| Scottish Gaelic name | Eilean Ghruinneart |
|---|---|
| Old Norse name | Grunnfjörðr |
| Meaning of name | "Shallow firth", from Norse |
 | |
| Location | |
  Gruinard Island Gruinard Island shown within Ross and Cromarty | |
| OS grid reference | NG945945 |
| Coordinates | 57°53′24″N 05°28′12″W / 57.89000°N 5.47000°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Inner Hebrides/Islands of Ross and Cromarty |
| Area | 196 ha (3⁄4 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 111 [1] |
| Highest elevation | An Eilid, 106 m (348 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0[2] |
| Largest settlement | None |
 | |
| References | [3][4][5] |
Gruinard Island (/ˈɡrɪnjərd/ GRIN-yərd;[6] Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Ghruinneard) is a small, oval-shaped Scottish island approximately 2 kilometres (1+1⁄4 miles) long by 1 km (5⁄8 mi) wide, located in Gruinard Bay, about halfway between Gairloch and Ullapool.[7] At its closest point to the mainland, it is about 1 km (5⁄8 mi) offshore. In 1942, the island became a sacrifice zone,[8] and was dangerous for all mammals after military experiments with the anthrax bacterium, until it was decontaminated in 1990.[9]
- ^ Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
- ^ National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 187
- ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
- ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ G.M. Miller, BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names (London: Oxford UP, 1971), p. 65.
- ^ United States National Research Council (2005). Reopening Public Facilities After a Biological Attack: A Decision-Making Framework. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. p. 196. doi:10.17226/11324. ISBN 978-0-309-09661-4.
- ^ Scothorne, Rory (22 March 2022). "The story of anthrax island and Operation Dark Harvest". New Statesman. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ Burke, Myles (22 April 2024). "Britain's mysterious WW2 'island of death'". BBC Culture. Retrieved 29 April 2024.