An island whose residents only see it in black and white...what is its story?

Arabia Weather - Colors form the basis of life, and are manifested in seven main colors known as part of the rainbow. These colors give life color and elegance, and give it meaning and details. Simply put, colors have the ability to add beauty and vitality to the world around us.

But can we imagine a life that is limited only to black and white? Would life lose its diversity and appeal without a wide range of colors? In this context, life will appear uniquely contrasted between black and white, as white can be a symbol of purity and clear skies, while black expresses mystery and depth.

The island that only sees black and white

There is a unique island in the Pacific archipelago, near the Philippines and Indonesia, where its inhabitants face a unique challenge. Instead of seeing the variety of bright colors that the world around them offers, they live in a world that appears before them only in black and white.

Despite the beauty of the blue sky, blue sea and light green plants, the people of this island lack the ability to distinguish colors correctly. Their viewing experience is limited to the two primary colors, which means they do not see the natural contrast between shadow and light or between different colors.

Known as Yingelab, the island is home to about 700 people who suffer from color blindness, who are content to see the world in black and white. The reason for this phenomenon is that the population has been afflicted with this disease since childhood, and this medical condition has been passed on to their children as a result of genetic factors, which is known as “total color blindness.”

This disease is considered very rare in the world, but it appeared on Yingelap Island as a result of genetic factors that play an essential role in its transmission to all residents of the island.

The story of Yingelap Island

Sadly, in 1775, a powerful hurricane struck the island, killing most of its inhabitants except for only about 20 people who managed to survive. Among the survivors was King Nanmarke Mwaninizd, who suffered from color blindness. Because of the island's traditions that strongly disapproved of marriage with foreigners, the survivors decided to marry each other, leading to color blindness among the island's population.

This problem affected not only vision but also people's ability to distinguish the taste of food, as food could be spoiled without anyone realizing it. In addition, the islanders have a strong sensitivity to sunlight, which makes working in daylight difficult for them.

However, God gave these people another advantage: they have better vision in the dark than we do. They take advantage of this advantage by working at night, where they catch fish successfully under the cover of darkness, which enhances their ability to meet their daily needs.

Source: almrsal