South Havra is an uninhabited island in the Scalloway Islands

Scalloway Islands

The Scalloway Islands are in Shetland opposite Scalloway on south west of the Mainland . They form a mini-archipelago and include:* Burra ** West Burra...

, Shetland, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

.

Geography and geology

South Havra lies south of Burra

Burra

West Burra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. It is connected by bridge to East Burra. With an area of , it is the eleventh largest of the Shetland Islands.-Geography:...

 and west of the southern peninsula of the Mainland, Shetland.

The island's rock is "epidiotic syenite

Syenite

Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or present in relatively small amounts Syenite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock of the same general composition as granite but with the quartz either absent or...

 with undifferentiated schist

Schist

The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...

 and gneiss

Gneiss

Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...

."

The soil is fairly fertile, but the lack of running water meant that, unusually for Shetland, the islanders resorted to building a windmill

Windmill

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...

 to grind corn.

Geological features on the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

 include cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

s and natural arch

Natural arch

A natural arch or natural bridge is a natural geological formation where a rock arch forms, with an opening underneath. Most natural arches form as a narrow ridge, walled by cliffs, become narrower from erosion, with a softer rock stratum under the cliff-forming stratum gradually eroding out until...

es

Little Havra

Little Havra

Little Havra is a small island off the west of South Mainland in Shetland. It is at its highest point, upon which there is a cairn. It is located west of South Havra.-References:*...

 is to its west.

History

Olaf Sinclair, foud (a kind of magistrate) of all Shetland lived here in the 16th century.

The island's ruined windmill is an unusual sight in the Shetland Islands, especially as some have pointed out, that the Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

were amongst the archipelago's most frequent visitors.

South Havra has been uninhabited since May, 1923. Previously the population was big enough to support a school.