41 Facts About Shetland Islands

Shetland, called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway.

The local authority, the Shetland Islands Council, is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

Shetland Islands's location means that it provides a number of such records: Muness is the most northerly castle in the United Kingdom and Skaw the most northerly settlement.

Much of Shetland Islands's economy depends on the oil-bearing sediments in the surrounding seas.

Shetland Islands has an oceanic temperate maritime climate, bordering on, but very slightly above average in summer temperatures, the subpolar variety, with long but cool winters and short mild summers.

Related searches

In 2011, the collective site, "The Crucible of Iron Age Shetland Islands", including Broch of Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof, joined the UKs "Tentative List" of World Heritage Sites.

Shetland Islands was colonised during the late 8th and 9th centuries, the fate of the existing indigenous Pictish population being uncertain.

Shetland Islands's fleet assembled in Bressay Sound before sailing for Scotland.

Shetland Islands's death halted any further Norwegian expansion in Scotland and following this ill-fated expedition, the Hebrides and Mann were yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland as a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth, although the Scots recognised continuing Norwegian sovereignty over Orkney and Shetland.

In 1469, Shetland Islands was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland.

Shetland Islands then went into an economic depression, as the local traders were not as skilled in trading salted fish.

In total, Shetland Islands lost more than 500 men, a higher proportion than any other part of Britain, and there were further waves of emigration in the 1920s and 1930s.

About 30 fishing vessels used by Norwegian refugees were gathered and the Shetland Islands Bus conducted covert operations, carrying intelligence agents, refugees, instructors for the resistance, and military supplies.

Oil reserves discovered in the later 20th century in the seas both east and west of Shetland have provided a much-needed alternative source of income for the islands.

The East Shetland Islands Basin is one of Europe's prolific petroleum provinces.

Today, the main revenue producers in Shetland Islands are agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, renewable energy, the petroleum industry, the creative industries and tourism.

Report published in October 2020 was optimistic about the future of this sector in: "With new fish markets in Lerwick and Scalloway, and plans to expand its aquaculture offerings in Yell, Shetland Islands is preparing for more growth in its biggest industry".

In January 2007, the Shetland Islands Council signed a partnership agreement with Scottish and Southern Energy for the Viking Wind Farm, a 200-turbine wind farm and subsea cable.

Status report on hydrogen production in Shetland, published in September 2020, stated that Shetland Islands Council had "joined a number of organisations and projects to drive forward plans to establish hydrogen as a future energy source for the isles and beyond".

Shetland Islands Council planned to obtain further specifics about the availability of funding.

Shetland Islands is a popular destination for cruise ships, and in 2010 the Lonely Planet guide named Shetland Islands as the sixth best region in the world for tourists seeking unspoilt destinations.

Geopark Shetland was established by the Amenity Trust in 2009 to boost sustainable tourism to the islands.

Extremely popular in many countries, with five series having been filmed and aired by early 2021, Shetland Islands was inspired by the Ann Cleeves books about the fictional Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez.

September 2020 report stated that "The Highlands and Shetland Islands region has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to date, when compared to Scotland and the UK as a whole".

Shetland Islands is served by a domestic connection from Lerwick to Aberdeen on mainland Scotland.

Related searches

Shetland Islands Council is the local government authority for all the islands and is based in Lerwick Town Hall.

Shetland Islands is sub-divided into 18 community council areas and into 12 civil parishes that are used for statistical purposes.

Methodist Church has a relatively high membership in Shetland Islands, which is a District of the Methodist Church.

On 1 June 2020 the Presbytery of Shetland Islands merged with the Presbytery of Aberdeen becoming the Presbytery of Aberdeen and Shetland Islands.

Shetland Islands is represented in the House of Commons as part of the Orkney and Shetland Islands constituency, which elects one Member of Parliament.

Shetland Islands grew up on Islay, the son of hill farmers who raised sheep and cattle and worked at various occupations before running for election.

Political composition of the Shetland Islands Council is 21 Independents and 1 Scottish National Party.

Wir Shetland Islands movement was set up in 2015 to campaign for greater autonomy.

Shetland Islands competes in the biennial International Island Games, which it hosted in 2005.

Cuisine of Shetland Islands is based on locally produced lamb, beef and seafood, some of it organic.

The Shetland Islands Black is a variety of blue potato with a dark skin and indigo-coloured flesh markings.

The Shetland Quartet by Ann Cleeves, who previously lived in Fair Isle, is a series of crime novels set around the islands.

Landscape in Shetland Islands is marked by the grazing of sheep and the harsh conditions have limited the total number of plant species to about 400.

Shetland Islands mouse-ear is an endemic flowering plant found only in Shetland Islands.

Shetland Islands writes extensively about the gulls and terns, about the arctic skuas, the black guillemots and many other birds of the islands.

Geographical isolation and recent glacial history of Shetland have resulted in a depleted mammalian fauna and the brown rat and house mouse are two of only three species of rodent present in the islands.