Sable Island

Sable Island, small north Atlantic island about 95 mi (150 km) southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island, about 24 mi (38 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, consists of sand dunes and is surrounded by shoals (sand bars). Before modern radar-aided navigation it was a serious navigational hazard and was known as the “graveyard of the Atlantic.” Lighthouses were established in 1873, and it is now the site of a Canadian weather station. The island is partly covered by grasses and shrubs and inhabited by birds and, since the 18th century, wild horses.