Northern Isles

The Northern Isles of Scotland.

The Northern Isles 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

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.

Northern Isles Media

• 

  Map of Shetland Islands in Scotland (The original SVG sources for Image:Wfm shetland map.png)

• 

  Sketch geological map of Orkney taken from various sources including published BGS maps

• 

  The Iron Age Broch of Mousa

• 

  King Olav Tryggvason of Norway, who forcibly Christianised Orkney. Painting by Peter Nicolai Arbo.

• 

  James III and Margaret, whose betrothal led to Shetland passing from Norway to Scotland

• 

  Full-rigged ship Maella, of Oslo, in Bressay Sound circa January 1922

• 

  The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm, built by POWs

• 

  NorthLink Ferries MV Hamnavoe at Scrabster harbour

• 

  BN2 Islander being loaded with luggage at Papa Westray Airport

• 

  ExxonMobil's Beryl alpha oil platform in the East Shetland Basin