What Makes Islands So Fascinating

From Greenland to the South Pacific, islands retain distinct traditions.

Layne Kennedy/Getty Images

There’s something special about islands. Whether paradise beach destinations surrounded by azure and aquamarine seas in the Caribbean or Mediterranean, or windswept rocks in the polar regions, each is distinct, enchanting, and compelling. These places inevitably have their own personalities, lore, history, and traditions.

Perhaps it’s the relative isolation created by all that water. Distinct cultures crafted over the centuries that preceded easy access by air travel and the immediacy of the Internet. Even in the past ideas and trends traveled fast on the mainland. But when you can only reach a far-flung isle by a creaky ship under sail, things there evolve in very different directions.

The folkways—the songs they sing, the language they speak, the art they create—even today, leave not just traces, but retain a hold on the people who live and work there. I’ve visited more than 100 countries—and countless islands. Here are just a few of the most fascinating things I’ve encountered from the archipelagos, atolls, and solitary islets, all along the way.

Quirks of Language

There’s perhaps no stronger determinant of culture than language—one that’s often rather inaccessible to the casual visitor. While I usually try to learn two simple words—“hello” and “thank you”—in the local tongue, the rest almost always remains a mystery. On islands, this is amplified. A tiny population can have a language unlike any other place on earth.

Let me give you a few examples. I’ve visited Greenland—the world’s largest island—a total of seven times. Huge and heavily glaciated, villages could, for a very long time, only be reached by Viking ships and dog sleds and kayaks and larger, open boats called umiaks. As a result the 60,000 people here speak three distinct dialects: North Greenlandic (or Inuktun), West Greenlandic (Kalaallisut), or East Greenlandic (Tunumiit oraasiat).

Four out of five Greenlanders, living in relatively larger centers like the capital, Nuuk, and Sisimiut, speak Kalaallisut. Thus, West Greenlandic is the main form of the language. But on a trip up to the island’s remotest communities, on the eastern shores, they told me they’re working hard to preserve their Tunumiit oraasiat, which is presently spoken by only about 3,000 people.

In a very different place, Cape Verde, similar patterns have developed through the sands of time. These 10 tropical volcanic islands off the coast of West Africa collectively gained their independence from Portugal in 1975. Each is a distinct melting pot of the African nations that arrived and settled here, mixed with the legacy of their colonial past.

The archipelago is arranged in something of a horseshoe shape. That means the distance from the northern islands and those in the south is considerable, separated by the crashing waves on the open Atlantic. I recently visited both sides and several islands, and was surprised to find that the dialects in the north are so different from those in the south, that the people can’t understand each other. At national meetings, they speak Portuguese.

One more quick example, perhaps my favorite dialect: Silbo Gomero on the Canary Island of La Gomera. If you’ve ever visited you know: this is a physically dramatic place. Huge headlands and steep ravines divide this long, primarily pastoral and extremely rural island.

In an age before mobile phones, shepherds on those vertiginous flanks developed a way to communicate. They talked to each other through a series of whistle tones that carried across the valleys. Now known as Silbo Gomero, this strange and wonderful language is celebrated there, and now protected as a UNESCO cultural heritage.

A Reason to Celebrate

If you’ve ever traveled to the Caribbean, you know: Each island has its own designated days to get up and dance. Festivals form the high point of the year for many who live here, from Junkanoo in the Bahamas, to carnivals in Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, and lots more. I’ve attended a few, and trust me: From the steel drums to the sparkling costumes to the soca beats, this is the kind of event you feel way down in your soul. Ask about the history, too—each fiesta has distinct and important roots dating back centuries.

Thousands of miles away, in the South Pacific, the dance steps are very different. The most famous: the haka, practiced by the Maori in New Zealand. But other Polynesia paradises practice their own versions, in Tonga, Samoa, and beyond. Once, warriors used this to show pride and unity—and intimidate their opponents on the battlefield. Today, you’ll mostly witness it on the rugby pitch. Once you experience the rhythm and chants, it’s hard to forget.

Village Traditions

In Fiji, wow. This archipelago of more than 300 islands has maintained its traditional culture in ways I’ve rarely seen anywhere else. This is true in the smaller outlying spots, but also on the largest, “mainland” island of Viti Levu.

For many here, the village forms the most important building blocks of life. People live together in clusters of small homes, generation after generation, sharing not just resources, but also responsibilities. Meetings distribute tasks to be accomplished, and even kids have their role to play.

I’ve been to Fiji perhaps half a dozen times. While you can’t beat the beaches (or the bure villas) there, I think it’s the culture that keeps bringing me back. Locals are open, honest, and kind. They create a feeling across these vast stretches of ocean, that reach all the way to the heart. Special islands, indeed.