Soay (St. Kilda)
Soay | ||
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Soay when the weather is nice | ||
Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
Archipelago | St. Kilda Islands | |
Geographical location | 57 ° 49 '52 " N , 8 ° 37' 54" W | |
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surface | 97 ha | |
Residents | uninhabited |
Soay (Scottish Gaelic: Soaigh ) is a 0.97 km² large, uninhabited island in the Scottish St. Kilda Archipelago, the most remote group of islands in Great Britain . This group of islands is located in the Atlantic Ocean , adjacent to the Outer Hebrides .
Soay is located about two kilometers northwest of the main island of Hirta and is considered the most westerly point in Scotland . The Rockall rock, 300 kilometers to the west, is not taken into account. Between Hirta and Soay are the Stacs Soay Stac (61 meters high) and the 73 meters high Stac Biorach .
The name Soay is of Nordic origin and means "sheep island". In fact, Soay is home to the original population of the Soay sheep named after it .
The island is of volcanic origin and hardly accessible. In earlier times it was occasionally visited by residents of the main island of Hirta to hunt Soay sheep.