15th on the list.

The island measures just 2km by 1km and is the only inhabited island of the 300 in Iceland’s Breiðafjörður bay. The population increases slightly in the warmer months.

It boasts a historic church.

The island can be found off Iceland’s west coast.

It’s not insignificant in Icelandic history — it was the site of the country’s very first library.

And it’s a popular birdwatching destination, as it’s home to about 50 species of birds, including the puffin, which migrate to the island during warmer months between April and September.

Its puffin community makes it a hit with bird-watchers.

There are no cars and few mod-cons on the quiet, picturesque island. And it’s a great place to travel if you want to avoid the crowd — fewer than 9000 people visited Flatey in 2017, according to the Icelandic tourist board.

BIG 7 TRAVEL’S TOP ISLANDS FOR 2019

1. Flatey, Iceland

2. Palawan, Philippines

3. Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

4. Sommarøy, Norway

5. Korcula, Croatia

6. The Aran Islands, Ireland

7. Pemba Island, Zanzibar

8. Barbados

9. Lummi Island, Washington State

10. Bora Bora, French Polynesia

11. Rawa Island, Malaysia

12. Azores, Portugal

13. Koh Tao, Thailand

14. Capri, Italy

15. Fraser Island, Australia

16. Bali, Indonesia

17. Ibiza, Spain

18. Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

19. Corsica, France

20. Santorini, Greece

21. Havelock Island, Andaman Islands, India

22. Kauai, Hawaii

23. Colonsay, Scotland

24. Aitutaki, The Cook Islands

25. Cebu, Philippines

26. The Maldives

27. Curaçao

28. Rangitoto Island, New Zealand

29. Sir Bani Yas, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

30. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

31. Gozo, Malta

32. Pulau Tengah, Malaysia

33. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

34. Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

35. St. Barts, Caribbean

36. Mont-Saint-Michel, France

37. Laucala Island, Fiji

38. La Digue, Seychelles

39. Jicaro, Nicaragua

40. Cozumel, Mexico

41. Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia

42. Culebra, Puerto Rico

43. Formentera, Spain

44. Tobago

45. Öland, Sweden

46. St. Lucia, Caribbean

47. Paros, Greece

48. Chiloe, Chile

49. Mallorca, Spain

50. Côn So’n, Vietnam