Kunoy

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Kunoy
Island
Stamp FR 352 of Postverk Føroya (issued: 25 May 1999; photo: Per á Hædd)
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W / 62.300°N 6.650°W / 62.300; -6.650Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W / 62.300°N 6.650°W / 62.300; -6.650
State  Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country  Faroe Islands
Municipality seat Kunoyar kommuna
Area
 • Total 35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
Area rank 8
Highest elevation 830 m (2,720 ft)
Population (2002)
 • Total 134
 • Rank 11
 • Density 3.8/km2 (9.8/sq mi)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) EST (UTC+1)
Calling code 298

Kunoy (meaning Woman island, Danish: Kunø) is an island located in the north-east of the Faroe Islands between Kalsoy and Borðoy (to which it is linked via a causeway).

Settlements and transport

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.

People

  • Símun av Skarði (1872-1942), 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, it was abandoned in 1919. He wrote the Faroese National Anthem, Mítt alfagra land.

Geography

Important Bird Area

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]

Mountains

Map of Kunoy

The island has the following eleven mountains, shown with their overall rank in the Faroe Islands:[3]

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

References

  1. ↑ "Kunoy". German Wikipedia. Retrieved 2006-07-22. 
  2. ↑ BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kunoy. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-23.
  3. ↑ List of mountains of the Faroe Islands

External links

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