Hanikatsi laid
Encyclopedia
Hanikatsi laid is an islet in Estonia
, in the Baltic Sea
, south east of Hiiumaa
island. It has a surface area of 83 hectares and no permanent habitation. The islet belongs to Hiiu County, Pühalepa Parish and is part of Hiiumaa Islets Landscape Reserve, which in turn is part of West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere reserve.
The flora of Hanikatsi is rich, and over 400 species have been found. There are also records of 117 species of lichens. In the northern part of the islet there lies the 12-hectare Lepana broad-leaved forest, rich in species. In the southern part there are mostly birch
, poplar
and juniper
forests.
There are records of habitation of the islet from 1623. The last inhabitant left the islet in 1964. There are still some buildings on the islet which have been renovated by the Landscape Reserve and are now used by scientists.
Many people originating from the islet have the family name Hanikat.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, 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...
, south east of Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa
Hiiumaa is the second largest island belonging to Estonia. It is located in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, a part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.-Name:...
island. It has a surface area of 83 hectares and no permanent habitation. The islet belongs to Hiiu County, Pühalepa Parish and is part of Hiiumaa Islets Landscape Reserve, which in turn is part of West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere reserve.
The flora of Hanikatsi is rich, and over 400 species have been found. There are also records of 117 species of lichens. In the northern part of the islet there lies the 12-hectare Lepana broad-leaved forest, rich in species. In the southern part there are mostly birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
and juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
forests.
There are records of habitation of the islet from 1623. The last inhabitant left the islet in 1964. There are still some buildings on the islet which have been renovated by the Landscape Reserve and are now used by scientists.
Many people originating from the islet have the family name Hanikat.