Hiiumaa
Tahkuna peninsula is the most northern part of Hiiumaa
|
|
.jpg) |
|
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Baltic Sea |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: 58°52′N 22°35′E / 58.867°N 22.583°E |
| Archipelago | West Estonian archipelago |
| Area | 989 km2 (382 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Highest point | Tornimägi |
| Administration | |
|
Estonia
|
|
| County | Hiiu County |
| Largest settlement | Kärdla (pop. 3,287 (01.01.2012)) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 8,582 |
| Pop. density | 8.7 /km2 (22.5 /sq mi) |
Hiiumaa (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈhiːumɑː]; German & Swedish: Dagö; Danish: Dagø; Finnish: Hiidenmaa) is the second largest island (989 km²) in Estonia. It is in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.
The Hiiu Shoal (Nekmangrund) is located located off the northwestern shore of Hiiumaa Island.
Hiiumaa is the main island of Hiiu County, called Hiiumaa or Hiiu maakond in Estonian. The Swedish and German name of the island is Dagö ("Day" island), Dagø in Danish — a calque of its old Finnish name Päivänsalo ("Day" island); compare Ösel (Yösalo – night island) for Saaremaa. In modern Finnish, it is called Hiidenmaa, literally Hiisi's Land. In Old Gutnish, it was Dagaiþ (day isthmus), from which the local North Germanic name "Daë" is derived.
Archaeological evidence of the first human settlement in Hiiumaa dates to the 4th century BC. The first documented record of the island of Dageida was made by contemporary chroniclers in 1228, when Hiiumaa and the rest of Estonia were conquered by Germanic crusaders. In 1254, Hiiumaa was divided between the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek and the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order, acting partly on behalf of the Hanseatic League.
...
Wikipedia