Apostola
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| Native name: Апостола | |
|---|---|
| File:Apostola aerial view 2010.png Aerial view of Apostola, June 2010 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Alexandrian Gulf |
| Area | 15.4 km2 (5.9 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 586 m (1,923 ft) |
| Highest point | Novo Ostrug |
| Administration | |
| Province | North Bin |
| Largest settlement | Osnova Vitru (pop. 2,761) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 2,761 (2012) |
Apostola (Narodyn: Апостола; Apostola) is a small volcanic island in the western Alexandrian Gulf. Administered by the United Republic of Vinalia, the island lies around 175 kilometres (108 miles) from the Vinalian coast, its nearest point of landfall. The island is dominated by the Novo Ostrug peak and caldera, a dormant volcano thought to have last erupted during the Holocene epoch. The only settlement on the island, Osnova Vitru, lies at the south-west of the island, and houses the island's entire population.
Apostola was discovered by Sviatoslav Mishin in 1577, who named it the Isle of the Holy Apostole (Narodyn: Острів Святого Aпостола; Ostriv Svytoho Apostola). The island was mainly used for navigational purposes before a brief period of naturalist observation in the 17th century. The island is most well-known for its prison, built in 1707, which is among one of the most-famed for its harsh and brutal conditions. Its isolation eliminated any chance of escape and the prison mainly housed pirates and privateers caught in the Gulf. The prison closed in 1903, and is now a museum. The island was a disputed territory between North and South Vinalia, culminating in the 1979 Alexandrian Gulf incident, seeing southern claims to the island reaffirmed. Since Vinalian unification, it has been administered under the province of North Bin.