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Estonia EstoniaIsland

Ruhnu

11.8 km² of land in the Gulf of Riga.

When to go

Ruhnu seen from space, cut out from the sea (Sentinel-2)
Ruhnu
N 0.5 km

Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2017 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.

In numbers

11.8km²

Area

24km

Coastline

28m

Highest point

127

People

18°C

Warmest sea

August

36km

To the mainland

When to go to Ruhnu

Best to visit from July to August.

The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (1 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.

Sea temperature (the water level) Air: night low to afternoon high Wet days Best months

Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.

Island in Estonia

Ruhnu is an island in Estonia. It covers 11.8 km², with 24 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 28 m. About 127 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 36 km away.

Read more on Wikipedia

Getting there

Plan the trip

Ferries, stays and things to do

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

On the island

What you find on Ruhnu.

  • 7beachesLimo beach, Kuunsi beach and 5 more
  • 1viewpointsOld border guard tower
  • 1lighthousesRuhnu lighthouse
  • 1ferry terminalsRuhnu
  • 1marinasRuhnu Marina
  • 1hotels, guesthouses and apartments
  • 1restaurants, cafés and bars

Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Ruhnu in our other atlases

Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Ruhnu, each with its own numbers.

  • 1mountainPeakyas

1 mountains

on Peakyas, the mountain atlas

  1. Linbacka

Open Peakyas ↗

The shape of the land.

On average the island stands 12 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.

  • 100 %0–50 m

Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).

Size, for real

Next to islands you may know.

Ruhnu12 km²
Capri10 km²
Manhattan54 km²

5 km

All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).

Towns on the island

  • Ruhnu64 people

Month by month

The weather on the island.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon high (°C)0-11511161919161063
Night low (°C)-2-4-22813171714841
Sea (°C)21138131718151184
Rain (mm)504137353556607055646957
Wet days1310109810111312141515
Sun h/day0.01.34.57.49.99.99.37.64.92.20.00.0
Wind (km/h)282522201819192024272830

Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.

Recent years

Warmer and cooler years at sea.

Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2020+2.2+2.8+3.1+2.7+0.5+2.4+0.1+0.5+0.5+1.8+2.7+2.2
2021+1.3−0.6−0.2+0.3−0.2+4.0+5.3−0.3−0.9−0.1+0.7+0.1
2022−0.2+0.2+1.2+1.0−0.4+0.6+1.0+1.5+0.7+0.6+1.1+0.9
2023+0.8+0.7+0.6+1.5+3.0+2.2−0.2+0.2+2.4+1.5+0.7−0.1
2024−0.7−0.4+0.2−0.5+2.7+3.2+1.5+0.7+3.1+2.5+1.4+1.4
2025+1.6+1.1+1.0+1.4−0.5−1.2+0.4−0.4+1.7+1.5+2.3+1.7

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

Photos

Seen by visitors.

Limo beach, Ruhnu island, Estonia
KalervoK · CC BY-SA 4.0
Path in the forest, Ruhnu island, Estonia
KalervoK · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ruhnu tuletorn ja ülevaataja elamu, august 2021
Jaan Künnap · CC BY-SA 4.0
Korsi talu Ruhnus
Ehitisennistaja · CC BY-SA 3.0

About these numbers

Names, area, populationWikidata (Q1240598) · CC0
Outline© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
Sea temperatureNOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020
ClimateNASA POWER · 1991–2020
Relief, 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
TownsGeoNames · CC BY 4.0
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfallsPeakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit