Fort William, Highlands
Fort William (Scottish Gaelic: An Gearasdan [ən ˈkʲɛɾəs̪t̪ən]; "The Garrison") is in the Scottish Highlands. It is a town in the area of Lochaber on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe.
| Fort William | |
| Scottish Gaelic: An Gearasdan | |
 Fort William High Street |
|
| Population | 10,459 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NN 10584 74114 |
| - Edinburgh | 134 mi (216 km) |
| - London | 512 mi (824 km) |
| Council area | Highland |
| Lieutenancy area | Inverness-shire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FORT WILLIAM |
| Postcode district | PH33 |
| Dialling code | 01397 |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Ross, Skye and Lochaber |
| Scottish Parliament | Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch |
In 2011, Fort William had a population of about 10,500. It is the second largest settlement in the Highland council area, and the second largest settlement in the whole of the Scottish Highlands. Only the city of Inverness has a larger population.[1]
Fort William is a major tourist centre. It has Glen Coe to the south, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles.
Fort William is a centre for hillwalking and climbing. It is near Ben Nevis and other Munro mountains. It is the start and end of travel to the north-east or south-west.
About 700 people (~7% of the population) can speak Gaelic.[2]
Geologically, the town sits on the Great Glen Fault, the most striking feature of Scotland on the map. The fault runs from the south-west to the north-east of Scotland.
References
- ↑ "Highland profile - key facts and figures".
- ↑ "Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies" (PDF). Population figures. Linguæ Celticæ. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2012.