| Old Norse name | Papey Stóra[2] |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | Norse for "big island of the papar (priests)" |
| Location | |
![Papa Stour[1] is located in Shetland](view_image.php?q=Papa_Stour&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Shetland_UK_relief_location_map.jpg) ![Papa Stour[1]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/6px-Red_pog.svg.png){kind=small} Papa Stour[1] Papa Stour shown within Shetland | |
| OS grid reference | HU169607 |
| Coordinates | 60°20′N 1°41′W / 60.33°N 1.68°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Shetland |
| Area | 828 hectares (3.20 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 59 [3] |
| Highest elevation | Virda Field 87 metres (285 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Shetland Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 15[4] |
| Population rank | 66 [3] |
| Population density | 1.8 people/km2[4][5] |
| Largest settlement | Biggings |
 | |
| References | [5][6] |
Papa Stour is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, with a population of under fifteen people, some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s. Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of 828 hectares (3.2 square miles), Papa Stour is the ninth largest island in Shetland. Erosion of the soft volcanic rocks by the sea has created an extraordinary variety of caves, stacks, arches, blowholes, and cliffs.[5] The island and its surrounding seas harbour diverse populations of wildlife. The west side of the island is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the seas around the island are a Special Area of Conservation.
The island has several Neolithic burial chamber sites, as well as the remains of Duke Hakon's 13th-century house dating from the Norse occupation of the island. The population reached 380 or more in the 19th century, when a fishing station was opened at Crabbaberry in West Voe. Subsequently, there was a steady decline in population.
Today the main settlement on the island is Biggings, just to the east of which is Housa Voe from where the Snolda ferry arrives from its base at West Burrafirth on the Shetland Mainland. Crofting, especially sheep rearing, is the mainstay of island life.
Numerous shipwrecks have occurred around the coast, and the celebrated poem Da Sang o da Papa Men by Vagaland recalls the drama of the days when Papa Stour was a centre for deep-sea fishing.
- ^ "Map of Scotland in Scots – Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
- ^ Anderson, Joseph (ed.) (1873) The Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. Edmonston and Douglas. The Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ 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 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.
- ^ a b c Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. pp. 449–452. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 3 Shetland (North Mainland) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2009. ISBN 9780319228098.