Portal:Scotland/Selected article/Week 43, 2009



Islay (Ìle, ), a Scottish island, known as "The Queen of the Hebrides" (Banrìgh nan Eilean), is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides. It lies in Argyll just to the west of Jura and around 25 mi north of the Irish coast, which can be seen on a clear day. In Gaelic a native of Islay is called an Ìleach, pronounced, and the plural is Ìlich: Scottish Gaelic is spoken by about a third of the population. The island's capital is Bowmore, famous for its distillery and distinctive round Kilarrow Parish Church. Port Ellen is the largest settlement.

Islay is the fifth largest Scottish island and the sixth largest island surrounding Britain. It has just over three thousand inhabitants, and has a total area of almost 620 km2. Its main industries are malt whisky distilling, and tourism largely based on whisky and birdwatching.

The island is home to many bird species and is a popular destination throughout the year with bird watchers, notably in February to see a large colony of barnacle geese. Resident birds include chough, hen harrier, sea eagle, oystercatcher, cormorant and many wading birds.