Vilsandi National Park is a national park

National park

A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...

 in Saare County

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. The county borders Lääne County to the east and Hiiu County to the north...

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. It includes part of the island of Vilsandi

Vilsandi

The island of Vilsandi, Kihelkonna Commune, Estonia is located in the Baltic Sea. It covers an area of some 9 square kilometres, and is the westernmost populated island in Estonia. With other smaller surrounding islands Vilsandi makes up Vilsandi village...

, a number of smaller islands, adjacent parts of western Saaremaa

Saaremaa

Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...

 and the Harilaid

Harilaid

The Harilaid peninsula is a peninsula on the north west coast of the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It should not be confused with the islet of Harilaid which lies between the islands of Vormsi and Hiiumaa....

 peninsula on Saaremaa, all in Kihelkonna Parish.

The park grew from a bird reserve founded in 1910. It is a highly sensitive ecosystem due to the use of the area by many migratory birds as a breeding and nesting ground. Hunting is absolutely prohibited. This park is a popular tourist destination for both Estonians and foreign visitors, particularly from Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

.

External links

• Vilsandi National Park (in Estonian)