Historic county of Scotland
Angus
Aonghas / Forfarshire / County of Forfar
North Sea below, Strathmore through the middle, glens rising behind.
Angus climbs in clear stages from Scotland’s east coast into the Grampians. Dundee, Arbroath, Carnoustie and Montrose belong to the maritime and lowland side of the county; behind them lies fertile Strathmore, with Forfar and Brechin among its settlements; further north and west the land rises into the celebrated Angus glens and high mountain country.
That progression gives Angus unusual clarity. The industrial and trading city of Dundee, the agricultural heartland and the sparsely settled glens are not competing identities but different levels of the same landscape.
- 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
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 299.7 people per sq mi (115.73 people per km²)
Strathmore as the middle country
Strathmore — the “Great Valley” — runs between the Sidlaw Hills and the higher Grampian country. Its broad fertile floor has long supported intensive agriculture.
The strath is the geographical hinge of Angus: coastal and urban country lies to one side, while the glens penetrate the mountains on the other.
Coast, town and industry
Angus’s coast contains another sequence of landscapes: city and port, fishing and harbour country, sandy shore and great tidal basin.
The county should therefore never be reduced to rural glens and castles. Its urban and maritime side is equally fundamental.
The Angus Glens
Northwards, long glens reach deep into the Grampians, carrying rivers down from mountain watersheds towards Strathmore.
Their enclosed pastoral landscapes provide the final stage in Angus’s remarkable progression from sea to mountain.
County questions
Questions about Angus
Are Angus and Forfarshire different counties?
No. Angus and Forfarshire are long-established names for the same geographic county.
Is Dundee in Angus?
Yes. Dundee is geographically in Angus. Its separate local-government arrangements do not alter that geography.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Angus
- Local name
- Aonghas
- Alternative name
- Forfarshire
- Foundation
- c.1178
Angus, Forfarshire and County of Forfar are forms associated with the same county. The alternative names emphasise different strands of an identity extending from the North Sea through Strathmore into the Grampians.