Lilla Karlsö is a small Swedish island in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

, situated about off the west coast of

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

and from

Stora Karlsö Stora Karlsö is an island off the west coast of Gotland, Sweden; part of Eksta socken. It is mostly known for its rich birdlife with large colonies of Common murre, common guillemot, and flora. Stora Karlsö is a nature reserve, the second oldest ...

; it is part of

Eksta Eksta is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Eksta District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Eksta is situated on the southwest ...

socken Socken is the name used for a part of a county in Sweden. In Denmark similar areas are known as ''sogn'', in Norway ''sokn'' or ''sogn'' and in Finland ''pitäjä'' ''(socken)''. A socken is a country-side area that was formed around a church, ...

. It has an area of about and is high. Most of the island consists of a

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

plateau. Parts of the shoreline is bordered by steep cliffs. The island is mostly covered by

alvar An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...

. There is also some very old broadleaf forest, which is unique for Gotland. There are several caves and up to high limestone pillars. The island is mostly known for its rich birdlife and flora. There are colonies of several thousands pairs of

guillemot Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family (part of the order Charadriiformes). In British use, the term comprises two genera: ''Uria'' and ''Cepphus''. In North America the ''Uria'' species are c ...

and

razorbill The razorbill, razor-billed auk, or lesser auk (''Alca torda'') is a colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus '' Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinis impe ...

. There are also several very rare plants for Sweden such as ''

Lactuca ''Lactuca'', commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. The genus includes at least 50 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate Eurasia. Its best-known representative is the garden lettuce ...

quercina'' (called 'Karlsösallat' in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

hart's-tongue fern ''Asplenium scolopendrium'', commonly known as the hart's-tongue fern, is an evergreen fern in the genus ''Asplenium'' native to the Northern Hemisphere. Description The most striking and unusual feature of the fern is its simple, undivided fron ...

and ''

Petrorhagia prolifera ''Petrorhagia prolifera'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order ...

''. Since 1954, the island has been owned by the

Swedish Society for Nature Conservation Sveriges Natur. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation ( sv, Naturskyddsföreningen, previously known as , ''SNF'') is a non-profit, non-partisan, Swedish environmental organization. It is the largest and oldest environmental society in Swede ...

and it is now a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. During summer there are tour boats from Djupvik south of

Klintehamn Klintehamn () is a locality in Klinte on the Swedish island of Gotland with 1,350 inhabitants in 2010. Transportation Klintehamn is a shipping port on the west coast of Gotland where timber and agricultural products are shipped to mainland Swede ...

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilla Karlso Gotland Swedish islands in the Baltic Islands of Gotland County Tourist attractions in Gotland County Nature reserves in Sweden

See also

External links