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Isles of Scilly

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

                                          Isles of Scilly
                                          Isles of Scilly
                                            Shown in relation to Cornwall
                                                                Geography
                                       Status:        sui generis, Unitary
                                       Region:          South West England
                            Ceremonial County:                    Cornwall
                                         Area:
                                       - Total                Ranked 351st
                                                                 16.33 km²
                                    Admin. HQ:                   St Mary's
                                     ONS code:                        15UH
                                                             Demographics
                                   Population:
                           - Total (2005 est.)
                                     - Density      Ranked 354th
                                                                     2,100
                                                                 129 / km²
                                    Ethnicity:                 99.6% White
                                                                 Politics
                                   Council of the Isles of Scilly
                                                http://www.scilly.gov.uk/
                                   Leadership: Cllr. Mrs. Christine Savill
                                    Executive:
                                           MP:               Andrew George

   The Isles of Scilly ( Cornish: Ynysek Syllan) form an archipelago of
   islands off the southwesternmost tip of England. Traditionally part of
   Cornwall, they now have their own local government. The islands are
   designated the Isles of Scilly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
   Scilly was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of
   Cornwall - see " Hundreds of Cornwall".

   The county flower of the Isles of Scilly is Thrift.

   The islands are correctly referred to as the Isles of Scilly, or simply
   as Scilly; the terms "Scillies" and "Scilly Isles" are considered
   incorrect by locals.

Geography

   The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago of six inhabited islands and
   numerous other small rocky islets (around 140 in total) lying 28 miles
   (45 km) off Land's End – the most southwesterly point of Great Britain.
   The six inhabited islands are St Mary's (2001 census population:
   1,666), Tresco (180), St Martin's (142), St Agnes (70), Bryher (92) and
   Gugh (3); the total population was 2,153. Until 1855, Samson was also
   inhabited. There are many smaller uninhabited islands and rocky islets.

   The islands' position produces a place of great contrast – the
   ameliorating effect of the sea means they rarely have frost or snow,
   which allows local farmers to grow flowers well ahead of those on the
   island of Britain. The largest agricultural product is cut flowers,
   mostly daffodils. Exposure to Atlantic winds means that spectacular
   winter gales lash the islands from time to time.

   This is reflected in the landscape, most clearly seen on Tresco where
   the lush sub-tropical Abbey Gardens on the sheltered southern end of
   the island contrast with the low heather and bare rock sculpted by the
   wind on the exposed northern end.

   It was featured on the TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the
   wonders of South west England.
   View from Tresco, the second largest member of the Isles of Scilly
   Enlarge
   View from Tresco, the second largest member of the Isles of Scilly

History

   Scilly has been inhabited since Stone Age times and its history has
   been one of subsistence living until the 20th century with people
   living off the land and the sea. Farming and fishing continue today,
   but the main industry now is tourism.

   The islands may correspond to the Cassiterides (" Tin Isles") visited
   by the Phoenicians and mentioned by the Greeks.

   It is likely that until relatively recently the Isles were much larger
   with many of them joined into one island and that the land has
   subsided. Evidence for this includes:
     * A description in Roman times describes Scilly as "Scillonia insula"
       in the singular, as if there was an island much bigger than any of
       the others.
     * Remains of a prehistoric farm have been found on Nornour, which is
       now a small rocky skerry far too small for farming.
     * At certain low tides the sea becomes shallow enough for people to
       walk between some of the islands. This is possibly one of the
       sources for stories of drowned lands, e.g., Lyonesse.
     * Ancient field walls are visible below the high tide line off some
       of the islands (e.g. Samson).

   It is not known at exactly which point the islands stopped speaking
   Cornish, but it seems to have gone into decline during the Middle Ages,
   and lost the language before parts of Penwith. The islands thus
   appeared to have lost the old Celtic language before parts of the
   mainland, in contrast to the situation of Irish or Scottish Gaelic.

   During the English Civil War, the isles were a stronghold for the
   Royalists. It was during this period that the Three Hundred and Thirty
   Five Years' War started between the isles and the Netherlands. In June
   1651, the isles were captured from the Royalists by Admiral Robert
   Blake for the Parliamentarians.

