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Scottish Highlands

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north
   and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. The Great Glen divides the
   Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The
   Highlands are popularly described as one of the most scenic regions of
   Europe.

   The area is generally sparsely populated, with many 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 council areas of
   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 Gàidhealtachd,
   pronounced roughly Gailtahk, which was, within the last hundred years,
   the Gaelic speaking area of Scotland. The terms are sometimes used
   interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective
   languages. 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
   English which is less commonly seen amongst Lowland Scots .

Religion

   The Scottish Reformation, begun in the Lowlands, achieved only partial
   success in the Gaelic-speaking Highlands. Roman Catholicism remained
   strong in certain parts, aided by Irish Franciscan missionaries who
   regularly came to the area to perform Mass, as they shared a similar
   language.

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 East Aberdeenshire. This Highland area differed from the
   Lowlands by language and tradition, having preserved Gaelic speech and
   customs centuries after the anglicization of the latter ; the result of
   which led to a growing perception of a divide with the cultural
   distinction between Highlander and Lowlander 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 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, 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 Orkney, Shetland and the Western
   Isles.

   Highland council signs in the Pass of Drumochter, between Glen Garry
   and Dalwhinnie, saying "Welcome to the Hghlands", are still regarded as
   controversial.

Highlands and Islands

   Much of the Scottish Highlands area overlaps the Highlands and Islands
   area. An 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, as in Northern Constabulary, refers to the
   same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.

Highland Park

   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 Highlands & Islands
   Enterprise.
   The Quirang, Trotternish peninsula, on the Island of Skye
   Enlarge
   The Quirang, Trotternish peninsula, on the Island of Skye

Geology

   The Highlands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault,
   which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland is largely
   comprised of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods
   which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. Smaller
   formations of Lewisian gneiss in the north west are up to 3,000 million
   years old and amongst the oldest found anywhere on Earth. These
   foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more
   recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as
   the Cairngorms and Skye Cuillins. A significant exception to the above
   are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstones found principally
   along the Moray Firth coast. The Great Glen is a rift valley which
   divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest
   Highlands.

   The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice
   ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology
   includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain
   streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains
   whose summits have similar heights 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, Aboyne, Alness, Altnaharra, Applecross, Aultbea,
       Aviemore,
     * Back of Keppoch, Ballachulish, Beauly, Blair Atholl, Braemar
     * Cannich, Coldbackie, Crianlarich, Cromarty Culbokie
     * Dalwhinnie, Dingwall, Dornie, Dornoch, Durness
     * Fort Augustus, Fort William
     * Gairloch, Glencoe, Glenelg, Grantown-on-Spey
     * Inveraray, Invermoriston, Inverness (a city since 2001)
     * Killin, Kingussie, Kinlochleven, Kinlochewe, Kinloch Rannoch, Kyle
       of Lochalsh
     * Lochcarron, Lochinver
     * Mallaig
     * Nairn, Newtonmore, North Ballachulish, Nethy Bridge
     * Oban
     * Plockton, Poolewe, Portmahomack
     * Shieldaig, South Ballachulish, Strathpeffer, Strathy
     * Tain, Taynuilt, Thurso, Tobermory, Tomintoul, Tongue, Torridon
     * Ullapool
     * 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

Gallery of Images

   Loch Gairloch

   The Kyle of Durness.

   Eilean Donan Castle, at Dornie near Kyle of Lochalsh.

   Lochan Stones on Rannoch Moor.

   Loch Long

   A Single Track Road, near Aultivullin.

   Blaven.

   Inverness

   The islands of Loch Maree.

   The interior of Smoo Cave, Sutherland.

   Cape Wrath Lighthouse in the far NW of the Highlands.

   The Glenfinnan Viaduct from below.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Highlands"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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