in the Bailiwick of Guernsey (red)Alderney (/ˈɔːldərni/ AWL-dər-nee; French: Aurigny [oʁiɲi]; Auregnais: Aoeur'gny) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands.

It is separated from the Cap de la Hague by the dangerous Alderney Race (French: Raz Blanchard).

There is one school (providing both primary and secondary education), a post office, and hotels, as well as restaurants, banks and shops.

Alternatively, it may derive from three Norse elements: alda (swelling wave, roller), renna (strong current, race) and öy or -ey (island).

The name 'Evodia' may in turn originate from the seven 'Haemodae' of uncertain identification in Pliny the Elder's Natural History (IV 16 (30) or Pomponius Mela's Chronographia (III 6,54).

An optical telegraph tower was constructed above La Foulère in 1811, enabling signals to be relayed visually to Le Mât in Sark and on to Guernsey – early warning of attack during the Napoleonic Wars was of strategic importance.

[5] The last of the hereditary Governors, John Le Mesurier, resigned his patent to the Crown in 1825, and since then authority has been exercised by the States of Alderney, as amended by the constitutional settlement of 1948.

The British Government decided to undertake massive fortifications in the 19th century and to create a strategic harbour to deter attacks from France.

An influx of English and Irish labourers, plus the sizeable British garrison stationed in the island, led to rapid Anglicisation.

Some of the forts are now in varying stages of dereliction, the most ruined being Les Hommeaux Florains, perched on outlying rocks, its access causeway and bridge having been swept away long ago.

Like many of the forts, it included such apparently anachronistic features as a drawbridge and machicolation, which were still common in military architecture of the period.

The Germans arrived to a nearly deserted island, and began to follow their orders to fortify Alderney as part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall.

[14] The people of Alderney could not start returning until December 1945 due to the huge cleanup operation needed simply to make the island safe for civilians.

The report highlighted the atrocious conditions faced by forced labourers, who endured starvation, dangerously long hours, hazardous construction tasks, frequent abuse, torture, inadequate housing, and, in some cases, execution.

The position of Judge, who had headed the island's government since the resignation of the last Governor in 1825, was abolished, and the Jurats were removed from their legislative function.

E-commerce has become increasingly important, and the island hosts the domain name registry for both Bailiwicks and dozens of gambling website operators.

Appeals are made to the Royal Court of Guernsey, which also exercises some original jurisdiction in criminal matters in Alderney, and thence to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

In August 2005, the west coast of Alderney and associated islands, including Burhou and Ortac, were designated as Ramsar wetlands of international importance.

French was once widely used on the island, and increasingly replaced Auregnais from the late 19th century onward, but it ceased to be an official language there in 1966.

[30] Partly because of the tourist industry, but mainly to the Ridunians' own drinking culture (there is a common expression elsewhere in the Channel Islands that Alderney is composed of 'two thousand alcoholics, clinging to a rock'[31]), there are restaurants and public houses.

Notable residents of Alderney include authors T. H. White (The Once and Future King) and Elisabeth Beresford (The Wombles), cricket commentator John Arlott, cricketer Sir Ian Botham[citation needed], Beatles producer Sir George Martin, actress Dame Julie Andrews, and Olympic swimmer Duncan Goodhew.

[36] Miss Alderney is chosen during the Easter Holiday weekend each year at a public event held at the Island Hall.

The following day a hill climb is held at Fort Tourgis in the west of the island and on a public road which is closed for the event.

[citation needed] The annual Alderney Performing Arts Festival began in 2013, and features music, dance and theatre.

[39] In April 2011, sculptor Andy Goldsworthy completed a project called Alderney Stones, commenced in 2008, in which 11 large dried-earth spheres were placed at different sites on the island.

The intention is that each stone will gradually erode, at different speeds depending on the location, and in some cases revealing objects buried inside.

[40] Materials included clay, earth, chain, old work gloves, bricks, hawser, wheat, wire, blackberries, poppy seeds and tools.

[41] Goldsworthy has stated that he selected Alderney as "It seems to have a strong sense of layered past and a wide variety of locations in a small area.

The busiest time is during the peak months of June, July and August as nearly 30,000 yacht crew members visit this harbour every year.

Outside these hours or in the event of bad weather preventing an air evacuation the transfer is achieved with the aid of the RNLI lifeboat service.