Elliðaey
{{short description|Island south of Iceland}}
{{hatnote|This article is about the island near Vestmannaeyjar. It is not to be confused with an island of the same name in Breiðafjörður.}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox islands|name=Elliðaey|image=Isla Elliðaey, Islas Vestman, Suðurland, Islandia, 2014-08-17, DD 106.JPG|image_map=Vestmannaeyjar archipelago topographic map-en.svg|area_km2=0.45|archipelago=Vestmannaeyjar|type=|coordinates={{Coord|63|27|55|N|20|10|30|W|region:IS_type:isle|display=inline,title}}|location=South of Iceland|island_type=|country=Iceland|population=0}}
Elliðaey ({{IPA|is|ˈɛtlɪːðaˌeiː|audio=Elliðaey pronunciation.ogg}}; or Ellirey {{IPA|is|ˈɛtlɪrˌeiː|}}) is a small, uninhabited island south of Iceland. It is the most northeastern of the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), an archipelago consisting of 15 to 18 islands and assorted smaller rocks.{{cite book|chapter= Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands)|title= Encyclopedia of the Arctic|editor= Nuttall, Mark|page= 2126|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=9781136786808}}
Geography
The island has a size of {{convert|110|acre|km2 acre ha|lk=on|abbr=in|order=out}}, making it the third-largest island in the archipelago. It has no permanent population{{cite web|date=2012-10-23|title=The Truth Behind Iceland's Most Secluded House|url=http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/iceland/secluded-architecture/ellidaey-island|accessdate=2010-08-06|website=Spot Cool Stuff Travel}} and is not home to much wildlife except for an abundance of puffins.{{cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/bjork-or-zombie-hunters-netizens-try-to-guess-who-lives-in-worlds-loneliest-house-in-iceland-3186500.html|title=Bjork or Zombie Hunters? Netizens try to Guess Who Lives in 'World's Loneliest House' in Iceland|date=17 December 2020 |publisher=Network18 Media|accessdate=February 15, 2021}} It is about {{convert|7 |miles|km}} from the south coast of the mainland of Iceland.{{cite web |url=https://guidetoiceland.is/travel-iceland/drive/ellidaey-island |title=Ellidaey Island Travel Guide}}
The larger of the two buildings on the island is a hunting lodge, built in 1953 by the Elliðaey Hunting Association.{{cite web|url=http://www.earthporm.com/tiny-house-remote-icelandic-island-alone/|title=Find out who lives in the only house on this remote island|website=Earth Porm|accessdate=2017-05-30|archive-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516205424/http://www.earthporm.com/tiny-house-remote-icelandic-island-alone|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/worlds-loneliest-house-ellidaey/|title=The 'World's Loneliest House': Elliðaey's Myths Debunked|author=Liles, Jordan|publisher=Snopes|date=November 12, 2021|accessdate=November 15, 2021|archivedate=November 12, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112221316/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/worlds-loneliest-house-ellidaey/}} There also exists an old storage hut and workshop built into the hill across from the lodge, which may have been used by biologists to store equipment. The lodge is often referred to as the "world's loneliest house" on social media.{{Cite web |date=18 December 2020 |title=The Story Behind The "World's Loneliest House" |url=https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/the-story-behind-the-worlds-loneliest-house-2340575 |access-date=27 October 2022 |website=NDTV}}
Despite a widespread misconception among foreign fans, the Icelandic singer and artist Björk does not live on the island.{{Cite web|title=Halda enn að Björk búi í Elliðaey|url=https://www.mbl.is/folk/frettir/2020/04/02/halda_enn_ad_bjork_bui_i_ellidaey/|url-status=live|website=Morgunblaðið|language=is|date=February 4, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=April 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404071500/https://www.mbl.is/folk/frettir/2020/04/02/halda_enn_ad_bjork_bui_i_ellidaey/}} The misconception comes from a speech by the Icelandic prime minister, who in 2000 said he would be willing to allow Björk to live for free on an island in Breiðafjörður which is also named Elliðaey. The artist, however, never purchased that island or bought a house there, and has no connection to the identically named Elliðaey in Vestmannaeyjar.
References
{{Reflist|1}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Islands of Iceland}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellithaey}}