I visited the most crowded island on Earth – where more than 1,000 people live on a cramped 0.49-acre outcrop

Migingo Island has been likened to a giant armored turtle because its tin roofs are so tightly packed and is considered one of the busiest outcrops in the world.

The stone-covered island, which at 0.49 hectares is barely half the size of a football field, is located on the northeastern side of Lake Victoria and on the border between Uganda and Kenya.

In an attempt to find out what this busy island is like, the Dubai-based filmmaker works Joe Hattab made the dangerous journey there and spent a night with the locals.

In a short film about his time at Migingo, Hattab explains that more than a thousand people live there and that ‘it is very small.’

To reach Migingo, Hattab had to start with a flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

From there he traveled about six hours by car to a small town called Kisumu, which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria.

During the last part of the trek, Hattab then boarded a local motorboat to Migingo, with the bumpy journey taking about two hours.

He said the island “looked like a mirage” as he approached it, and he wasn’t sure if the boat would “hold up” because of the “huge waves.”

When he finally arrives in Migingo after dark, Hattab must visit guards on a neighboring island and pay an entrance fee of $250. This measure was introduced due to piracy in the area.

After obtaining the necessary permit, the filmmaker ventures around the busy island at night and describes a party atmosphere with music, people playing pool and the smell of fried food hanging in the air.

While Migingo has been a source of contention between Kenya and Uganda for decades because the waters around it are rich in Nile perch, in Hattab there is no friction on the island because both nationalities ‘hang out together’.

In a small supermarket, where alcohol and soft drinks are for sale, he finds the salesman playing music and using a makeshift DJ deck.

In another scene, Hattab explains that it seems like everyone is cooking food together in the backstreets.

A woman tells the camera crew that she is eating fish and chips, which is a staple meal on Migingo.

As it grows late, Hattab follows his guide to a fisherman’s house, where he is given a bed for the night.

He reveals that the tin hut is suspended over the ocean and the sound of the water lapping is very loud.

In the morning, the YouTube content creator goes to wash at the seaside and discovers that one side is used by men for bathing and the other by women.

After washing, Hattab must go to the local police station with his guides and file a report after their boat goes missing during the night.

The filmmaker’s last port of call on the Migingo is the fishing docks, where he sees the fishermen in action.

He explains that many people come to the island for the Nile perch, which is “exported for millions of dollars.”

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest, and the loss of its once-abundant fish life has raised the stakes for millions of people living along the lake’s shores in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

According to the conservation organization WWF, up to 80 percent of native fish species have been lost in the past forty years.

This has made Migingo an increasingly popular spot for fishing due to its remoteness, and the population has grown from around 130 residents in 2009 to more than 1,000 today.

Hattab notes that the price of Nile perch has also “increased by 50 percent in recent years and is estimated at $300 per kilogram in international markets.”

Although there is no word on what happened to Hattab’s boat, he manages to catch a ride from Migingo and thanks the locals for his time there.