Elliðaey
Geography
LocationSouth of Iceland
Coordinates63°27′55″N 20°10′30″W / 63.46528°N 20.17500°W / 63.46528; -20.17500
ArchipelagoVestmannaeyjar
Area0.45 km2 (0.17 sq mi)
Administration
Demographics
Population0

Elliðaey (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈɛtlɪːðaˌeiː] ⓘ; or Ellirey [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.[1]

Geography

The island has a size of 0.45 km2 (110 acres; 45 hectares), making it the third-largest island in the archipelago. It has no permanent population[2] and is not home to much wildlife except for an abundance of puffins.[3]

The larger and nicer of two buildings on the island is a hunting lodge, built in 1953 by the Elliðaey Hunting Association.[4][5] There also exists an old storage hut and workshop built into the hill across from the lodge, it may have been used by biologists to store equipment. The lodge is often referred to as the "world's loneliest house" on social media.[6]

Despite a widespread misconception among foreign fans, the Icelandic singer and artist Björk does not live on the island.[5][7] 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.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Nuttall, Mark, ed. (2012). "Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands)". Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Routledge. p. 2126. ISBN 9781136786808.
  2. ↑ "The Truth Behind Iceland's Most Secluded House". Spot Cool Stuff Travel. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "Bjork or Zombie Hunters? Netizens try to Guess Who Lives in 'World's Loneliest House' in Iceland". Network18 Media. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "Find out who lives in the only house on this remote island". Earth Porm. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  5. 1 2 Liles, Jordan (12 November 2021). "The 'World's Loneliest House': Elliðaey's Myths Debunked". Snopes. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Story Behind The "World's Loneliest House"". NDTV. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Halda enn að Björk búi í Elliðaey". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 April 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  • Media related to Elliðaey at Wikimedia Commons
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