Northern Isles
The Northern Isles [1] are a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland.
The group includes Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney. Sometimes Stroma is included, which is part of Caithness.
Culture and politics
[change | change source]The Northern Isles are usually separated for political purposes, but they come under the Orkney and Shetland parliamentary constituency in Westminster.
Due to their history, the islands have a Norse, rather than a Gaelic flavour, and have historic links with the Faroes, Iceland, and Norway.
Orkney and Shetland were given to Scotland as a deposit on the dowry of Margaret of Denmark when she married James III of Scotland in 1469.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Old Norse: Norðreyjar; Scots Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Tuath; Scots: Northren Isles