The Giant’s Causeway is a promontory of basalt columns that stretches along 6 kilometres of the northern coast of Northern Ireland. A promontory is a high land that juts out into the sea.
The Giant’s Causeway is made up of nearly 40,000 stone pillars, each with 5 to 7 irregular sides. They almost look as if they are steps leading into the sea. The shapes of these dramatic structures have inspired stories about giants that walked across the sea to Scotland.
Studies on the formation of the Giant’s Causeway over the last 300 years have added much to the field of Earth Sciences. It is now understood that these structures were formed due to volcanic activity during the Tertiary period, which was 50 to 60 million years ago.
The Giant’s Causeway became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and the next year the Department of Environment of Northern Ireland declared it as a national nature reserve. The site is visited by almost 300,000 tourists every year.
A poll of Radio Times readers in 2005 found the Giant’s Causeway as the 4th greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast World Heritage Site are owned and managed by the National Trust. It is not just a place of striking beauty but also of ecological importance. The cliffs, seashores, marshes and grasslands are home to 50 species of birds and over 200 species of plants.
Picture Credit : Google
