Loonalaid (, ) is a small

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

belonging to the country of

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

. Its coordinates are . Loonalaid lies just off the northwest coast of the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

, and is administratively part of Atla village in

Saaremaa Parish Saaremaa Parish, also known as Saaremaa Municipality (), is a municipality in Saare County in western Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland a ...

Saare County Saare County ( or ''Saaremaa''; ; ; ; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It consists of Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it, most notably Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi. The county borders Lääne Count ...

() and is also part of

Vilsandi National Park Vilsandi National Park () is a marine protected area in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County, Estonia. It includes part of the island of Vilsandi, a number of smaller islands, and adjacent parts of western Saaremaa including the Harilaid peninsula. ...

. Loonalaid is a windswept, rocky, low-lying 1 km² islet west of

Vilsandi The island of Vilsandi in Saaremaa Parish of Estonia's Saare County is located in the Baltic Sea. It covers an area of some 9 square km and is the westernmost populated island in Estonia. The surrounding waters are shallow and rocky and many ships ...

in the westernmost part of Estonia. The islet is exposed to the Baltic Sea's predominantly westerly winds and weather systems. Historically, the area had many shipwrecks due to the winds, weather and numerous uncharted shoals. These were a hazard, particularly to ships accessing the

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia (, , ) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main connection between the gulf and t ...

, off the southern tip of Saaremaa. During the days of

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

, Loonalaid and adjacent areas of Saaremaa (called Oesel/Ösel by the Germans) belonged to the Loona Manor, owned by Baron Hoyningen-Huene. In 1830 Baron Huene sent a man by the name of Aadu All to live on Loonalaid, primarily to guard the hay that was grown there as feed for the manor's livestock and to prevent it from being stolen or burned. All, his wife and young son Peeter, who was 1 yr old at the time, became the islet's first residents and built a farmhouse. Peeter All became a seaman and businessman and eventually purchased the family farm from the Baron.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loonalaid Estonian islands in the Baltic Saaremaa Parish

See also

References