County Dossier
Angus
A county of glens, kirks and Pictish stones.
Angus is a maritime county on Scotland’s east coast, where fertile farmland meets dramatic seashore. Along the coast lie Dundee (Dùn Dèagh), a city that rose to prosperity through jute, shipbuilding, and trade; Carnoustie, world-famous for its golf links; Arbroath (Obar Bhrothaig), with its great 12th-century abbey where the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath was signed; and Montrose (Monadh Rois), a lively port town.
At a glance
Angus at a glance
A county of glens, kirks and Pictish stones.
- Pictish province of Oengus
- Foundation: 12th century
- Forfar = county town
- Area: 899 sq mi 2,328 km²
- Population: 264,044
- County Top: Glas Maol 3,504 ft / 1,068 m
County Geography
The county faces the North Sea and rises inland from the coast through fertile lowland into the uplands. Strathmore forms its central corridor, while the Sidlaw Hills shape the south-western line toward Perthshire and the higher country closes the northern side.
Angus has a strong geographic logic: coast, farming plain, Strathmore, and upland. That layered structure keeps the county easy to recognise.
Map Reference
View Angus on the map
Angus 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
Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Carnoustie, Brechin, and Forfar anchor the county’s story, from seaborne trade and abbey history to market-town life inland. The county also carries the rich agricultural landscapes of Strathmore and the celebrated Angus glens.
Connections
The coast linked Angus to maritime trade, while the inland corridor of Strathmore tied its towns, farms, and estates together. Movement has long run between shore and upland rather than around a single central county town.
Names
- Angus
- County of Angus
- Forfarshire
- County of Forfar
- Aonghas
Aonghas is the Gaelic form of Angus. The county was also widely known as Forfarshire, and the formal style County of Forfar reflects documentary history rather than a separate geography.
The county’s older roots run back to the Pictish province of Oengus, and by the 12th century it was established as a sheriffdom.