St Kilda

archipelago in Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom

57°49′2″N 8°34′36″W / 57.81722°N 8.57667°W / 57.81722; -8.57667

St Kilda
Gaelic nameaudio speaker iconHiort 
Pronunciation[hirˠʃt̪]
Norse namePossibly Skildir
Meaning of nameUnknown, possibly Gaelic for "westland"
Location
St Kilda is located in Scotland
St Kilda
St Kilda
St Kilda shown within Scotland
OS grid reference25
Coordinates57°48′N 8°36′W / 57.8°N 8.6°W / 57.8; -8.6
Physical geography
Island groupSt Kilda
Area854.6 ha
Highest elevationConachair 430 m
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaComhairle nan Eilean Siar
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited since 1930
Largest settlementAm Baile (the Village)
References[1][2]

St Kilda is a small archipelago of Hebridean islands. It is northwest of the coast of Scotland. The islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3]

St Kilda has large seabird colonies. The island has the largest colony of North Atlantic gannets in the world.[4]

History

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It is known that people have lived on St Kilda for over 2000 years. The entire population was evacuated from the island in 1930. St Kilda was given to the National Trust for Scotland in 1957.

In the 21st century, the only year-round residents are defence personnel. Many conservation workers, volunteers and scientists spend time on the islands in the summer months.[5]

National Nature Reserve

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St Kilda became a National Nature Reserves (NNR) in 1957. It is one of 71 NNRs in Scotland. In 2004, the NNR was expanded. The nearby marine features were added. The islands were also added.

In July 2005, it became one of the few World Heritage Sites to have a "mixed" status for its natural and cultural qualities.[6] They are also a National Scenic Area.

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References

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  1. Get-a-map Archived 2013-10-07 at the Wayback Machine "NF095995" Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  2. Iain Mac an Tailleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  3. UNESCO, "St Kilda"; retrieved 2012-4-20.
  4. National Trust for Scotland (National Trust), "Marine Environment gains World Heritage Protection," Archived 2013-06-03 at the Wayback Machine 2 July 2004; retrieved 2012-4-20.
  5. "The new residents of St Kilda archipelago". (29 August 2010). BBC News. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  6. National Trust, "Dual World Heritage Status For Unique Scottish Islands," Archived 2006-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 14 July 2005; retrieved 2012-4-20.

Other websites

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  Media related to St Kilda, Scotland at Wikimedia Commons