County Dossier
Inverness-shire
Scotland’s largest county – from mountain to sea.
Inverness-shire is a vast Highland county, stretching from the North Sea to the Atlantic and encompassing a multitude of stunning islands.
At a glance
Inverness-shire at a glance
Scotland’s largest county – from mountain to sea.
- Rise of Clan System (11-12th Century)
- Sheriffdom recorded c.1226
- Highlands, Western Isles
- Area: 4,211 sq miles / 10,906 sq km
- Population: 118,077
- County Top: Ben Nevis (4,409ft / 1,344m)
County Geography
Inverness-shire meets Ross-shire to the north and north-west, Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire, and Aberdeenshire to the east and north-east, Perthshire to the south-east and south, and Argyllshire to the south-west, while the Minch and Atlantic form much of the county’s western sea edge. The county is shaped by the Great Glen, the central mountain mass, the long sea lochs, and the wide island arc beyond the mainland.
Inverness-shire is easy to recognise through the Great Glen, the mountain heartland, the sea lochs, and the island districts.
Map Reference
View Inverness-shire on the map
Inverness-shire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Portree, and Broadford show the county from its eastern and central glen-side districts to its Lochaber and Skye sides.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the Great Glen through Inverness and Fort William, crossed Badenoch through Kingussie, and turned west to Skye through Portree and Broadford. Movement follows the same glen, mountain, and island pattern.
Names
- Inverness-shire
- County of Inverness
- Siorrachd Inbhir Nis
Siorrachd Inbhir Nis is the Gaelic form of Inverness-shire. County of Inverness is the formal historical style, the county name follows Inverness at the mouth of the Ness, and the older county background lies in the Highland heartland of Picts and Gaels.
Inverness-shire was a sheriffdom by the twelfth century, and the county’s combination of Great Glen, mountain core, and western island reach has kept its identity distinct ever since. That glen-to-islands geography still makes the historic county clear.