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Fair Isle

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: European Geography

   West cliffs, looking southwest towards Malcolm's Head.
   Enlarge
   West cliffs, looking southwest towards Malcolm's Head.

   Fair Isle (from Old Norse Frjóey) is an island off Scotland, lying
   around halfway between Shetland and the Orkney Islands at 59°32′N
   1°32′W. Three miles (4.8 km) in length and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, it
   has an area of 1402 acres (2.2 square miles or 5.61 km²). The island is
   situated around 25 miles (40 km) south-west of Sumburgh Head on the
   Shetland mainland. Although it is marginally closer to North Ronaldsay
   Orkney, Fair Isle is administratively part of Shetland. It gives its
   name to one of the British Sea Areas.

   The majority of the 70 islanders live in the crofts on the southern
   half of the island, with the northern half consisting of rocky
   moorland. The western coast consists of cliffs of up to 660 feet (200
   m) in height. The population has been decreasing steadily from around
   400 in around 1900. There are no pubs or restaurants on the island, but
   there is a single primary school. After the age of 11, children must
   attend a boarding school in Lerwick.

   Fair Isle has been occupied since the Bronze Age which is remarkable
   because of the lack of raw materials on the island, although it is
   surrounded by rich fishing waters. It has a permanent bird observatory
   because of its importance as a bird migration watchpoint and this
   provides most of the accommodation on the island. It is unusual amongst
   bird observatories in providing catered accommodation rather than
   hostel-style. Many rare species of bird have been found on the island,
   and it is probably the best place in western Europe to see skulking
   Siberian passerines like Pechora Pipit, Lanceolated Warbler and
   Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler.

   The island was bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1954 from
   George Waterson, the founder of the bird observatory.
   Croft houses.
   Enlarge
   Croft houses.

   Fair Isle is famous for its knitted jumpers, with knitting forming an
   important source of income for the women of the islands. The principal
   activity for the male islanders is crofting.

   Ward Hill (715ft) played host to a hastily built RAF radar station
   during WWII, the ruins of which are still present today. There are also
   substantial sections of a crashed Heinkel He111.

   On August 20, 1588 the flagship of the Spanish Armada, El Gran Grifón,
   was shipwrecked in the cove of Stroms Heelor, forcing its 300 sailors
   to spend six weeks living with the islanders. The wreck was discovered
   in 1970.

   On January 29, 2004, Fair Isle was granted Fairtrade Island status.

Transport

     * Fair Isle Airport serves the island with flights to Lerwick
     * The Good Shepherd IV plies between Fair Isle and Grutness

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle"
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