| Old Norse name | Háey |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | high island |
 The Old Man of Hoy, at the western side of the island, seen from the south | |
| Location | |
  Hoy Hoy shown within Orkney | |
| OS grid reference | ND263961 |
| Coordinates | 58°50′N 3°18′W / 58.83°N 3.3°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Orkney |
| Area | 14,318 ha (55.28 sq mi)[1] |
| Area rank | 12 [2] |
| Highest elevation | Ward Hill, 481 m (1,578 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Orkney Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 419[3][Note 1] |
| Population rank | 23 [2] |
| Population density | 2.9/km2 (7.5/sq mi)[1][3] |
| Largest settlement | Lyness |
 | |
| References | [1][4][5] [6][7] |
Hoy (from Old Norse Háey, meaning "high island")[8] is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring 143 square kilometres (55 sq mi) – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, the Ayre, links the island to the smaller South Walls; the two islands are treated as one entity by the UK census.[3][9] Hoy is also the name of a hamlet in the northwest of the island.[10]
- ^ a b c Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. 344–6. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Orkney Placenames Archived 30 August 2000 at the Wayback Machine. Orkneyjar.Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 6 Orkney (Mainland) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319228128.
- ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint); ISBN 0-901824-25-9
- ^ Pedersen, Roy (January 1992) Orkneyjar ok Katanes (map, Inverness, Nevis Print)
- ^ Mills, A. D. (2011). "Hoy". A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191739446.
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Map of Hoy, Orkney". Streetmap.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
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