Mainland, Shetland

Mainland, Shetland
Scottish Gaelic name	Unknown
Old Norse name	Megenland
Meaning of name	Old Norse for 'mainland'
Location
OS grid reference	HU414553
Physical geography
Island group	Shetland
Area	96,879 ha
Area rank	3
Highest elevation	Ronas Hill 450 m
Administration
Council area	Shetland Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Demographics
Population	17,550
Population rank	2
Largest settlement	Lerwick
References

Mainland is the main island of Shetland, Scotland. The island contains Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick, and is the centre of Shetland's ferry and air connections.

It has an area of 374 square miles, making it the third largest Scottish island and the fifth largest of the British Isles after Great Britain, Ireland, Lewis and Harris and Skye.

Mainland can be broadly divided into four sections.

The long southern peninsula, south of Lerwick, has a mixture of moorland and farmland and contains many important archaeological sites.
- Bigton
- Sandwick ^[5]
- Scalloway
- Sumburgh
The Central Mainland has more farmland and some woodland plantations.
The West Mainland
- Aith
- Walls
the North Mainland - in particular the large Northmavine peninsula, connected to Mainland by a narrow isthmus at Mavis Grind - is wild, with much moorland and coastal cliffs. The North Mainland contains Sullom Voe, its oil terminal an important source of employment for the islanders.
- Brae
- North Roe
- Vidlin

References

^ ^a ^b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
^ Ordnance Survey
^ Shorewatch

This Shetland location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

60°19′N 1°16′W / 60.317°N 1.267°W / 60.317; -1.267

[RankNote-1] Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.

[2] 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland

[3] Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.

[4] Ordnance Survey

[5] Shorewatch

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[5]

v t e Shetland
Inhabited islands	Mainland Bressay Burra East Burra West Burra Fair Isle Fetlar Foula Muckle Roe North Isles Out Skerries Papa Stour Trondra Unst Vaila Whalsay Yell
Other islands	Balta Bigga Brother Isle Colsay Hascosay Hildasay Lamba Linga, Bluemull Sound Linga, Busta Voe Linga (near Vementry) Linga, Vaila Sound Linga, Yell Sound Mousa Noss Oxna Papa Papa Little Samphrey South Havra St Ninian's Isle Uyea, Northmavine Uyea, Unst Vementry Ve Skerries West Linga
Towns and villages	Lerwick Aith Baltasound Bigton Bixter Brae Cunningsburgh Grutness Gulberwick Gutcher Haroldswick Hillswick Levenwick Mid Yell Mossbank North Roe Ollaberry Quarff Sandwick Scalloway Symbister Toab Toft Ulsta Uyeasound Vidlin Voe Walls Weisdale Whiteness
Mainland Parishes	Delting Dunrossness Lerwick Nesting Northmavine Sandsting Tingwall Walls and Sandness
Insular Parishes	Bressay Fetlar Unst Yell
Maritime features	Balta Sound Bluemull Sound Burra Voe Busta Voe Calder's Geo Ronas Voe St Magnus Bay Sullom Voe West Voe of Sumburgh Yell Sound
Extreme points (N S E W)	Out Stack The Skerry, off Fair Isle Bound Skerry Waster Hoevda, Foula
Topics	Animal breeds Etymology History Prehistory

See also

References