Stóra Dímun () is an island in the southern

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

, sometimes only referred to as Dímun. It is accessible by sea only during periods of clear and calm weather, but there is a regular helicopter service twice a week all year. There is a lighthouse on the island.

Etymology

The name 'Stóra Dímun' means 'Great Dimun', in contrast to ' Lítla Dímun' or 'Little Dimun'. According to the Faroese placename expert Jakobsen, 'Dimun' may represent a pre-Norse,

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

placename element, with 'di' representing 'two'. Stora and Litla Dímun shows a pairing of two distinctive but separate localities in one name. Gammeltoft concluded Dímun is a Scandinavian place name for a double-peaked feature of a particular appearance, reflecting a linguistic contact between Scandinavians and Gaels.

Population

Before 1920, the ruins of an old

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

were present, but these no longer exist. There are two peaks on Stóra Dímun: Høgoyggj () and Klettarnir (). The island was once home to many families from the 13th century onwards, but now only two families of seven make their home on the island.

The Farm

There is only one farm at the Southside of the island, and it constitutes its only settlement. The farm benefits from soil that has been fertilized by the

guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...

of millions of seabirds for thousands of years. This gives excellent grazing for the 450 ewes that the island supports. The farm is famed for their

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties a ...

s and sheepskin, of which they produce some 300-400 each year. Six to eight calves are slaughtered every year. There is some tourism during the summer months.

Important bird area

The island has been identified as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because of its significance as a breeding site for

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine ecosystem, marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ...

s, especially European storm petrels (15,000 pairs),

Atlantic puffin The Atlantic puffin ('), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family (biology), family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean; two related species, the tufted puffin and the horned puffin being found ...

s (40,000 pairs) and

black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...

s (50 pairs).BirdLife International. (2012). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Stóra Dímun. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2012-02-24.

Gallery

File:Faroe_stamp_475_stora_dimun.jpg, Aerial view of Stóra Dímun
Stamp FO 475 of Postverk Føroya
Issued: 16 Jan 2004 File:Faroe_stamp_490_coast_of_stora_dimun.jpg, Coast of Stóra Dímun
Stamp FO 490 of Postverk Føroya
Issued: 2004 File:Stora_dimun_farm.jpg, The farm on the island of Stóra Dímun File:Stora_dimun_puffins_colony.jpg,

Puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

s (''Fratercula arctica'') on Stóra Dímun

References

Secondary sources

External links

*
Personal website
with aerial photos {{DEFAULTSORT:Stora Dimun Islands of the Faroe Islands Important Bird Areas of the Faroe Islands Populated places in the Faroe Islands