Giant's Causeway - Ten Random Facts

Only a giant could build Giant’s Causeway.

Giant’s Causeway is a significant basalt rock formation of approximately 40,000 adjoining rock columns, believed to be created by volcanic action.
Giant’s Causeway is located in the County of Antrim, in Northern Ireland, Europe, on its north coast, and the area is regularly monitored, as it is mildly threatened by erosion, weather and people.
Giant’s Causeway is owned by the National Trust, and in 1986 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in 1987 it was designated as a National Nature Reserve.
In Irish, ‘Giant’s Causeway’ is also known as ‘Clochán na bhFomhórach’ meaning ‘stepping stones of the Fomhóraigh‘ (mythical beings) and ‘Clochán an Aifir’, and in the Ulster Scots dialect it is known as ‘tha Giant’s Causey’.
The basalt columns featured in Giant’s Causeway are typically regular shaped polygons, and are mostly 6-sided, but the number of sides can range from 4 to 8.

The legend of Giant’s Causeway suggests that the formation, said to be a partly destroyed causeway, was built by a giant so that it could fight another giant, hence its name.
The tallest basalt column in the Giant’s Causeway is 12 metres (39 feet) in height, and some columns are found submerged underwater.
Giant’s Causeway saw more than 700,000 visitors in 2009, making it one of the leading tourist destinations in Northern Ireland.
Giant’s Causeway was discovered in 1692, by the then Bishop of Derry, and its existence was made public in a paper in 1693.
Giant’s Causeway is the home to many smaller formations, including the ‘Giant’s Boot’, ‘Giant’s Harp’, and ‘Giant’s Gate’, ‘Organ’ and ‘Chimney Stacks’, and it is the home to many seabirds and vegetation, including notable plants like sea spleenworts, frog orchids and trefoils.

Amazon:

Giant’s Causeway