Kunoy

Kunoy (meaning 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).

Kunoy
Island
Village of Kunoy
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W
StateKingdom of Denmark
Constituent countryFaroe Islands
Municipality seatKunoyar kommuna
Area
 • Total35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
Area rank8
Highest elevation
830 m (2,720 ft)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total156
 • Rank11
 • Density4.4/km2 (11/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (WEST)
Calling code298

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), 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.

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]

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
Map of Kunoy

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

References
  1. de:Kunoy
  2. BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kunoy. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-23.
  3. av Skarði, Jóhannes (1 January 1956). "Føroyski Leypurin". Fróðskaparrit 1956.
  4. List of mountains of the Faroe Islands
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