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Rockall is a small, rocky island in the North Atlantic but is probably better known as one of the British Sea Areas named in the Shipping Forecast broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Its status is disputed, being claimed by the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark (for the Faroe Islands) and Iceland. By itself, the island does not have much importance, but the seas around it are considered very valuable. Therefore, it is also an important question whether Rockall is considered habitable. If so, its owner can claim 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone; if not, the claim can go no further than Rockall's territorial waters.
The origin of the name is debatable but it has been suggested that it derives from the Gaelic "Sgeir Rocail" which is often translated as "Roaring Rock" although "rocail" is more usually translated as "tearing" or "ripping" (see link).
The rock is the summit of an extinct volcano and is located at 57° 35′ 48″ NMap of Earth showing vertical lines of longitude Longitude sometimes denoted λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. Longitude is given as an angular measurement ranging from 0° at, 13° 41′ 19″ WLatitude denoted φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. Latitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles. Usually, the difference in latitude largely affects the climate and/or wea, about 480 kmA kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer (symbol: km is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres. It is approximately equal to 0. 621 miles, 1094 yards or 3281 feet. Slang terms for kilometre include " klick" (or "click") and "kay". Click" is also used for (300 mileA mile is any of several units of distance, or, as physicists say, of length. Today, one mile is mainly equal to about 1609 metres on land and 1852 metres at sea and in the air, but see below for the details. Current definitions The meanings of mile thats) west of Manish Point , North UistNorth Uist ( Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Tuath is an island of the Outer Hebrides. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,657. It is connected by causeways to Benbecula via Grimsay, to Berneray, Baleshare and to Vallay. With the excep in ScotlandScotland or in Scottish Gaelic, Alba is a country and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom. Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland took part in a p. The rock is about 83 feet (25 metreFor other uses of "metre" and "meter", see Metre (disambiguation). The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Systeme International d'Unites). It is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in absolute vacus) wide at its base and rises sheer to a height of approximately 22 metres (72 feet). It is regularly washed over by large storm waves, particularly in winter. There is a small ledge of 3.5 metres by 1.3 metres (11 feet by 4 feet), known as Hall's Ledge, 4 metres (13 feet) from the summit. The rock's only permanent inhabitants are periwinkles and other marine molluscs. Small numbers of seabirds, mainly Fulmars, Gannets, Kittiwakes, and Guillemots, use the rock for resting in summer, and Gannets and Guillemots occasionally breed successfully if the summer is calm with no storm waves washing over the rock.
Rockall is also close to the Darwin Mounds, deep-water coral mounds about 185 km (115 miles) north-west of Cape Wrath.