Highlands and Islands

North of Edinburgh and Glasgow are the Highlands of Scotland: mountains with few trees, many sheep, wild deer and golden eagles. The Highlanders, the original people of the area, were removed by force by the English after their defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Many emigrated to America and Canada. Even today, few people live in the Highlands. Most of them are farmers, although there is also a lot of forestry and fishing. Large areas of the Highlands are kept by rich people for salmon-fishing and deer-hunting. Most Scotch whiskies are also made in the Highlands. Loch Ness is in the Highlands, too. Loch is the Scottish word for lake. A monster is supposed to live in the loch.

The Inner and Outer Hebrides are remote islands with small fishing and farming communities. Some of the people still speak Gaelic, the ancient Celtic language of Scotland.

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain; Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 85