Fair Isle has been occupied since the Bronze Age, itself remarkable due to the sheer lack of raw materials on this tiny island.
Fair Isle has a permanent bird observatory because of its importance as a bird migration watchpoint. Many rare species of bird have been found on the island, and it is probably the best place in western Europe to see skulking Siberian passerines like Pechora Pipit, Lanceolated Warbler and Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler.
The island was bought by the National Trust for Scotland in 1954.
Fair Isle is famous for its knitted sweaters.