List of islands of Scotland. This is a list of islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. Also included are various other related tables and lists. The definition of an offshore island used in this list is "land that is surrounded by seawater on a daily basis, but not necessarily at all stages of the tide, excluding human devices such as bridges and causeways". [Note 1] Scotland has over 790 offshore islands, most of which are to be found in four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, sub-divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.[1] There are also clusters of islands in the Firth of Clyde, Firth of Forth, and Solway Firth, and numerous small islands within the many bodies of fresh water in Scotland including Loch Lomond and Loch Maree.
The largest island is Lewis and Harris which extends to 2,179 square kilometres, and there are a further 200 islands which are greater than 40 hectares in area. Demographics[edit] Larger islands[edit] Orkney aerial photomap. Geography of Scotland. The geography of Scotland is highly varied, from rural lowlands to barren uplands, and from large cities to uninhabited islands. Located in Northern Europe, Scotland comprises the northern one third of the island of Great Britain as well as 790 surrounding islands encompassing the major archipelagoes of the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and the Inner and Outer Hebrides.[1] The topography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault – a geological rock fracture – which traverses the Scottish mainland from Helensburgh to Stonehaven.[4] The faultline separates two distinctively different physiographic regions; namely the Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east.[5] The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous terrain, including the highest peak, Ben Nevis.
Geology and geomorphology[edit] The land area of Scotland is 30,414 square miles (78,770 km2), 32% of the area of the United Kingdom (UK). Land use[edit] 10 o the best Scottish Islands... Scottish Landscape - Scotland's Islands. A-Z of Islands - Island Groups Web Sites: Scottish Islands Explorer There are about 790 islands off the coast of Scotland, of which about 130 are inhabited and only 62 exceed three square miles. The main groups are the Inner and Outer Hebrides, to the west of the mainland, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands to the north. Other groups of islands are located in the Firths of Clyde and Forth as well as the many sea lochs found along the west coast of Scotland. Hebrides is derived from the Norse word Harbredey, which roughly translates as the isles at the edge of the sea.
To the west of Skye are the Outer Hebrides, which are also known as Eilean Siar, the Western Isles. Heading south from Skye and the Small Isles, through the Sea of the Hebrides, the next islands encountered are Coll and Tiree, with latter being the furthest west of Inner Hebrides as well as being the sunniest and windiest place in Britain. Significant Islands in Scotland. Table Where the island name is hyperlinked, this links to an article or location page on this site, plus in most cases we have links to pages within Wikipedia. Most Wikipedia pages have a link at the top right to mapping services, that will let you see where the island is, as well as maps and aerial views. If you feel we have missed a significant island then please let us know, the objective has not been here to list every island, there are too many, but to list the significant ones, and those of specific interest. If you have knowledge of an island or photos then consider writing it up for us to add. 97 Scottish islands are populated, of which 92 are offshore islands. 14 islands are populated by over 1,000 people and 45 by over 100.
Scotland has over 790 offshore islands, plus many small islets and rock outcrops, most of which are to be found in four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, sub-divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. Traigh Uige, Isle of Lewis. Celebrating Scotland’s islands. The Year of Scotland's Islands, which kicks off in April, will be a celebration of the country's 99 inhabited islands with events, exhibitions and activities taking place across the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.
Featured events throughout the year include the Shetland Folk Festival, the Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival and Scotland's biggest Gaelic festival the Royal National Mod which returns to Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in 2011. All of the events will help promote the cultures, creativity, landscape and produce of Scotland's islands. Scotland has 790 islands, 99 of which are inhabited. According to the 2001 census, Scotland's inhabited islands were home to 99,739 people. Follow keen traveller Kenny Taylor as he travels around the Scottish Isles in 80 monuments VisitScotland: Plan your trip to the Scottish Islands. Island-Hopping to Scotland's far North.
By Bob Barton (Courtesy of VisitBritain.com) Questions on the text Northlink Ferry to Shetland Islands There are 790 islands scattered off the coast of Scotland and they have always been a source of fascination for me. None more so than the Shetlands, enticing and mysterious as the northernmost outpost of the United Kingdom. Sitting, wave-lashed where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea, they are closer to Bergen in Norway than Aberdeen on the Scottish mainland. A clear spring morning found me on one of the new Northlink ferries for the overnight sailing from the granite city of Aberdeen to Lerwick, the Shetland capital.
Up Helly Aa, Sheltand The Shetland islanders are proudly independent. The wild, peaty and rocky landscapes are remarkable in that they are almost completely treeless: the salty winds from the Atlantic take care of that. This far north, the summer light lasts well into the night: 19 hours of daylight is usual at midsummer. In Scotland, one island often leads to another. Unusual Ferry Crossings – Scotland » Ferry Crossings - compare and book UK ferries. An Overview and Introduction Ferries in Scotland have been running as long as mankind has been traveling the seas and crossing rivers. You might consider the first ferry to be the owner of a long boat who was about to take a short trip across a strait, when a friend asked, “Say, can you take me over there with you?” And offered a chicken or some eggs as payment.
We decided to take a look at some of the more unusual and lesser known (or even forgotten) ferry routes and crossings from around the British Isles. For more about unusual ferry crossings in Scotland, see our post on ferry routes in the Glasgow area, plus ferry crossings in the Hebrides and the Northern Isles including Shetland and Orkney.
Before we get into the stories about the ferry routes that have been in use in Scotland over the last few centuries, we might want to review a bit of Scottish geography. There’s the mainland Scotland which is the northern tip of the island of Great Britain. Cabinet1: Introduction, In Search of Scotland, University of Otago, New Zealand. Cabinet 1 Bound by the North Channel and Irish Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and a 96 mile border with England running from the basin of the River Tweed (east) to the Solway Firth (west) is Scotland, otherwise known as Alba (Scottish Gaelic), Caledonia, or, to many world-wide, ‘Home’. Scotland also includes some 790 islands, including the North Isles (Shetland and Orkney) and Hebrides.
The total area of Scotland is 30,414 square miles, with its geographical centre lying a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch. Its coastline is 11,550 miles (almost the distance from Scotland to New Zealand). Ben Nevis is the highest mountain at 4,409 feet, and the River Tay is the longest river, flowing some 118 miles. ‘Flower of Scotland’ or ‘God save the Queen’ are the national anthems, but on occasions ‘Scotland the Brave’ or ‘Scots Wha Hae’ is sung. Search.