10 Amazing facts about Channel Islands

1. The Channel Islands comprises of seven different islands: 1. Jersey, 2. Guernsey, 3. Alderney, 3. Sark, 4. Herm, 5. Jethou, 6. Brecqhou and 7. Lihou.

2. The Channel Islands are created by tectonic forces that led them to rise out of the ocean about five million years ago.

3. Chumash Indians were inhabitants of the islands until the 19th century and they travelled from one island to another in plank canoes

4. The Channel Islands have 145 unique species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth and also boast of over 100 species of crabs, 240 different varieties of seaweeds and over four million oysters in their waters

5. The people from Jersey and Guernsey have perception that they are descendants of fairies, known on the islands as “pouques” (pronounced “pooks”). The last reported sighting of a fairy was in the early 1900’s. Actual fairy or reported only?

6. Many of the older houses on the Channel Islands have a witch’s seat in them which comprises stones that jut out of the houses' gables. The islanders believes that by providing a seat for passing witches to rest on would prevent them from falling prey to evil spells

7. Santa Rosa Island is home to more than 195 species of birds

8. Anacapa and Santa Barbara had initially been designated as national monuments and used as a refuge for nesting threatened marine animals

9. The Little Chapel on Guernsey is the smallest chapel in the world. It was made by a French monk and is decorated with broken china and shells

10. Around the island there are visual reminders of historical importance like Neolithic burial sites, magnificent castles, Napoleonic fortresses and World War II fortifications which all make for interesting visits.

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