Fair Isle

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Fair Isle
North Haven Pier
North Haven Pier
Waters North Sea
Archipelago Shetland Islands
Geographical location 59 ° 32 '6 "  N , 1 ° 37' 45"  W Coordinates: 59 ° 32 '6 "  N , 1 ° 37' 45"  W.
Location of Fair Isle
length 4.8 km
width 2.4 km
surface 7.68 km²
Highest elevation Ward Hill
217  m
Residents 68 (2011)
8.9 inhabitants / km²
main place Stonybreck
Ordnance Survey Map (1961)
Ordnance Survey Map (1961)

Fair Isle (from Old Norse friðar-øy ) is a Scottish island that belongs to the Shetland Islands . It is located about 90 km south of Lerwick ( Shetland ) - from the south coast of Mainland at Sumburgh is 37 km - and 95 km northeast of Kirkwall ( Orkney ). Connections by ferry (three per week) and from Fair Isle Airport by air (four per week) are available, but are highly weather dependent.

The Fair Isle, also known as the "Island of Birds and Sweaters", extends about 5 km in north-south and 2.5 km in east-west direction. It has an area of ​​about 8 km² and in the north reaches a height of 217 m above sea level.

Apart from two landing stages for the ferries, the rocky coast is steeply sloping and has numerous dangerous cliffs and shallows , so that lighthouses made of old-red sandstone were built to secure shipping in the north and south of the island .

Fair Isle has been settled since at least the Bronze Age, as evidenced by remains of pre-Christian buildings. Including the Iron Age Landberg, a Promontory Fort . Fair Isle is important as a station for migratory birds and has an ornithological station ; rare Siberian passerines such as stilts and vertebrates (including striped vertebrae ) can be seen on the island.

The island was bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1954 .

In 2011 there were 68 inhabitants on the island. Main industries are fishing , agriculture and the manufacture of knit sweaters , for which the island is famous. In addition, there are some guest beds available for the ornithologists who are constantly arriving . Until 2001 the newspaper Fair Isle Times was published.

  • North harbor

  • Fair Isle cliffs

  • Sweater manufacturers on Fair Isle

swell

  1. ↑ 2011 census data
  2. ↑ Archive of the Fair Isle Times ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fairisle.org.uk

Web links

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