Vilsandi
| Vilsandi | ||
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| Waters | Baltic Sea | |
| Archipelago | Moonsund Islands | |
| Geographical location | 58 ° 22 '49 " N , 21 ° 51' 26" E | |
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| surface | 9 km² | |
| Residents | 30th 3.3 inhabitants / km² |
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Vilsandi ( Filsand also outdated in German ) is the westernmost inhabited island of Estonia . It is located in the northern Baltic Sea west of the island of Saaremaa , belongs to the Moonsund Islands and has around 30 inhabitants.
Vilsandi has an area of around 9 km². The island was only formed around 350 years ago, when several smaller islands grew together as a result of the post-glacial continental shift that was still ongoing . In the foreseeable future, the strait that separates Vilsandi from Saaremaa will also be closed in this way. In the west of the island, the approximately 2.5 hectare natural inland lake Abajaloik has formed.
On the island there is a lighthouse built in 1809 that adorns an Estonian postage stamp from 1999. In 1910 Vilsandi became the first bird sanctuary in the Baltic States , and in 1993 it was converted into a national park.
The island of Vilsandi was also seen in the episode "Estonia's Islands" in the Mare TV series. 3 of the 30 residents were introduced here, including the current lighthouse keeper.
