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Scottish highlands
*** Shopping-Tip: Scottish highlands
:''This article pertains to the geographic region of the Scottish Highlands. See
Highlands and
Highlander for alternate meanings''
The '''Scottish Highlands''' are the
mountainous regions of
Scotland north and west of the
Highland Boundary Fault. It is popularly described as one of the most scenic regions of Europe.
The area is generally sparsely populated, with many
mountain range mountain ranges dominating the region. Remarkably given that it is part of the crowded island of Britain, the average population density in the Highlands and Islands is lower than that for Sweden, Norway, Papua New Guinea or Argentina. Regional administrative centres include
Inverness. The
Highland Council is the administrative body for around 40% of this area; the remainder is divided between the
Subdivisions of Scotland council areas of
Aberdeenshire (unitary) Aberdeenshire,
Angus,
Argyll and Bute,
Moray,
Perth and Kinross, and
Stirling.
Although the
Isle of Arran administratively belongs to
North Ayrshire, its northern part is generally regarded as part of the Highlands.
History
*
Highland Clearances
*
Highland Land League
Culture
Culturally the area is quite different from the
Scottish Lowlands. Most of the Highlands fall into the region known as the
GÃ idhealtachd, pronounced roughly ''Gailtahk'', which was, within the last hundred years, the
Scottish Gaelic language Gaelic speaking area of Scotland. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but have slightly different meanings.
Highland English is also widely spoken.
Some similarities exist between the culture of the Highlands and that of
Ireland: examples include the
Gaelic language, sport (
shinty/
hurling), and
Celtic music. Highland music, which is similar to Irish traditional music, often reflects an (historical) antipathy to the
England English which is less commonly seen amongst Lowland Scots.
Religion
Following the
Protestant Reformation,
Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholicism vanished almost entirely from the Highlands. Scotland's
Indigenous peoples native Catholic population is all but extinct; the vast majority of Catholics in modern Scotland are of
Irish people Irish ancestry. (A small populaton of native Catholics survives in the southern part of the
Western Isles.) Religious observance amongst the predominantly Protestant population of the Highlands remains strong.
Historical geography
In traditional Scottish
geography, the '''Highlands''' refers to that part of Scotland north-west of a line drawn from
Dumbarton to
Stonehaven, including the Inner and Outer
Hebrides, parts of
Perthshire and the County of
Bute, but excluding
Orkney and
Shetland,
Caithness, the flat coastal land of the Counties of
Nairnshire,
Morayshire and
Banffshire, and most of
Aberdeenshire (traditional) East Aberdeenshire. This Highland area differed from the
Scottish_Lowlands Lowlands by language and tradition, having preserved
Gaels Gaelic speech and customs centuries after the
anglicization of the latter. The cultural distinction between Highlander and Lowlander is first noted towards the end of the
14th century. The City of
Inverness is usually regarded as the capital of the Highlands. However, there are several definitions of the Highland line, which create further confusion.
Highland council area
The
Highland council area, created as one of the
local government regions of Scotland in 1975, has been a
unitary authority unitary council area since 1996. The council area excludes a large chunk of the southern and eastern Highlands, and the
Western Isles, but includes
Caithness. ''Highlands'' is sometimes used, however, as a name for the council area, as in ''
Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service''. ''
Northern Scotland Northern'', as in ''
Northern Constabulary'', is also used to refer to the area covered by the fire and rescue service. This area consists of the Highland council area and the
Island council areas of Scotland island council areas of
Orkney,
Shetland and the Western Isles.
Highland council signs in the
Pass of Drumochter, between
Glen Garry and
Dalwhinnie, saying "Welcome to the Highlands", are still regarded as controversial.
Highlands and Islands
Much of the Scottish Highlands area overlaps the
Highlands and Islands area. An
Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions electoral region called ''
Highlands and Islands'' is used in elections to the
Scottish Parliament: this area includes
Orkney and
Shetland, as well as the
Highland local government area, the
Western Isles and most of the
Argyll and Bute and
Moray local government areas. ''Highlands and Islands'' has, however, different meanings in different contexts. It means Highland (the local government area), Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles in ''
Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service''. ''
Northern Scotland Northern'', as in ''
Northern Constabulary'', refers to the same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.
Highland Park
Highland Park Single Malt Highland Park is a single malt
Scotch whisky, which is distilled in
Orkney, which is not part of either the administrative area of Highland nor the Scottish Highlands. However, Orkney along with Western Isles and the Shetlands, is grouped together with the Highlands when it comes to economic development; under the umbrella of the Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
Image:2001-ScotlandHighlands-TheQuirang2.jpg thumb|250px|The Quirang
Geology
The Highlands consist of an old dissected
plateau, or block, of ancient
crystalline rocks with incised valleys and
lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and by ice, the resulting
topography being a wide area of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have nearly the same height above sea-level, but whose bases depend upon the amount of
denudation to which the plateau has been subjected in various places.
Towns and villages
*
Aberfeldy, Scotland Aberfeldy,
Aultbea,
Altnaharra,
Applecross,
Aviemore
*
Back of Keppoch,
Ballachulish,
Beauly,
Blair Atholl,
Braemar
*
Cannich,
Coldbackie,
Crianlarich,
Cromarty Culbokie
*
Dalwhinnie,
Dingwall,
Dornie,
Dornoch,
Durness
*
Fort Augustus,
Fort William, Scotland Fort William
*
Gairloch,
Glencoe, Scotland Glencoe,
Glenelg, Scotland Glenelg
*
Inveraray,
Invermoriston,
Inverness (a city since 2001)
*
Killin,
Kingussie,
Kinlochleven,
Kinlochewe,
Kinloch Rannoch,
Kyle of Lochalsh
*
Lochinver
*
Mallaig
*
Nairn,
Newtonmore,
Ballachulish North Ballachulish,
Nethy Bridge
*
Oban
*
Plockton,
Poolewe
*
Shieldaig,
Ballachulish South Ballachulish,
Strathpeffer,
Strathy
*
Taynuilt,
Thurso,
Tobermory, Mull Tobermory,
Tomintoul,
Tongue, Highland Tongue,
Torridon
*
Ullapool
*
Wick, Caithness Wick
Other places of interest
*
Castle Tioram
*
Glencoe Ski Centre
*
Glen Orchy
*
Glen Spean
*
Inverewe Gardens
*
Loch Linnhe
*
Loch Lochy
*
Rannoch Moor
*
Tor Castle
*
Glen Coe
*
Glen Lyon
*
Loch Rannoch
*
Loch Katrine
*
West Highland Way
*
Eilean Donan
*
Loch Ness
Historic names of areas in the Highlands include:
*
Sutherland
*
Assynt
*
Coigach
*
Kintail
*
Knoydart
*
Morar
*
Moidart
*
Sunart
*
Ardnamurchan
*
Morvern
*
Ardgour
*
Lochaber
*
Appin
*
Lorne, Scotland Lorne
*
Argyll
*
Knapdale
*
Cowal
*
Strathspey
*
Badenoch
*
Rannoch
*
Atholl
*
Breadalbane
*
Trossachs
External Links
-
Pictures from the Highlands (German/English)
Category:Geography of Scotland
Category:Mountains and hills of Scotland
ca:Terres altes d'Escòcia
da:Det skotske højland
de:Highlands
es:Highlands
fr:Highlands
it:Highlands
nl:Schotse Hooglanden
ja:�イランド
no:Det skotske høylandet
nn:Dei skotske høglanda
pl:Góry Kaledońskie
pt:Highlands
sv:Skotska högländerna
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see
Scottish Highlands
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