Asinara is the second largest island in Sardinia and the smallest of Sardinia's three national parks and for years was home to one of the toughest maximum security prisons in Italy. The name in Italian means 'inhabited by donkeys', but it is thought to derive from the Latin 'sinuaria' and to mean sinus shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited, the 2001 population census reported one man.  The island encompasses 51 square kilometres of Mediterranean scrub, rocky coastline, remote sandy beaches and is an oasis for wildlife, providing a habitat for around 50-70 white donkeys (a rare species and symbol of the island) and 80 other animal species, including mouflons (wild, bristly-haired sheep) and peregrine falcons. The only way to reach it is with an authorised boat operator from Stintino or Porto Torres. Once there, it is possible to explore it independently, although there is no public transport and access is limited to some areas.