Shetland Islands

"Shetland" redirects here. For other uses, see Shetland (disambiguation).

**Shetland Islands**
Position of Shetlands within Scotland
Geography
Area - Total - % Water	Ranked 12th 1,466 km² ? %
Admin HQ	Lerwick
ISO 3166-2	GB-ZET
ONS code	00RD
Demographics
Population - Total (2004) - Density	Ranked 31st 21,940 15 / km²
Politics
Shetland Islands Council http://www.shetland.gov.uk/
Control	Independent
MPs	Alistair Carmichael</ul>
MSPs	<li>Tavish Scott

The Shetland Islands, also called Shetland (archaically spelled Zetland) formerly called Hjaltland, comprise one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is an archipelago between the Orkney Islands and the Faroe Islands, north of mainland Scotland, with a total area of approximately 1466 km². It forms part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick.

Shetland is also a lieutenancy area, and comprises the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, and was formerly a county.

Originally populated by Picts, the Shetland Islands were invaded and became a Norwegian colony for approximately 500 years, but ownership defaulted to the crown of Scotland on 20 February 1472 following non-payment of the marriage dowry of Margaret of Denmark, queen of James III of Scotland. During World War II, boats from the Shetland Islands provided a relief service to occupied Norway, known as the "Shetland bus".

The East Shetland Basin is becoming one of Europe's largest oil fields. Oil produced there is landed at the Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland.

1 Composition
2 History
3 Notable places
4 Main industries
5 Animals
6 Language
7 Notable Shetlanders
8 Shetland Islands on film
9 External links

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Composition

The main island of the group is known as Mainland. Other islands include:

Balta, Bigga, Bressay, Brother Isle, Burra
East Linga
Fetlar, Fish Holm, Foula
Gloup Holm, Gruney
Haaf Gruney, Hascosay, Havra, Hildasay, Huney
Lady's Holm, Lamba, Linga near Muckle Roe, Linga near Shetland Mainland, Linga near Yell, Little Roe, Lunna Holm
Moul of Eswick, Mousa, Muckle Flugga, Muckle Ossa, Muckle Roe
North Havra, Noss
Orfasay, Out Stack, Oxna
Papa, Papa Little, Papa Stour
Samphrey
Sound Gruney, South Havra, South Isle of Gletness
Trondra
Unst, Urie Lingey, Uyea, Uynarey
Vaila, Vementry
West Linga, Whalsay
Yell

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 Outer Skerries lie east of the main group.

**County of Zetland**

Geography
Area - Total - % Water	Ranked 15th 352,876 acres ? %
County town	Lerwick
Chapman code	SHI


(In Detail)	(Coat of Arms)
Motto Með lögum skal land byggja

Shetland Islands

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History

See History of the Shetland Islands.

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Notable places

Clickimin broch
Fort Charlotte
Jarlshof archaeological site
Mousa Broch
Old Scatness archaeological site
Scalloway Castle
St Ninian's Isle
Sullom Voe oil terminal
Sumburgh Head
Skaw, the most northerly settlement in the United Kingdom.

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Main industries

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Animals

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Language

The Pictish language was replaced by Norn, which was replaced by the Northern Dialect of Scots, which in turn is being replaced by Scottish English.

As Norn was gradually replaced by Scots, the original Scandinavian name of the islands, Hjaltland became Ȝetland (the initial letter being the old Scots letter, yogh, which sounded almost identical to the original Norn sound, 'hj'). When the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter 'z', hence Zetland, the mispronounced form used to describe the pre-1975 county council.

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Notable Shetlanders

Arthur Anderson (1792-1868), co-founder of P&O
Tom Anderson MBE, a fiddler, composer, folklorist and teacher who was a profoundly influential figure in the development of Shetland music
Ian Bairnson (b. 1953), session guitarist (The Alan Parsons Project)
Aly Bain (b. 1946), fiddle player.
Morgan Goodlad, controversial chief executive of Shetland Islands Council (see, for example, Private Eye No 1144 p27, or this story from the Sunday Herald.)
Sir Herbert John Clifford Grierson (1866-1960), a literary scholar and critic
Norman Lamont (b. 1942), Conservative MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990 to 1993.
Steven Robertson, a theatre and film actor
Robert Stout (1844 - 1930), Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century
Sandra Voe (b. 1936), actress appearing in many small film and TV roles (including Coronation Street) and mother of Pulp keyboard player Candida Doyle.
Neil from Seven Up!

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Shetland Islands on film

Michael Powell made The Edge of the World in 1937. This film is a dramatisation based on the true story of the evacuation of the last thirty-six inhabitants of the remote island of St Kilda on 29 August 1930. St Kilda lies in the Atlantic Ocean, ten miles (16 km) off the west coast of Scotland, and west of the Outer Hebrides; the inhabitants spoke Gaelic. Powell was unable to get permission to film on St. Kilda. Undaunted, he made the film over four months during the summer of 1936 on the island of Foula, in the Shetland Isles. Despite the fact that the Foula islanders speak the Norse-tinged dialect of Shetland, the film loses none of its power.