Necker Island (British Virgin Islands)
 |
|
 Necker Island
|
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Coordinates | 18°31′38″N 64°21′29″W / 18.52722°N 64.35806°WCoordinates: 18°31′38″N 64°21′29″W / 18.52722°N 64.35806°W |
| Area | 30 ha (74 acres) |
| Administration | |
|
United Kingdom
|
|
| British Overseas Territory | British Virgin Islands |
| Additional information | |
| Official website | Necker Island |
Necker Island is a 74-acre (30-hectare) island in the British Virgin Islands just north of Virgin Gorda. The island's land is entirely owned by Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group and is part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of luxury properties. The whole island operates like a resort and can accommodate up to 28 guests.
Necker Island is located at latitude 18.55 north and longitude 64.35 west in the eastern section of the British Virgin Islands, slightly to the north of Virgin Gorda and Prickly Pear and to the north-east of Mosquito Island (sometimes spelled Moskito Island); also owned by Branson. The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are a group of islands about 1,128 miles (1,815 km) south-east of Miami, Florida, 114 miles (184 km) due east of San Juan Puerto Rico, and about 109 miles (175 km) north-west of St. Barts.
The island was named after the 17th-century Dutch squadron commander Johannes de Neckere, although it remained uninhabited until the late 20th century.
In 1965 the photographer Don McCullin and the journalist Andrew Alexander, spent fourteen days on the island at the behest of The Daily Telegraph newspaper for which they worked. The magazine editor had hoped that they would survive their castaway adventure for at least three weeks, but as McCullin later recounted, "because of our gathering weakness ... out of temper, and out of water, we hoisted the red flag and were taken off in the early hours of the fifteenth day". According to McCullin, there was nothing idyllic about the desert island: "It was inhabited by snakes, scorpions and tarantulas ... The mosquitos and other insects were more venomous and persistent than any I had encountered in Vietnam or the Congo."
...
Wikipedia