Shetlands
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shetlands (or Shetland Islands) is a group of islands (an archipelago). The islands are located in the Northern Atlantic, between the Faroe Islands and the Orkney Islands. They are about 50 miles to the northeast of the Orkney Islands. They are about 100 islands in the group. People live on 29 of them.
The largest islands of the group are Mainland, Yell, Unst, Fetlar, Whalsay, and Bressay. In general, the appearance of the group is moorish and bleak. Most of the islands have a very irregular coastline.
They used to be called Hjaltland or Zetland. Today, the islands are part of Scotland. The administrative centre is Lerwick.
The economy of the islands is largely based on agriculture. The sheep are known for their fine wool. Other well-known exports are the Shetland ponies and Shetland Sheepdog.
In 1969 crude oil was discovered near the islands, leading to an alternative source of income for them.
