An image which can be found circulating among various social media “fact” pages allegedly shows a heart island located in Australia or other parts of the world. Is it real or fake?

It’s not real.

Let’s first take a look at an example of what has been circulated regarding this image, such as this July 2015 tweet:

A beautiful heart, Australia ‘ pic.twitter.com/9EOaXINDiu

— Adventures Trips (@AmazingRoom) July 23, 2015

Other examples claim this island resides in the Caribbean or the Maldives.

Stock Photo

The image is simply a digital creation by artist Pablo Scapinachis which can be found on stock photo websites such as Dreamstime or Shutterstock. The photo is filed under the category “3D & Computer Generated.” The caption notes that it is a “concept for romantic vacation.” The artist created a couple of other variations which can be found on stock image sites.

Actual Heart Islands

Although the heart island above is not real, there are actually several heart-shaped island around the world such as Galesnjak Island (aka “Lovers’ Island”) in Croatia.

Check out WorldTopTop.com for an excellent list of 20 heart-shaped islands around the world.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an artistic depiction of islands passed off as real. Over the past two years, fact pages have also tried to present the fictional “Kissing Islands” of Greenland as an actual location.

Bottom Line

The “Heart Island” circulated by internet “fact” pages is not a real location, but simply a work of art found on stock photo websites. There are, however, at least 20 islands around the world which are considered heart-shaped.

Thanks to our friends at HoaxEye for their work in finding and debunking this story.