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The Rabbit Islands ( ) are a group of three uninhabited small islands off the north coast of
or "Eilean nan Gaill".
They are fairly low lying, slender in shape, and along with the surrounding
The Rabbit Islands ( ) are a group of three uninhabited small islands off the north coast of Sutherland
Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...
, Scotland in Tongue Bay
Tongue Bay ( gd, Tunga from non, Tunga) is located in northwest Highland, Scotland, in the western part of the former county of Sutherland. Skullomie is a small fishing and crofting hamlet at the head of the bay, while Melness is a group of cro ...
. In Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
, and occasionally in English, they are known as Eileanan nan Gall, which is sometimes anglicised as "Eilean-na-Gaeilor "Eilean nan Gaill".
Geography and geology
The islands' modern name derives from their sandy soil, which favoursrabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
burrows and makes their presence particularly obviouThey are fairly low lying, slender in shape, and along with the surrounding
fjard
A fjard ( sv, fjärd, ) is a large open space of water between groups of islands or mainland in archipelagos. Fjards can be found along sea coasts, in freshwater lakes or rivers. Fjard and fjord were originally the same word with the general mean ...
of Tongue Bay, they show the effects of former glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betw ...
. They are made up of sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
.
The northernmost of the group is called Sgeir an Òir, and there is a natural arch
A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion f ...
at its north end called "Claigeann na Sgeir" (Bell of the Skerry
A skerry is a small rocky island, or islet, usually too small for human habitation. It may simply be a rocky reef. A skerry can also be called a low sea stack.
A skerry may have vegetative life such as moss and small, hardy grasses. They a ...
).
They are near Coldbackie, Melness
Melness (Gaelic: Taobh Mhealanais) is a locality, comprising a group of small remote crofting townships, lying to the west of Tongue Bay opposite Coldbackie, in the north coast of Sutherland, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council are ...
and Talmine
Talmine ( ar, ﻃﺎﻟﻤﻴﻦ) is a town and commune in Charouine District, Adrar Province, in south-central Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 12,768, up from 9,469 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 3.1%.
Geog ...
on the mainland, and Eilean nan Ròn
Eilean nan Ròn ( gd, island of the seals) is an island near Skerray, in the north of Sutherland, Scotland.Wilson, Rev. John ''The Gazetteer of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1882) Published by W. & A.K. Johnstone An estimated 350 seal pups are born here ...
is to the north east. They are in the parish of Tongue
The tongue is a muscular organ (anatomy), organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive system, digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surfa ...
br>History
The islands' older name "Eileanan nan Gall", means "islands of the strangers", or "Norsemen
The Norsemen (or Norse people) were a North Germanic ethnolinguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the pre ...
".
Supposedly, a ship carrying gold to Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
was wrecked on the island.(1984) ''AA Illustrated Guide to Britain's Coast''. Drive Publications/Automobile Association The northernmost of the group is called Sgeir an Òir (skerry of the gold), which is perhaps a reference to this.
The islands are popular with scuba divers, and have in the past been used for grazing.
See also
*List of islands of Scotland
This is a list of islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. Also included are various other related tables and lists. The definition of an offshore island used in this list is "land that is surrounded by ...
* List of outlying islands of Scotland
The outlying islands of Scotland are not part of the larger archipelagos and island groups of Scotland—the Hebrides, the Northern Isles or the Islands of the Forth and Clyde estuaries. None of these islands are currently inhabited and few o ...
References