   Scilly is famous for its danger to shipping and its many shipwrecks.
   The wreck of Sir Cloudesley Shovell's ship HMS Association in 1707 off
   the Isles of Scilly due to inaccuracies in navigation led to the
   development of the method of lunar distances, and to the invention of
   the chronometer by John Harrison, the first reliable methods of
   determining longitude at sea.

   The sea has always played a huge part in Scillonian history but it was
   in the 19th century that Scilly had its maritime heyday. Beaches which
   are now enjoyed by sunbathers were then factories for shipbuilding; the
   harbours now full of pleasure boats were once packed with local and
   visiting fishing and trading boats.

   One continuing legacy of the isles' past is gig racing, wherein fast
   rowing boats ("gigs") with crews of six (or in one case, seven) race
   between the main islands. Gig racing has been said to derive from the
   race to collect salvage from shipwrecks on the rocks around Scilly, but
   the race was actually to deliver a pilot onto incoming vessels, to
   guide them through the hazardous reefs and shallows. (The boats are
   correctly termed "pilot gigs".)

   Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson regularly holidayed on the Isles
   and eventually bought a cottage there as a holiday home. He is buried
   on St Mary's. His widow Mary Wilson is still a frequent visitor.

Flag

   The Scillonian Cross, the unofficial flag of the Isles of Scilly.
   Enlarge
   The Scillonian Cross, the unofficial flag of the Isles of Scilly.

   There are primarily two flags used to represent Scilly:
     * The flag of the Council of the Isles of Scilly, which incorporates
       their logo.
     * The unofficial Scillonian Cross, voted for by readers of Scilly
       News .

   An adapted version of the old Board of Ordnance flag has also been
   used, after it was left behind when munitions were removed from the
   isles. The Cornish Ensign has also been used.

Economy

   The principal current economic activity is tourism. The tourist season
   has been extended into October when many birdwatchers (or birders)
   arrive. Because of its position, Scilly is the first landing for many
   migrant birds, including extreme rarities from North America and
   Siberia.

   The main transport links with the mainland are currently:
     * Helicopter services between Penzance Heliport and St Mary's and
       Tresco ( British International)
     * Aeroplane services to St Mary's from various UK airports (Land's
       End, Newquay, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton - Skybus operated by
       the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group)
     * By sea on the Scillonian III, sailing from Penzance harbour ( Isles
       of Scilly Travel part of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group)

   The freehold of the islands is the property of the British Crown
   (except for Hugh Town on St Mary's, which was sold to the inhabitants
   in 1949). The crown estate in the islands is administered by the Duchy
   of Cornwall. The duchy also holds 3,921 acres as duchy property, part
   of the duchy's landholding.

   The sea around Scilly is very clear and there is much rocky seabed, and
   scuba diving is popular there.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

   In 1975, the islands were designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural
   Beauty. The designation covers the entire archipelago, including the
   uninhabited islands and rocks, and is the smallest such area in the UK.
   The islands of Annet and Samson have large terneries and the islands
   are well populated by seals. The Isles of Scilly are the only British
   haunt of the White-toothed Shrew.

   The islands are famous amongst birdwatchers, especially twitchers for
   their almost magnetic ability to attract rare birds from all corners of
   the globe. The peak time of year for this is generally in October when
   it is not unusual for several of the rarest birds in Europe to share
   this archipelago. One reason for the success of these islands in
   producing rarities is the extensive coverage these islands get from
   birdwatchers, but island archipelagos are favoured by rare birds which
   like to make landfall and eat before continuing their journeys and
   often arrive on far flung islands first.

Football (Soccer)

   The Isles of Scilly feature what is reportedly the smallest national
   football(soccer) league in the world. The league's two clubs, Woolpack
   Wanderers and Garrison Gunners, play each other around twenty times a
   season and compete for two cups as well as the league title. The two
   share a ground, Garrison Field, but travel to the mainland for part of
   the year to play other non-professional clubs.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isles_of_Scilly"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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