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Archipelago

    Great Santa Cruz Island

    6°52′N 122°04′E

    Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in Zamboanga City in the southern region of the Philippines that is famous for its pink coralline sand. 49 mi) south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, boasts one of the pink sand beaches in the Philippines.

    Isla Great Santa Cruz, Zamboanga city
    Isla Great Santa Cruz, Zamboanga city

    Wowzamboangacity / CC BY 3.0

    Terrain

    6°52′N 122°04′E

    Terrain exaggerated for relief. Drag to look around.

    Overview

    Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in Zamboanga City in the southern region of the Philippines that is famous for its pink coralline sand. The island, located 4 kilometres (2.49 mi) south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, boasts one of the pink sand beaches in the Philippines. The color of the sand comes from the pulverized red organ pipe coral from eons of surf erosion mixed with the white sand. The island started to become popular since the 1970s and early 1980s when it was frequented by German, Japanese and Italian tourists. Recently, there's an upsurge of tourists that has been recorded due to its rising popularity as one of a handful of Pink Sand Beaches in the World and is the only one in Asia. In 2017, it was recognized by National Geographic as one of the 21 Best Beaches in the World.

    From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Chart

    Nearest islands

    Also in Santa Cruz Islands

    • Nendö

      523 km²▲ 555 m

      Major islands

    • Banie

      177 km²▲ 923 m

      Major islands

    • Vanikoro

      173 km²

      Major islands

    • Utupua

      64 km²▲ 378 m

      Minor islands

    • Teanu

      19.7 km²▲ 505 m

      Minor islands

    • Temotu Noi

      18.6 km²▲ 140 m

      Minor islands

    • Tomotu Neo

      14.5 km²▲ 94 m

      Minor islands

    • Lomlom

      13 km²▲ 47 m

      Minor islands

    Also in Mindanao

    Also in Solomon Islands

    Also in Philippines

    • Luzon

      104,935 km²▲ 2,928 m

      Major islands

    • Mindanao

      93,885 km²▲ 2,954 m

      Major islands

    • Negros

      12,778 km²▲ 2,465 m

      Major islands

    • Samar

      12,435 km²▲ 890 m

      Major islands

    • Panay

      11,512 km²▲ 2,102 m

      Major islands

    • Palawan

      11,346 km²▲ 2,963 m

      Major islands

    • Mindoro

      9,824 km²▲ 2,616 m

      Minor islands

    • Leyte

      6,997 km²▲ 1,200 m

      Minor islands

    Also in Malay Archipelago

    • Borneo

      732,069 km²▲ 4,095 m

      Major islands

    • Sumatra

      429,717 km²▲ 3,805 m

      Major islands

    • Sulawesi

      168,788 km²▲ 3,478 m

      Major islands

    • Java

      126,804 km²▲ 3,676 m

      Major islands

    • Luzon

      104,935 km²▲ 2,928 m

      Major islands

    • Mindanao

      93,885 km²▲ 2,954 m

      Major islands

    • Timor

      28,560 km²▲ 2,963 m

      Minor islands

    • Halmahera

      17,956 km²▲ 1,571 m

      Minor islands

    Also in Pacific Islands

    • New Guinea

      774,566 km²▲ 4,884 m

      Major islands

    • Japan

      377,974 km²

      Major islands

    • New Zealand

      268,021 km²

      Major islands

    • Honshu

      227,970 km²▲ 3,776 m

      Major islands

    • Luzon

      104,935 km²▲ 2,928 m

      Major islands

    • Mindanao

      93,885 km²▲ 2,954 m

      Major islands

    • Hokkaido

      77,983 km²▲ 2,291 m

      Minor islands

    • Sakhalin

      74,571 km²▲ 1,609 m

      Minor islands

    Sources

    Facts

    • Geometry, areas and high points: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Copernicus GLO-30, via Talus.
    • Talus
    • Wikidata
    • Wikipedia

    Photographs