Special Sub-Topic: These Sceptred Isles Click Here To Play: These Sceptred Isles

A quick look at a map is enough to tell you that Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles, followed by Ireland. But which is the third largest island?

Lewis / Harris. The island of Great Britain has a land area of 216,777 km2 while the island of Ireland is 84,406 km2. Lewis and Harris (which are geographically one island) is 2,179 km2. Skye is next in size at 1,656 km2. Shetland Mainland is 969 km2, the Isle of Man 572 km2 and the Isle of Wight 381 km2.

Great Britain and Ireland are the two most populous of the British Isles but which comes next?

Isle of Wight. According to the 2001 census, the population of the Isle of Wight is 132,731. The population of the others is: Isle of Man - 76,315; Jersey - 87,186; and Lewis & Harris - 25,000 (approximate).

Approximately how many islands make up the British Isles? (Choose the most appropriate answer).

Over 5000. The British Isles, in fact, consists of over 6000 islands, the majority of the islands can be found in Scotland which is why there are more questions in this quiz on Scottish islands than any other part of the archipelago.

Which is the northern-most inhabited island in the British Isles?

Unst. All of these islands are part of the Shetland Isles group. Along with the Orkney Isles they were given to Scotland in the 15th Century by the king of Denmark as a deposit for his daughter's dowry following her marriage to the king of Scots. When the dowry remained unpaid the islands passed permanently to Scotland and thence to the UK.

Which island would you find off the north-west coast of Wales?

Anglesey. Known as Ynys Mon in Welsh, Anglesey is home to the longest place name in the UK and the third longest in the world: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Which island claims to have the world's "oldest continuously democratic parliament in the world"?

Isle of Man. Known as the Tynwald, the parliament was founded in 979 AD. The Isle of Man has been variously in Norse, Scottish, English and British hands and is now a dependency of the British crown rather than part of the United Kingdom. It is home to the famous TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle race as well as the tailless Manx cat.

On which island would you find the Stone Age village of Skara Brae?

Mainland (Orkney). Skara Brae is thought to have been occupied between 3100 and 2500BC. It lay undiscovered under sand dunes until a storm partially uncovered it in 1850. It was not fully excavated until the 1930s and is now a World Heritage Site.

Which island lies off the south-west coast of the Isle of Man?

The Calf of Man. The island is uninhabited and is now an important bird sanctuary. The name comes from the Norse, "kalfr" meaning a small island close to a large one.

Which group of islands lie about 65km from the Outer Hebrides and have been uninhabited since 1930 when the islanders requested evacuation?

St Kilda. The St Kildans began to lose their self-sufficiency in the nineteenth century following increased contact with the mainland, a combination of this, outbreaks of illness and increasing emigration led the remaining islanders to request evacuation in 1930. The islands are now a World Heritage Site.

Lying off the coast of Northumbria, by what name is Holy Island also known?

Lindisfarne. St Aiden came to Lindisfarne from Iona in 635 to aid the spread of Christianity in northern England. There is also a Holy Island off the cost of the island of Anglesey in Wales and a Holy Isle off the coast of the isle of Arran in Scotland.

In which bay would you find the Aran islands?

Galway Bay. The three islands of Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer (Big island, Middle Island and South Island) make up the Aran Islands, home of the Aran jumper (sweater). In addition to the Aran islands there is also a separate Aran Island off the west coast of County Donegal in Ireland and an island named Arran in the Firth of Clyde.

Which island is known by its residents simply as "The Island"?

Isle of Wight. In the 17th Century, Charles I was imprisoned on the Isle of Wight prior to his execution. The island is the location of Osborne House, one of the homes of Queen Victoria and her family in the 19th Century. More recently it was the setting for "England, England", a novel by Julian Barnes in which the island is bought by a company and converted into a miniature-England theme park.

Which island is often referred to as "Scotland in miniature"?

Arran. Arran lies in the Firth of Clyde and earns its moniker from the fact that, like Scotland, it is mountainous in the north and hilly in the south.

Which island lies 480km west of the Outer Hebrides and is claimed by the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland?

Rockall. Whether or not Rockall is part of the British Isles is a matter of some dispute. Although the island is not of any great importance in itself, the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland all claim it in order to gain access to its territorial waters and any fishing and/or oil rights which may attach.

St Peter Port is the main town of which of the Channel Islands?

Guernsey. Like the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands are dependencies of the British Crown rather than an actual part of the UK. Geographically they are closer to France and are often not considered to be truly part of the British Isles.

St Mary's, Tresco, St Martin's, St Agnes & Bryhar make up part of which group of islands?

The Scilly Isles. The Scilly Isles lie about 45km off Land's End. There are about 140 islands including the five inhabited islands noted above.

What is the southern-most inhabited island in the Republic of Ireland?

Clear. Also known as Cape Clear, Clear Island has a population of about 100.

The Corryvreckan whirlpool can be found between which two islands?

Jura and Scarba. A combination of tides and geography cause the whirlpool in the Gulf of Corryvreckan. It is said that the roaring of the water can be heard from ten miles away.

Which island is associated with St Columba and is said to be the burial site of 60 kings?

Iona. St Columba came to in Iona from Ireland 563AD to spread Christianity to the kingdoms of Dalriada and Pictland. It is said that 48 Scottish kings (including kings of Dalriada, one of the precursor kingdoms to Scotland), eight Norwegian kings and four Irish kings are buried on the island although this is now impossible to verify. It is known that King MacBeth and his predecessor, Duncan I, are both buried on the island.

The Isle of Sheppey is part of which English county?

Kent. The Isle of Sheppey lies in the Thames Estuary.

The island of Gruinard once had which, more sinister, nickname?

Anthrax Island. The island was used by the British government during the Second World War to test anthrax spores. The island was subject to an official quarantine from 1942 until 1990 when it was declared safe by the government.

On which island would you find Fingal's Cave?

Staffa. Staffa means "island of pillars". The sides of the cave are formed by columnar basalt, similar to that which forms Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Mendelssohn wrote an overture named after the cave following a visit there in 1829.

Which of these islands would you expect to find in the Bristol Channel?

Lundy. Bute is in the Firth of Clyde, Inchkeith can be found in the Firth of Forth. Portland is not a true island, being attached by a narrow pebble beach to the south coast of England.

On which island would you find distilleries producing the following whiskies: Ardbeg; Bowmore; Lagavulin and Laphroaig.

Islay. Islay malt whiskies are famed for their peaty taste. The other Islay distilleries are Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila.

Which island is nicknamed "Paddy's Milestone", being halfway between Glasgow and Belfast?

Ailsa Craig. Granite from Ailsa Craig is used in the manufacture of curling stones.