Rockall

Rockall (/ˈrɒkɔːl/) is a 17.15 m (56 ft 3 in) high, uninhabitable granite islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is 301 kilometres (187 statute miles; 163 nautical miles) west of Soay, St Kilda, Scotland; 423 kilometres (263 statute miles; 228 nautical miles) northwest of Tory Island, Ireland; and 700 kilometres (430 statute miles; 380 nautical miles) south of Iceland. The nearest permanently inhabited place is in North Uist, 370 kilometres (230 mi; 200 nmi) east in Scotland's Outer Hebrides.

Rockall was formed during the Paleogene period, by magmatism as part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province. Rockall and Hasselwood Rock 200 metres North, are the only emergent parts of Helen's Reef and the Rockall Plateau. Waves just East of Rockall were reported in 2006 as the largest ever recorded by scientific instruments in the open ocean. Rockall's only named geographic location and occupiable area is Hall's Ledge.

Rockall has appeared on maps since at least 1550 and in literature since at least 1698. Marine surveyors, scientists, adventurers, amateur radio operators and environmental activists, have variously landed on and/or briefly occupied the islet. The earliest documented landing on Rockall was in 1811 by a small Royal Navy party led by Basil Hall. The longest known continuous occupation is 45 days, achieved solo in 2014 by Nick Hancock.

Possession of Rockall was for many decades deemed imperative to claims to the vast tracts of surrounding fisheries and the oil-rich Atlantic seabed. The Irish Times claims to have reported on the economic value of Rockall's fisheries, as long ago as 1861. Driven by cold war national security concerns, the United Kingdom (UK) claimed Rockall in 1955 and incorporated it as part of Scotland in 1972. The UK claims a 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) territorial sea at Rockall. Although never claiming sovereignty of Rockall, Ireland has consistently claimed UK rights to Rockall are invalid. Iceland and Denmark (on behalf of the Faroes) have also lodged claims.

Marine Scotland patrol boat officers in 2021 boarded an Irish fishing boat, ordering it leaves Rockall's 12-nautical-mile zone. The Irish and Scottish governments in 2024 bi-laterally proposed, to allow Irish fishing boats to return to the 12 nautical mile zone. The then UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, vetoed the proposal.