What is the island in Robinson Crusoe called?
Quick answer
In Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), the island has no official name, but Crusoe calls it the “Island of Despair” when he’s shipwrecked there. It’s a fictional island near the mouth of the Orinoco River, off the coast of Venezuela. Crusoe lives there for 28 years before being rescued.
Key facts
- Author
- Daniel Defoe (about 1660–1731)
- Published
- April 25, 1719
- Island name
- The “Island of Despair” (Crusoe’s name for it)
- Time on island
- 28 years
The story
After a shipwreck, Robinson Crusoe is the only survivor. He salvages tools and supplies from the wreck, builds a shelter, grows crops and tames goats. After many years alone, he rescues a captive from cannibals and names him Friday, after the day they met. Friday becomes his servant and companion.
The real castaway
Defoe was inspired partly by Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who quarreled with his captain and asked to be left on an uninhabited island in the Pacific in 1704. He survived alone for over four years before being rescued in 1709.
| Robinson Crusoe (novel) | Alexander Selkirk (real) | |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean | Atlantic/Caribbean | Pacific |
| Time alone | 28 years | About 4 years and 4 months |
| How he arrived | Shipwreck | Chose to be left behind |
Robinson Crusoe Island today
In 1966, Chile renamed Más a Tierra, the island where Selkirk lived, Robinson Crusoe Island. A nearby island became Alejandro Selkirk Island. They belong to the Juan Fernández Islands, about 670 km off Chile’s coast.
Why the novel matters
Robinson Crusoe is often called one of the first English novels. It was hugely popular, inspiring so many imitations that “Robinsonade” became a name for castaway stories, including The Swiss Family Robinson (1812) and films like Cast Away (2000). Modern readers also discuss its colonial attitudes, especially in Crusoe’s relationship with Friday.
Defoe’s other work
Defoe was a journalist, trader and political writer who once spent time in prison. His other novels include Moll Flanders (1722).
For another famous fictional place, see the country Alice visits. For a famous opening line of an island-and-sea novel, see what novel begins with “Call me Ishmael”.
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