In much of the world, owning a lakeside home is desirable. But in the Dutch town of Loosdrecht, residents live within the lake itself, with houses on their own impossibly skinny islands:

The unique geography is of course manmade, the result of peat mining. In centuries past, boats were used to dredge what was once swampland, in order to mine peat for fuel. Thin strips of land were left behind, for a practical purpose: That's where the peat was unloaded and laid out in the sun to dry.

The area remained a geographical curiosity until the 20th century, when developers realized they could build houses on the leftover strips of land. Today, hundreds of residents live in these boat-access-only homes.

You can learn more here:

Enter a caption (optional)