Shetland (from Ȝetland; Old Norse Hjaltland; Faroese Hetland; Old Gaelic Innse C[h]ait; Scottish Gaelic: Sealtainn) is an archipelago in Scotland, off the northeast coast. The islands lie to the northeast of Orkney, 280 km (170 mi) from the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is approximately 1,466 km (566 sq mi). Administratively, the area is one of the ...
more
Shetland (from Ȝetland; Old Norse Hjaltland; Faroese Hetland; Old Gaelic Innse C[h]ait; Scottish Gaelic: Sealtainn) is an archipelago in Scotland, off the northeast coast. The islands lie to the northeast of Orkney, 280 km (170 mi) from the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is approximately 1,466 km (566 sq mi). Administratively, the area is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland for which the now-archaic spelling Zetland was used until 1970. The islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick.
The largest island, known as "Mainland," has an area of 967 km (373 sq mi), making it the third-largest Scottish island and the fifth-largest of the British Isles.
Shetland is also a lieutenancy area, comprises the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, and was formerly a county.
Firm geological evidence shows that at around 6100 BC a tsunami caused by the Storegga Slides hit...
less
