Info
Karlso Islands
Lying a few km off the west coast of the Baltic island of Gotland these two islands hold Sweden's most accessible seabird colonies. The islands are flat-topped and grass-covered with a few scattered copses and some juniper scrub, their main human use is for grazing sheep. Breeding birds include Common and Black Guillemot and Razorbill. Red-breasted Flycatcher is a regular summer visitor and Bluethroat, Common Rosefinch and Greenish Warbler occur on passage.
Gotland is easily reached from the mainland by air or ferry and there are daily boat-trips and guided tours to the Karlso Islands from Klintehamn in summer although the area is a nature reserve and access is restricted.
Coordinates: 57°17'N 18°01'E
Area: 4,570 ha (Lille Karlsö, 926 ha and Stora Karlsö,
1,426 ha)
Old name: Birdislands
Rainfall: 400 mm
> 400 million years ago - oldest bedrock
of the island formed / with fossils
100 million years ago - limestone bedrock formed
10.000 BC - last inland ices melted away
6.000 - 7.000 BC - pine trees spread the island
3.000 BC - Stone-age (young) / people lived on the island Stora
Karlso in a cave
1.800 BC - Bronze-age graves and monument
500 BC - Iron-age graves
1.050 AD - Time of the Vikings - boat-beds
12th - 13th century - limestone quarrys
16th century - watchpost was built by pirates
1741 - Carl von Linne found on Lilla Karlso a unique plant "Lactuca
Quercina"
Until the end of the 18th century - fishing / fishing-village
on Stora Karlso
1880 up to now - Karlso Club (first hunting, now preserve the
culture of the islands)
Karlso Club = Karlso Hunting and Wildlife preservation Company
own Stora Karlso
1887 - the sheep were taken away from Stora Karlso (on Lilla
Karlso there are still sheep)
1888 - 1893 - largest cave on Stora Karlso was dug out
1936 - "Lactuca Quercina" found on Stora Karlso
1970 - Nature Reserve
