St.Kilda Islands is a group of scattered islands, located about 80 kilometers west of the Hebrides is a procession of the Natural Trust of Scotland. The main island, Hirta lies on 57N49 and 08W34. It is the largest island in the group. The other main islands are Dun, located close southeast of Hirta and Boraney (57N51, 08W30), close northeast. And further to east the small Levenish island.

The islads are steep sided and rising to about 425 meters on the Wall of Conochair. The islands are connected by large submarine reefs, partly extremely dangerous. The vegetations consists of only low grass and some sparely bushes, but there are no trees. Most of the animals are endemical.

The first settlers came to the islands in the Neoliticum Epoch and several menhires could be found on some islands. In the 6th century Eire monks came to Hirta Island and founded a monastery. In the 8th century St.Kilda was assoult by the Vikings and the monastery was colsed. In 1310 the island group became a part of the MacLeods Land and was governmented to the Dunvegan Comunity. MacLeods send setlers to the islands and used them as a sheep-farming land.

While the islands were absolutely isolated the settlers founded a special community, extreme different to the other land of Scotland. In 1402 a first parlament was elected, and in the parlament also females could be sended.

Till the end of the 17th century, about 200 families lived on Hirta Island, but in 1750 when the smallpox came to here, about 150 families died. In 1844 Pater John MacKay built up a bloody regime on Hirta. He resolved the parlament and longed for absolute religion. Every who did not do that was brought to the Conochair Cliffs and was killed by springing from the 425 meter high cliffs. So in 1851 the inhabitans growed down to 42 people.

During WW I British troups were stationated on Hirta Island, and a submarine warning base was errected. When in 1924 the military left Hirta only 24 mostly old people lived in the settlement, transvered finaly to Lewis later on. Since the end of the second WW the islands became a restricted Nature Reserve, owned by the National Trust of Scotland.

In former times of inhabitation the St. Kildas had a special status in the Great Britain community. The inhabitans must not pay any tax, and were free from the military severice, but could not give up voice for the elections.

The Islands: The largest of that group is Hirta about 3 by 4 kilometer in area. It is cliffy up to 80 meters, mostly vertical cliffs of limestone. Hirta rises to an elevation to 234 in ist eastern part. In the southeast of Hirta lies Dun Island, about 1100 meters long and up to 150 meters wide, and rising up to 83 meters. Dun was used in former times as a cementary. Soya Island, the second largest, liest west of Hirta, is 1.2 by 2.4 kilometers in area and 104 meters high. Far to north east lies Boreray Island, 2000 by 600 meters in area and 254 meters high. The tower of Conachair stands in front of Hirta and rises to 425 meters.