Shetland

Shetland (/ˈʃɛtlənd/; Scottish Gaelic: Sealtainn [ˈʃal̪ˠt̪ʰɪɲ]) (Norn: Hjaltland), also called the Shetland Islands, is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of the island of Great Britain and forms part of the United Kingdom.

The islands lie some 80 km (50 mi) to the northeast of Orkney and 280 km (170 mi) southeast of the Faroe Islands and 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 2012. Comprising the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, Shetland is also one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick. Also the capital of Shetland since 1708 taking over from Scalloway.

The largest island, known simply as "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.