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Extending from Bratislava to Korman in southwestern Slovakia, Zitny Ostrov (Rye Island) is Europe’s most sizable river island. It is so large that most tourists are unaware of being on one. It lies between the Danube, and its slower running tributary the Little Danube, in the Danubian Plain.

Several rivers flow across it and the rich alluvial deposits make it the most fertile land in Slovakia. The island also contains central Europe’s largest storage of pristine potable water and it has the warmest and least humid weather in Slovakia.

A beautiful area of marshes, natural and man-made lakes and rich farmland, the south has been designated a Protected Landscape. The still waters of the Little Danube provide excellent recreational boating through the alluvial forests. While on the water, the controversial hydroelectric dam at Gabcikovo may also be visited.

Zitny Ostrov has two main towns, both of which have strong Hungarian influences. DunajskA Streda has a majority Hungarian population, though the only reminder of a significant Jewish minority is a memorial erected in 1991. There is also evidence of Bronze Age settlement here.

In the late 1990s the town centre was rebuilt with distinctive white buildings topped by towers and elaborate tiled roofs. A large thermal park offers year-round swimming in geothermal heated water.

Komarno, Slovakia’s main port, lies on the Hungarian border — a bridge leads into Hungarian Komarom, which used to be part of Komarno. Here two thirds of the population speak Hungarian and the street signs are bi-lingual.

Europe Place is a large shopping and tourist centre built in a variety of European architectural forms. A native son of Komamo, Franz Lehar, is honoured with a biennial music festival, whilst the annual Komarno Days Festival celebrates Slovak and Hungarian culture.

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One of Mexico’s largest islands, Cozumel, lies 20 km (12 miles) from the mainland, and 60 km (36 mi) south of Cancun. It’s a flat, limestone island shaped like a holster, and pierced by dozens of cenotes (water-filled sinkholes), many with their own marine life, which are an extra attraction for swimmers and snorkellers who come to explore the island’s beautiful offshore reefs.

Jacques Cousteau first popularized Cozumel in 1960, when he identified Palancar at the island’s southern tip as one of the world’s best diving sites. He triggered an explosion of tourist development, only curtailed in with the establishment of the National Marine Park in 1996: but the reefs were badly damaged by the deepwater piers built for cruise ships to bring new holiday makers.

Attitudes changed quickly. Cozumel’s new islanders (the 40,000 Maya who welcomed Herman (’Stout’) Cortes in 1519 were reduced to 30 by 1510, and Cozumel became uninhabited) realised the value, not just of their spectacular marine wealth, but also of the island’s undeveloped centre.

You’ll never get a better chance to appreciate Mayan culture so close to good beaches. The biggest Mayan site, San Gervasio (named much later), was for centuries sacred to lx Chel, the goddess of fertility, and one of the Yucatan’s most important sanctuaries. There are several others, recovered from jungle and swampy mangrove lagoons now teeming with cormorants, pelicans, primary-coloured tree frogs, iguanas and crocodiles.

These days, the duty of collective care is replacing the ecological mistakes of the 1970s. You can see 250 species in its clear waters, including the bright blue-and-yellow queen angelfish, the toad fish (unique to Cozumel), and huge sponges like the barrel and elephant ear, which grows to 3.6 m (12 ft) across. Cozumel is fabulously pretty and exotic, and you should go there with someone you love and watch the sunsets.

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Often known as Straddie by people from Brisbane, North Stradbroke Island is the postcard beach get-away. Just 30 km (19 miles) southeast of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, it is positioned at the south end of Moreton Bay. At 30 km (19 mile) long, it is one of the world’s grandest, offering clean beaches, a rugged coast and inland freshwater lakes.

It lost its original name of Minijerribah in 1827, when Captain H. J. Rous, or Viscount Dunwich, Commander of the HMS Rainbow, named the island after his father the Earl of Stradbroke, the main town after his own title, and Rainbow Beach after his vessel.

A cluster of three picturesque villages — Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout — act as pleasant bases for many of the island’s local and international visitors.

Dunwich was once a prison colony and quarantine station, and, as is often the case, its graveyard is a telling record of the island’s historical past. At Point Lookout, the aptly named Whale Rock is the best spot from which to scan the vast oceans in search of migrating humpback whales, dolphins and turtles.

In the 1960s, sand mining operations began to ruin on the fragile island environment, but by the 1990s environmental issues came to the fore and half of the island became a national park. Mining is still very active on the island, but mainly away in the restricted southern end.

Point Lookout on the eastern surf side of the island is a natural draw-card. Spreading across Straddie’s single rocky headland it overlooks a string of white beaches. The western side enjoys the calmer waters of the bay and is safer for swimming. The island is famous for its angling — with the annual Straddie Classic’ every August being one of Australia’s richest and best-known fishing contests.

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