Stora Karlsö
Encyclopedia
Stora Karlsö is a small Swedish
island in the Baltic Sea
, situated about 6 km west of Gotland
. It has an area of about 2.5 km² and is up to 52 meters high. Most of the island consists of a limestone
plateau, bordered by steep cliffs along the shore. It is mostly covered with alvar
, with many juniper bushes and some small groves of deciduous trees.
The island is mostly known for its rich birdlife and flora. It has large colonies of Common Guillemot
(about 7500 breeding pairs) and Razorbill
(4500 pairs). In spring, there is an extraordinary number of orchids, mostly elder-flowered orchid and early purple orchid
. There are also several very rare plants for Sweden such as Adonis vernalis
, Lactuca quercina
(called 'Karlsösallat' in Swedish
), hart's-tongue fern
and Corydalis gotlandica (the only endemic
plant on Gotland
).
There is evidence that Stora Karlsö has been inhabited since the stone age
. During the Middle Ages
there was a marble
quarry, which gave the material for many of Gotland's churches. The island is a nature reserve
, after Yellowstone National Park the oldest established protected nature area in the world. From May to August there are tour boats from the village Klintehamn
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
island in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, situated about 6 km west of Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
. It has an area of about 2.5 km² and is up to 52 meters high. Most of the island consists of a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
plateau, bordered by steep cliffs along the shore. It is mostly covered with alvar
Alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse vegetation. It is also known as a pavement barren although this term is also used for similar landforms based on sandstone. In the United Kingdom the exposed landform is called a limestone...
, with many juniper bushes and some small groves of deciduous trees.
The island is mostly known for its rich birdlife and flora. It has large colonies of Common Guillemot
Common Guillemot
The Common Murre or Common Guillemot is a large auk. It is also known as the Thin-billed Murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North-Atlantic and North Pacific...
(about 7500 breeding pairs) and Razorbill
Razorbill
The Razorbill is colonial seabird that will only come to land in order to breed. It is the largest living member of the Auk family. This agile bird will choose only one partner for life and females will lay one egg per year. Razorbills will nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed...
(4500 pairs). In spring, there is an extraordinary number of orchids, mostly elder-flowered orchid and early purple orchid
Early Purple Orchid
Orchis mascula, the Early Purple Orchid, is a species of orchid in the genus Orchis.-Etymology:The specific name is derived from the Latin "masculus", meaning "male" or "virile" and it should refer to the robust aspect of this species or to the shape of the tubers, similar to a pair of...
. There are also several very rare plants for Sweden such as Adonis vernalis
Adonis vernalis
Adonis vernalis, known variously as pheasant's eye, spring pheasant's eye, yellow pheasant's eye and false hellebore, is a perennial flowering plant found in dry meadows and steppes in Eurasia...
, Lactuca quercina
Lactuca
Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. The genus includes about 100 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate Eurasia....
(called 'Karlsösallat' in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
), hart's-tongue fern
Hart's-tongue fern
Asplenium scolopendrium, Hart's-tongue Fern is a fern in the genus Asplenium, of the Northern Hemisphere.-Distribution:...
and Corydalis gotlandica (the only endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
plant on Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
).
There is evidence that Stora Karlsö has been inhabited since the stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
there was a marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarry, which gave the material for many of Gotland's churches. The island is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, after Yellowstone National Park the oldest established protected nature area in the world. From May to August there are tour boats from the village Klintehamn
Klintehamn
Klintehamn is a locality situated in Gotland Municipality, Gotland County, Sweden with 1,407 inhabitants in 2005....
.