The Shetland Islands sit at the meeting point of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, about 170 km (105 miles) north of mainland Scotland. The archipelago comprises around 100 islands, with about 16 inhabited, the largest called Mainland. Lerwick is the administrative centre and port. Fishing and aquaculture remain central to the local economy, alongside the Sullom Voe oil terminal and related maritime services. Inter-island ferries and small airports link the islands; Sumburgh Airport at the southern tip of Mainland provides the main scheduled flights to the Scottish mainland.
Wildlife and cultural history meet across short distances: seabird colonies and RSPB reserves such as Hermaness on Unst sit alongside Bronze Age and Norse remains at Jarlshof on Mainland. Annual events follow local tradition, most famously the torchlit Up Helly Aa procession in Lerwick. Knitwear patterns from Fair Isle and the small, hardy Shetland pony are known worldwide. Local place-names retain Norse elements and bays are often called voes, reflecting the islands’ long maritime and crofting heritage.
