Mousa

The 60th parallel, which passes through Cape Farewell, Oslo and St Petersburg, bisects the small island of Mousa in the Shetland Islands. The 180 ha (445 acre) uninhabited island of Mousa is separated from the Mainland of Shetland by the Mousa Sound. On its west shore stands the Broch of Mousa, a circular drystone tower described as the best preserved Iron-Age fortification of 500 of its kind in the British Isles. Built of local slate, the broch is 13m (43 feet) tall with a diameter of 15m (49 feet) at ground level tapering to an upper diameter of 12m (39 feet). Storm petrels and Rock Doves nest on Mousa, and there is also a breeding colony of Arctic Tern. In summer a boat provide access to Mousa from Leebotten on the Mainland.

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