St. Kilda, is a volcanic archipelago — a group of islands, situated about 64 km off the coast of Hebrides, Scotland. It is an isolated archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The islands were formed from the rim of an ancient volcano that existed nearly 65-52 million years ago. It consists of the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay and Boreray in its enclosure, of which Hirta is the largest.

The islands were inhabited on and off for 4,000 years. In 1930, the population of the island was 36. For centuries, the inhabitants lived with no contact with the outside world. Then, the First World War, the appearance of the military and subsequently tourists changed all that. Finally, on August 29, 1930, a ship named Harebell took the remaining 36 inhabitants to Morvern on the Scottish mainland.

St. Kilda has some of the highest cliffs in Europe and are often swept by storms and towering waves. The fact that humans lived on these islands in these harsh weather conditions for so many centuries is proof of their tenacity.

Home to some endemic breeds of birds and animals, St. Kilda has a rich variety of flora and fauna. There are two types of sheep found exclusively on these islands —Soay and Boreray, which are descended from the Neolithic and the Iron ages respectively. The Boreray, also known as the Boreray Blackface or Hebridean Blackface, survives as a feral animal on the islands. The breed was once reared for meat and wool, but is now used mainly for conservation grazing. The Soay remains physically similar to the wild ancestors of domestic sheep. It is much smaller than modern domesticated sheep but hardier, and is extraordinarily agile, tending to take refuge amongst the cliffs when frightened.

Soay: Smaller but hardier.

The island is a sanctuary for birds, especially the northern garnets. The other sea birds are the Atlantic puffin, also known as the common puffin and the northern fulmars. It is estimated that about 1,000,000 birds use these islands. In the old days, the feathers of the fulmars and garnets were collected to be paid as rent.

Endemic, to the island is the St. Kilda’s Wren, and field mouse that has black eyes and peaked ears. The wren is a little heavier with longer wings and with a longer, thicker bill and legs than the mainland wren. It is paler and has more stripes. It has a slightly different song and lays larger, heavier eggs than the wrens found on the mainland.

Common Puffin: Seabird of the Auk family.

The islands made it to the World Heritage List not only for their natural significance but also for their unique cultural significance. Unique to the islands are a stone structure called the cleiteans. In Hirta alone around there are about 1260 of these. It is similar to a storage hut or a bothy (a small hut or cottage in Scotland) and is left unlocked so that people could take shelter, free of charge.

Cleitans: Unique stone structure.