Orkney is an archipelago off the north-eastern coast of Scotland, made up of about 70 islands, around 20 of them inhabited. The largest island is known as Mainland; Kirkwall serves as the administrative centre. Low-lying farmland, layers of Old Red Sandstone and narrow tidal sounds form the landscape. The islands contain the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, including Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar and Maeshowe, with settlements and tombs that date to the fourth millennium BCE. Hoy's sea cliffs include the Old Man of Hoy, a freestanding sea stack reached by boat and on coastal paths.
Orkney's maritime past is visible in Scapa Flow, the sheltered anchorage where much of the German High Seas Fleet was scuttled in 1919; many wrecks lie beneath the water and are visited by divers. The Churchill Barriers link some southern islands and the Italian Chapel stands on Lamb Holm. Farming and fishing remain important, alongside renewable-energy projects and seabird colonies. On North Ronaldsay a traditional flock of seaweed-eating sheep is kept within a perimeter dyke, a local practice that highlights long-standing island ways.
