Mercator projection map of the Saint Kilda Island group with inset of the British Isles

The Saint Kilda (Scottish Gaelic: Hiort) archipelago, in the North Atlantic is at the outermost limits of the British Isles. Situated 66 km west-north-west of North Uist, only Rockall is further away from the Scottish mainland. The entire archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is a World Heritage Site. It is at 57°49′ N 8°34′ W and has a total land area of 854.6 ha. Saint Kilda. ... Saint Kilda. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and a number of much smaller surrounding islands. ... North Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath) is an island of the Outer Hebrides. ... Location of Rockall. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. ... The National Trust for Scotland, or NTS, describes itself as The conservation charity that protects and promotes Scotlands natural and cultural heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... A hectare (symbol ha) is a metric unit of surface area, equal to 100 ares (the name is a contraction of the SI prefix hecto + are). ...

The name Saint Kilda is derived from the Norse word skildir, meaning "shields." Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ...

Hirta is the largest island in the group, followed by Soay (2 km northwest of Hirta) and Boreray (6 km northeast of Hirta); there are several smaller islets including Dun, Levinish, Stac Lee and Stac an Armin. Hirta is the largest island in the Saint Kilda archipelago. ... Soay is an uninhabited island in the Saint Kilda archipelago (British Isles, county Isle of Harris) in the North Atlantic, about 2 km northwest of Hirta. ... Boreray is an unhibited island in the Saint Kilda archipelago (British Isles, county Isle of Harris) in the North Atlantic, about 52 miles (~83 km) west of North Harris. ...

Saint Kilda had been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times but the population dwindled with emigration to the United States and Australia. The population declined to such a level that the economy broke down. There were food shortages recorded in 1912 and an outbreak of influenza in 1913, then on 29 August 1930 the last 36 remaining inhabitants were evacuated, at their own request, to the Scottish mainland. The islands were purchased by the Marquess of Bute in 1931 and he later bequeathed them to the National Trust for Scotland in 1957. Negatively stained flu virions. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The title of Marquess of Bute was created in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1796 for the 4th Earl of Bute (in the Peerage of Scotland). ...

After reading about the evacuation, in 1937 Michael Powell made a film about the dangers of island depopulation. However, The Edge of the World was actually shot on Foula. 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Michael Powell film-maker. ... MacGinnis, Chrystall and Berry in The Edge of the World. ... Foula shown within Shetland Islands On the same latitude as Saint Petersburg lies hidden the bleak and yet spectacular island of Foula, Britain’s remotest and most westerly, permanently inhabited island, being one of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, and owned since the turn of the 20th Century by the Holbourn...

There are no permanent residents today but the main island of Hirta is occupied all year round by the people who work on the military base (now almost entirely a civilian workforce), and scientists who carry out research on the feral Soay sheep population. The military base is part of the Hebrides missile tracking range (headquarters in Benbecula), where test firings and flights are carried out. The MOD lease St. Kilda from the National Trust for Scotland for a nominal fee. Soay Sheep are a breed of sheep descended from a population of feral sheep on the Isle of Soay. ... Benbecula (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn na Faoghla, meaning the mountain of the ford) is an island of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. ...

The archipelago was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and this status was extended to the surrounding marine environment in 2003. It is a breeding ground for many important seabird species including Gannets (the world's largest colony), Puffins and Leach's Petrels. The small island of Dun is home to the largest colony of Fulmars in Britain. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... Species Morus bassanus Morus capensis Morus serrator The gannets are part of the family Sulidae. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is an auk with a brightly colored beak. ... Binomial name Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Vieillot, 1818) The Leachs Storm-petrel or Leachs Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small seabird of the tubenose family. ... Species Fulmar (Linnaeus, 1761) Southern Fulmar (Smith,A, 1840) The two Fulmars are closely related seabirds occupying the same niche in different oceans. ...

The St Kilda archipelago is also the site of the most spectacular sea cliffs in the British isles. The highest point in the archipelago is Conachair at 430 m. The whole north face of Conachair is a vertical cliff over 300 m high, falling sheer into the sea. Boreray reaches 384 m, and Soay reaches 378 m.

In addition there are several offshore stacs, vertical pillers of rock. Stac An Armin the tallest of these is 196 m high. Another, Stac Lee is 172 m.

External Links

• St Kilda website
• St Kilda heritage
• Greenpeace Photographs
• Webshots photographs
• More Photos, including Soay sheep, Fulmars and cliffs
• UNESCO World Heritage Site. St Kilda and datasheet
• World Heritage Sites Protected Areas Programme - St Kilda