The Mysterious Twin Island of the Philippines

A remote island in the Philippines called Perez is home to identical, fraternal, and even conjoined twins. For years, no one has understood why they are there or how their numbers grow each year.

On this island, you can find identical twins ranging in age from two to 89.

Theodosia Maras, age 89, twin sister of Antonina Amargo, age 89, claims they are the oldest twins on the island. "I believe there are no older twins than us remaining here in Perez," she says.

A famous newspaper that covered the twin stories on the island reported that besides the 22 sets of identical twins there, there are 78 sets of fraternal twins and even... conjoined twins.

And if you weren't surprised yet, it turns out the island is considered an attraction for visitors, and because of this, the twins often dress identically, making it quite difficult to tell them apart.

"If Nikki has a problem, I feel it too," says a 17-year-old twin. "Even if she doesn't tell me."

Theories about Twin Island are many and varied. Some people in the country believe that their reproduction rate depends on the water they drink. Others think it's simply hereditary and passed down through genes. And some believe that the twins' parents consumed a lot of 'twin bananas' - meaning especially large bananas grown on the island.