Calf of Man
From Free net encyclopedia
The Calf of Man is a small island, almost 1 square mile (2.6 km²) in area, off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man. Separated from Man by a narrow stretch of water called the Calf Sound.
Prior to 1939 the island was under private ownership, but in that year the island was controversially given to the English National Trust; it has since been transferred to the Manx National Trust after a long running political campaign. The island is now a bird sanctuary and home to a bird observatory, so it is not open to the public during the nesting months.
The word 'calf' derives from the old Norse word kalfr which means a small island lying near a larger one. It is known as Yn Cholloo in Manx.
The Calf of Man currently boasts a population of two and the world's highest density of lighthouses.
Between the Isle of Man and the Calf is the islet of Kitterland. While the islets of Yn Burroo and The Stack lie close it the Calf's shore. Almost a mile south west of the Calf is Chicken Rock, the most southernly part of the Isle of Man's soverign teritory.