Sable Island is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It lies near the North Atlantic shipping lane between North America and Europe. The island is a dangerous hazard to navigation. It has been the site of many shipwrecks. Thus, sailors have called it the graveyard of the Atlantic. Today, radar and other aids prevent most accidents.
Sable Island is about 26 miles (42 kilometers) long and less than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide. It consists of low sand dunes and is surrounded by shoals (sand bars). The name Sable derives from a French word meaning sand. The island’s size and shape are constantly changed by wind and water erosion. Sable Island is partly covered by grass and scrub, and so it supports many birds and ocean mammals. It is also the home of a herd of wild horses. The animals are descendants of horses brought by people who failed in an attempted settlement in the 1700’s. Few people live on the island. Deposits of oil and natural gas have been found in shallow waters around the island. Parks Canada, a Canadian government agency, has administered Sable Island as a national park reserve since 2012.
