 |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||
| Shetland Islands | |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Area: - Total - % Water | Ranked 12th 1,466 km² ? % |
| Admin HQ: | Lerwick |
| ISO 3166-2: | GB-ZET |
| ONS code: | 00RD |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (April 29, 2001) - Density | Ranked 31st 21,988 15 / km² |
| Politics | |
| Shetland Islands Council http://www.shetland.gov.uk | |
| Control: | Independent |
| MP: | Alistair Carmichael |
The Shetland Islands (sometimes historically spelled Zetland, formerly Hjaltland) are one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It is a Scottish island group between the Orkney Islands and the Faroe Islands, north of mainland Scotland, with a total area of approximately 1466km2. The administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick.
The Shetland Islands were originally a Norwegian colony, and were pawned to the crown of Scotland on February 20, 1472. Many people on the islands do not feel Scottish, feeling closer to their Scandinavian roots. During World War II, boats from the Shetlands provided a relief service to occupied Norway, known as the "Shetland bus".
The main island of the group is known as Mainland. Other islands include:
The Fair Isle lies approximately halfway between Shetland and Orkney, but it is administered as part of Shetland and is often counted as part of the island group. The Out Skerries lie east of the main group.
|
||||
| View Live Article | This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License | |
||
