Helgoland
[key], island, c.150 acres (60 hectares), Schleswig-Holstein, NW Germany,
in the North Sea. Formed of red sandstone, it rises to c.200 ft (60 m) above
the sea and is largely covered with grazing land. Strategically located near
the mouths of the Weser and the Elbe rivers, Helgoland was captured by the
Danes in 1714, was occupied by the English in 1807, and was formally ceded
to England by Denmark in 1814. In exchange for rights in Africa, England
gave the island to Germany in 1890. The Germans installed fortifications,
which were razed after World War I according to the terms of the Treaty of
Versailles. However, Germany refortified Helgoland in 1936 and used it as a
naval base in World War II. In 1947, British occupation authorities, after
evacuating the islanders (mostly fishermen), blew up the fortifications and
part of the island in one of the largest known nonatomic blasts. The island
was largely rebuilt after British occupation forces returned it to West
Germany in 1952. It is now a popular tourist resort and a center for
scientific research, particularly ornithology.
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