Northern Isles

The Northern Isles of Scotland.

The Northern Isles (Old Norse: Norðreyjar; Scots Gaelic Na h-Eileanan Tuath) are a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland.

The group includes Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney. Sometimes Stroma is included, which is part of Caithness, and so falls under Highland council area for local government purposes, not Orkney.

Culture and politics

The Northern Isles are usually separated for political purposes, but they come under the Orkney and Shetland constituency in Westminster.

Due to their history, the islands have a Norse, rather than a Gaelic flavour, and have historic links with the Faroes, Iceland, and Norway. Orkney and Shetland were given to Scotland as a deposit on the dowry of Margaret of Denmark when she married James III of Scotland in 1469.

They also have a Pictish heritage, and unlike the Faroes and Iceland, many prehistoric remains such as brochs and stone circles can be found there - see Jarlshof and Maes Howe for details.

See also

• North Isles
• Western Isles
• Norn language
• Orkney and Shetland Movement

v • d • e Islands of Scotland Northern Isles Shetland · List of Shetland islands · Orkney · List of Orkney islands Hebrides Outer Hebrides · List of Outer Hebrides · Inner Hebrides · List of Inner Hebrides · St Kilda Other Islands of the Clyde · Islands of the Forth · Outlying Islands  · Freshwater Islands

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