Shetlands

Shetland

Norse name	Hjaltland
Flag
Location
Shetland Shetland shown within Scotland
OS grid reference	HU4363
Coordinates	60°21′N 1°13′W / 60.350°N 1.217°W / 60.350; -1.217Coordinates: 60°21′N 1°13′W / 60.350°N 1.217°W / 60.350; -1.217
Physical geography
Island group	Northern Isles
Area	1,466 km2 (566 sq mi)
Highest elevation	Ronas Hill 450 m (1,480 ft)
Administration
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
Council area	Shetland Islands Council
Demographics
Population	23,210 (2012)
Population density	15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Main settlement	Lerwick

Shetland /ˈʃɛtlənd/ (Old Norse: Hjaltland, also called the Shetland Islands), is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of Great Britain.

The islands lie some 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney, 168 km (104 mi) from the Scottish mainland and 280 km (170 mi) southeast of the Faroe Islands. They form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is 1,466 km² (566 sq mi), and the population totalled 23,210 in 2011. Comprising the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, Shetland Islands Council is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick, which has also been the capital of Shetland since taking over from Scalloway in 1708.

The largest island, known as the "Mainland", has an area of 967 km² (373 sq mi), making it the third-largest Scottish island and the fifth-largest of the British Isles. There are an additional 15 inhabited islands. The archipelago has an oceanic climate, a complex geology, a rugged coastline and many low, rolling hills.