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Saint Kilda - This article is about the Scottish island of Saint Kilda. For alternative uses of the term 'Saint Kilda', see Saint Kilda (disambiguation)
The Saint Kilda 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 British mainland. The entire archipelago is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is a World Heritage Site. It is at and has a total land area of 854.6 ha. 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. The name most likely comes from Old Norse sunt kelda meaning sweet wellwater. Other theories invoke a corruption of Hirta or Saint Hilda. See the discussion page for further comment on the origin of the name. Saint Kilda had been continuously inhabited since prehistoric times but the population dwindled and on 29 August 1930 the last 36 remaining inhabitants left for the Scottish mainland. 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. The archipelago is a nature reserve recognised by UNESCO and 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. 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. Links
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