Kunoy
Kunoy | |
|---|---|
 Village of Kunoy | |
 Location within the Faroe Islands | |
| Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W / 62.300°N 6.650°W | |
| State | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country | Faroe Islands |
| Municipality seat | Kunoy |
| Area | |
• Total | 35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 8 |
| Highest elevation | 830 m (2,720 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 156 |
| • Rank | 11 |
| • Density | 4.4/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC 0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC 1 (WEST) |
| Calling code | 298 |
Kunoy (Faroese pronunciation: [ˈkuːnɪ], lit. 'Woman island') is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands between Kalsoy to the west (with which there is no physical link) and Borðoy to the east (to which it is linked via a causeway).
Settlements and transport
[edit]There are two settlements on Kunoy: Kunoy (population 64) on the west coast and Haraldssund on the south-east coast. These have been connected by a tunnel since 1988. Haraldssund is connected by a causeway to the neighbouring island of Borðoy to the east of Kunoy. Before the causeway was built, travel to the island was by ferry. Nowadays the 504 bus runs a regular service across the causeway, with a route from Klaksvík through Ánir then across to Haraldssund and through the tunnel to Kunoy.[1]
A third settlement, Skarð, was the site of a fishing accident on Christmas Eve, 1913 which killed seven men (all the male population except a 14-year-old and a 70-year-old). The women decided to move to Haraldssund, and the area is now deserted.
Geography
[edit]Important Bird Area
[edit]The coastline of the northern tip of the island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for seabirds, especially European storm petrels (250 pairs) and black guillemots (200 pairs).[2]
The brown rat, was introduced on purpose by people from Klaksvík, to the island in 1914 over some slight,[3] and it has done tremendous damage to the bird population since then, most notably the Atlantic puffin.
Mountains
[edit]
The island has the following eleven mountains, shown with their overall rank in the Faroe Islands:[4] The top of Klubbin is well known for its vegetation, as it is one of the few areas where there never have been grazing sheep.
| Rank | Name | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Kúvingafjall | 830m |
| 5 | Teigafjall | 825m |
| 6 | Kunoyarnakkur | 819m |
| 7 | Havnartindur | 818m |
| 8 | Urðafjall | 817m |
| 9 | Middagsfjall | 805m |
| 18 | Galvsskorafjall | 768m |
| 42 | Suður á Nakki | 703m |
| 73 | Klubbin | 644m |
| 198 | Lítlafjall | 471m |
| 219 | Klettur | 444m |
Notable people
[edit]- Símun av Skarði (1872–1942), the Faroese poet, politician and teacher and founder of the Faroese Folk High School (Føroya Fólkaháskúli) was born in Skarð, which was a small settlement on Kunoy, which was abandoned in 1919. He wrote the Faroese National Anthem, Mítt alfagra land.
References
[edit]- ^ de:Kunoy
- ^ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kunoy. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-23.
- ^ av Skarði, Jóhannes (1 January 1956). "Føroyski Leypurin". Fróðskaparrit 1956.
- ^ List of mountains of the Faroe Islands
External links
[edit]
- personal website Archived 2006-02-23 at the Wayback Machine with 6 aerial photos of Kunoy
Islands of the Faroe Islands | ||
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