Lítla Dímun
| Lítla Dímun | |
|---|---|
| Island | |
Lítla Dímun
|
|
 Location within the Faroe Islands |
|
| Coordinates: 61°38′N 6°42′W / 61.633°N 6.700°WCoordinates: 61°38′N 6°42′W / 61.633°N 6.700°W | |
| State |
 Kingdom of Denmark
|
| Constituent country |
 Faroe Islands
|
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.82 km2 (0.32 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 414 m (1,358 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | EST (UTC+1) |
| Calling code | 298 |
Lítla Dímun is a small island between the islands of Suðuroy and Stóra Dímun in the Faroe Islands of Denmark. It is the smallest of the main 18 islands, being less than 100 hectares (250 acres) in area, and is the only uninhabited one. The island can be seen from the villages Hvalba and Sandvík.
The name means "Little Dímun", in contrast to Stóra Dímun, "Great Dímun". According to Fridtjof Nansen, Dímun may represent a pre-Norse, Celtic toponymic element meaning "double-neck".
The southern third of the island is sheer cliff, with the rest rising to the mountain of Slættirnir, which reaches 414 metres (1,358 ft). The island is only inhabited by Faroe sheep and seabirds. Getting ashore is difficult, and can be performed only in perfect weather. The cliffs can be climbed with the aid of ropes placed by the owners of the sheep.
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 (5000 pairs) and Atlantic puffins (10,000 pairs).
There are no land animals beside sheep.
The island has never been inhabited by humans, but sheep were kept there from ancient times, being mentioned in the 13th century work Færeyinga saga (Saga of the Faroese). The saga also features the island as the site of a battle between Brestur, father of Sigmundur, and Gøtuskeggjar. The battle resulted in the death of Sigmund's father and his men and the deportation of Sigmund to Norway, where he befriended Olaf Trygvasson.
The island used to be property of the Danish King, but it was difficult to get anyone to settle the island as it is very steep and hard to land at, and it was thus decided to sell it, it was mostly men from Hvalba who had used and rented the island until then. The auction was held in Hvalba on 24 July 1852, and the final bid was 4.820 Rigsdaler or 9.640 Dkk, quite a sum for the time. Men from Hvalba and Sandvík together, outbid the Factor for the royal sales-station in Tvøroyri who kept pushing the price up.
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Wikipedia