Around 300 kilometers southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, lies a peculiar island that was once the bane of mariners of centuries past.
Named Sable Island, this crescent-shaped landmass spans approximately 34 square kilometers. Composed of sand and sediment carried by ocean currents, Sable Island is not stationary; it has drifted eastward by 20 kilometers over the past 200 years, moving roughly 100 meters annually.
Situated along a major transatlantic shipping lane and surrounded by bountiful fishing grounds, Sable Island has witnessed countless seafaring vessels.
However, owing to the singularly shaped island and the treacherous currents, unpredictable bank fogs, and possible magnetic influences around it, it earned its byname, "the Atlantic Graveyard." Numerous ships and their crews have been wrecked here and swiftly swallowed by the sands (few ever-present vestiges of the nautical disasters remain visible on the island).
The following map shows the agglomerated summary of shipwrecks around the island that have been surveyed by British expeditions in the past; as can be seen, the entire island is blanketed with shipwrecks.
In reality, the image only displays serious shipping incidents between 1802–1946. Many more vessels have foundered here than are shown.
After the British placed a lighthouse here, shipping casualties were greatly reduced, but not eliminated. The most recent serious incident occurred in 1999.
Due to its geographic position as a barrier island, there are no trees on the island. The vegetation is mainly composed of grass and low shrubs. In 1901, 8,000 trees were planted, but only a single Japanese black pine survived. This particular pine is the only tree on the island currently, but its growth has been very slow.
The island also has a permanent population of feral horses, whose origins remain a mystery. They have been roaming the island freely for over 100 years, and their population now exceeds 500.
