Highland (pop. 235,351) is a region that covers a vast area of northern Scotland. It is a council area established in 1996, responsible for all local government services within its boundaries. An area of extremes, Highland includes the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, Ben Nevis, and the deepest lake, Loch Morar. It includes the most northerly point on the British mainland, Dunnet Head, and the most westerly point, Ardnamurchan Point.
Highland Region occupies an area of 9,699 square miles (25,120 square kilometers)—nearly a third of the total area of Scotland. The region covers most, but not all, of the part of Scotland called the Highlands. Inverness is the administrative center.
Hard living conditions and poor employment opportunities caused many people to leave the region until the 1960’s. Since then, the economy has improved, and the population has started increasing. In a few areas in the west of the region, about half of the population has some knowledge of the Gaelic language. But Gaelic has declined in most parts.
Two popular Gaelic traditions in the region are the ceilidh and the mod. Traditionally, the ceilidh has been a winter evening’s entertainment, with spontaneous discussions, music, singing, and storytelling. Today, a Highland ceilidh may also be a planned local concert. The mod is an arts festival that includes competitions in Gaelic music, poetry, and prose. Many participants wear traditional Highland costume, including plaid, kilt, and tartan.
Economy.
Highland contains some of the United Kingdom’s poorest land. Farming is dominated by hill sheep farming. But on the lowlands of Caithness and along the Moray Firth, farmers produce grains, particularly barley, and some dairy produce. The fertile soil of the Black Isle, between Inverness and Cromarty, produces potatoes. Forests make up more than 10 percent of the land.
The main fishing ports are Mallaig, Kinlochbervie, Ullapool, and Wick. Fish farming is growing, particularly for salmon and shellfish.
Smelting factories produce aluminum at Fort William and Kinlochleven. A mill at Fort William produces paper. Industries producing equipment for the North Sea oil industry are important in the areas around Cromarty Firth and Moray Firth. Other industries in the region include generating hydroelectric power, distilling whisky, and making textiles and knitwear.
Tourism is a major part of the region’s economy. The main tourist centers are Fort William and Inverness. Aviemore, Fort William, and Glencoe are centers for winter sports, and skiing is growing in popularity.
Land.
Highland makes up the northern part of the Scottish mainland and extends into the Inner Hebrides, a group of islands off the northwest coast. Much of the impressive scenery of the region was carved out by glaciers millions of years ago. The region’s many lakes, including Loch Ness, lie in valleys eroded by the glaciers. Huge indentations on the coastline lie where the sea has flooded other glacial valleys.
The northern part of the region, and the land along the Moray Firth in the east, is lowland. The rest of the region is highland, divided by Glen More, a huge valley running northeast. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, rises 4,413 feet (1,345 meters) above sea level near Glen More. The Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye are the steepest hills in the United Kingdom.
History.
In the A.D. 400’s, a tribe of people called Scots traveled from Ireland to colonize the southwest corner of the Highlands. The Scots’ Gaelic language and culture gradually spread across the region.
From the 700’s to the 1100’s, the Vikings attacked various parts of the region many times. Caithness and much of the land along the western coast became part of the Viking kingdom of the Isles.
By the 1400’s, the clan structure of communities was well developed. For 400 years, the clan system dominated the Highlands. But it was almost destroyed after Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Highland forces were defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. After this defeat, Highlanders were not allowed to bear arms, to use their tartans, or to wear traditional dress. The clan chiefs became landowners.
In the 1700’s, roads were built across the area, making communications easier. Landowners cleared many people from their land to make way for sheep farms. Many people left the region. Some drifted to the developing industrial areas in central Scotland. Others settled in crofts (small farms) on the coast.
During the 1800’s, many Highland crofters depended for food on potatoes, which were on occasions destroyed by blight. Public sympathy for the plight of the crofters led the government to appoint the Crofters’ Commission. The commission reported that the area suffered from the small size of holdings, high rents, and poor transport facilities. The Crofters’ Holdings Act of 1886 corrected many of these problems and ensured that crofting survived.
