South Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a' Deas) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,951. The population of the island is mostly Catholic.

The west is machair with a continuous sandy beach whilst the east coast is mountainous with the peaks of Beinn Mhor 2033 ft (620 m) and Hecla 1988 ft (606 m). In the north west there is a military firing range .

Attractions on the island include the Kildonan Museum housing the sixteenth century Clanranald Stone and the ruins of the house where Flora Macdonald was born.

The main village on the island is Lochboisdale, from which ferries sail to Oban on the mainland and to Castlebay on Barra. The island is also linked to Eriskay and Benbecula by causeways. Smaller settlements include Daliburgh and Ludag .

Nature Reserve

Loch Druidibeg in the north of the island is a National Nature Reserve owned and managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. The reserve covers 34.33 square kilometres of machair, bog, freshwater lochs and estuary. Over 200 species of flowering plants have been recorded on the reserve, some of which are nationally scarce. It is considered the best place in the UK for the aquatic plant Slender Naiad (Najas flexilis) which is a European Protected Species . Nationally important populations of breeding waders are also present, including redshank, dunlin, lapwing and ringed plover. The reserve is also home to greylag geese on the loch and in summer corncrakes on the machair. Otters and hen harriers are also seen.

There has been considerable controversy over hedgehogs on South Uist. The animals are not native to the islands, having been introdued in the 1970s to reduce garden pests. They now pose a threat to the egss of ground nesting wading birds on the reserve. In 2003 Scottish Natural Heritage undertook a cull of hedgehogs in the area.

Archaeology

The archaeological site of Cladh Hallan, the only site in Great Britain where prehistoric mummies have been found, is on South Uist.

Rocket launches

Since the 1950s, sites in the west and (mainly) the north-west of the island are used to test sounding and other military rockets, including the British Skua and the Petrel.

Flag

The flags of South Uist and Barra are very similar - they are both white Nordic Crosses on a green field.

South Uist differs from Barra in its use of a blue ‘inner’ Nordic Cross. The flag is very similar to the flag of Norway – many of the people of the Hebrides originate from the Norway of the ninth and tenth centuries.

Next to Barra, South Uist is the southernmost use of the Nordic Cross in the British Isles. Other flags based on this design in the United Kingdom are Orkney and Shetland

External links

Flags of the world - Hebrides

An Gàrradh Mòr, Historic walled garden at Cille Bhrìghde

Rocket launches at South Uist