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Kunoy

Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W / 62.300°N 6.650°W / 62.300; -6.650
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Kunoy
Village of Kunoy
Village of Kunoy
Location within the Faroe Islands
Location within the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°18′N 6°39′W / 62.300°N 6.650°W / 62.300; -6.650
StateKingdom of Denmark
Constituent countryFaroe Islands
Municipality seatKunoy
Area
 • Total35.5 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
 • 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

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

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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

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Important Bird Area

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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

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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

Notable people

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  • 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

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  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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