| Old Norse name | breiðare øy |
|---|---|
| Meaning of name | broad beach island |
 West end of Brother Isle | |
| Location | |
  Brother Isle Brother Isle shown within Shetland | |
| OS grid reference | HU425815 |
| Coordinates | 60°31′N1°13′W / 60.52°N 1.22°W /60.52; -1.22 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Shetland |
| Area | 40 hectares (99 acres) |
| Area rank | 220= [1] |
| Highest elevation | 25 metres (82 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Shetland Islands |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0[2] |
 | |
| References | [3][4] |
Brother Isle (Old Norse:breiðare øy meaning broad beach island) is a small, uninhabited island inShetland,Scotland. It lies between the islands ofYell andShetland Mainland. It is 40 hectares (99 acres) in size.
The island's rock is "undifferentiatedmoinegneiss andquartzite."[3]
It is sometimes assumed that the "Brother" in the name refers toCuldees/papar who were frequent inhabitants of the smaller islands, however, in this case there is no apparent evidence for this claim, and it would appear to be merelyfolk etymology.
At only 40 hectares in size (about 1/6 of a sq. mile) and surrounded by tidalrips which make landing difficult, it would seem unlikely that the island has ever been inhabited. However, Brother Isle was inhabited until the 1820s, latterly by brothers with the surname Tulloch. This led to the mistaken assumption that the island's name referred to them.
In 2004, a lighthouse was built on the island.
| Inhabited islands |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Other islands | ||
| Towns and villages | ||
| Mainland Parishes | ||
| Insular Parishes | ||
| Maritime features | ||
Extreme points
| ||
| Topics | ||
60°30′54″N1°13′40″W / 60.51489°N 1.22783°W /60.51489; -1.22783
