St. Ivan Island

St. Ivan Island ranks 2nd on the list of the most beautiful islands in Bulgaria. With a surface area of 0.66 square kilometers, St. Ivan Island is the biggest Bulgarian island in the Black Sea. It is located off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast near Sozopol, a historic town and renowned tourist destination, and is separated from the small neighboring St. Peter Island by a strait several hundred meters long. It is also the tallest of the Bulgarian sea islands, at 33 meters above sea level. It's 920 meters from the Stolets peninsula, where Sozopol's Old Town is a protected natural area.

Apart from its historical significance, the island is also a nature reserve since 1993, with 72 species of birds nesting on the rocks and around the coast, 3 of which are endangered in the world and 15 in Europe. St. Ivan and the adjacent St. Peter Island host Bulgaria's largest colonies of Audouin's gull and Caspian gull. St. Ivan Island is also inhabited by other rare species, such as Mediterranean monk seals. The rocks on the island are covered with black mussels. The island is the only place in Bulgaria where underground rabbits live.

Location: Black Sea, Bulgaria

Area: 0.66 km2