Orkney

Orkney
Scottish Gaelic nameArcaibh
Scots nameOrkney
Old Norse nameOrkneyjar
Meaning of name"Ork" possibly originally from a Pictish tribal name meaning 'young pig'.[1]
Location
Orkney is located in Scotland
Orkney
Orkney
Orkney shown within Scotland
Coordinates59°00′N 3°00′W / 59.000°N 3.000°W / 59.000; -3.000
Physical geography
Island groupNorthern Isles
Area990 km2 (380 sq mi)
Highest elevationWard Hill 481 m (1,578 ft)
Administration
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Council areaOrkney Islands Council
Demographics
Population22,540 (2021)
Population density23/km2 (59/sq mi)
Largest settlementKirkwall
Lymphad

Orkney (/ˈɔːrkni/; Scots: Orkney; Old Norse: Orkneyjar; Norn: Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands (archaically "The Orkneys"[2]), is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited.[3][4][5] The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles.[6] Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.[7]

Orkney is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a constituency of the Scottish Parliament, a lieutenancy area, and an historic county. The local council is Orkney Islands Council, one of only three councils in Scotland with a majority of elected members who are independents.[Notes 1]

The islands have been inhabited for at least 8,500 years, originally occupied by Mesolithic and Neolithic tribes and then by the Picts. Orkney was colonised and later annexed by the Kingdom of Norway in 875 and settled by the Norsemen. In 1472, the Parliament of Scotland absorbed the Earldom of Orkney into the Kingdom of Scotland, following failure to pay a dowry promised to James III of Scotland by the family of his bride, Margaret of Denmark.[10]

In addition to the Mainland, most of the remaining islands are divided into two groups: the North Isles and the South Isles. The local climate is relatively mild and the soils are extremely fertile; most of the land is farmed, and agriculture is the most important sector of the economy. The significant wind and marine energy resources are of growing importance; the amount of electricity that Orkney generates annually from renewable energy sources exceeds its demand. Daytime temperatures generally range between 7 °C (45 °F) in winter and 16 °C (61 °F) in summer.

The local people are known as Orcadians; they speak a distinctive dialect of the Scots language and have a rich body of folklore. Orkney contains some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe; the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Orkney also has an abundance of marine and avian wildlife.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Waugh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Orkneys and Shetland: The Orkneys and Shetland; Their Past and Present State . By John R. Tudor. Loudon, Stanford, 1883. 29+703 p., illustr. 8°". Science. ns-2 (44): 743–745. 1883. doi:10.1126/science.ns-2.44.743. PMID 17782947.
  3. ^ Haskell-Smith (2004) pp. 336–403.
  4. ^ Wickham-Jones (2007) p. 1 states there are 67 islands.
  5. ^ National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  6. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 334, 502.
  7. ^ Lamb, Raymond "Kirkwall" in Omand (2003) p. 184.
  8. ^ MacMahon, Peter and Walker, Helen (18 May 2007) "Winds of change sweep Scots town halls". Edinburgh. The Scotsman.
  9. ^ "Political Groups" Archived 16 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Shetland Islands Council. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  10. ^ Thompson (2008) p. 220.


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