Land ho: New island emerges off German coast

Germany has sprouted an island. The hook-shaped land is 16 miles off the coast of Germany, and it is 34 acres long. Dubbed Norderoogsand, the island, which lies in the German North Sea coast, has already become the home to more than 50 plant species and a variety of sea birds.

Amazingly, 10 years ago, the island didn’t exist. The speed with which it went from sand bar to land mass is surprising scientists.

“The fact that in just a few years a new island is formed is very impressive," local conservationist Detlef Hansen, who works at nearby Wadden Sea National Park, told the Telegraph. He added, "For conservationists, this is anything but ordinary."

The plucky island is bolstered against winds thanks to its 13-foot-high dunes and grasses that help it combat erosion. It was also helped by its location near other islands that buffered it from winter storms and the fact that few storm surges have appeared there in the past decade.

Still, don’t plan a vacation around this untouched paradise just yet: Scientists warn that one superstorm could wipe it off the map.