Historic county of Scotland
Caithness
Gallaibh
Low northern plain between the Flow Country and two open seas.
Caithness occupies the far north-eastern mainland of Scotland, facing the North Sea on one side and the Pentland Firth on the other. Unlike the mountain counties further south and west, much of Caithness is strikingly open: broad farmland, low moor, peatland and long horizons dominate the interior.
Towards its southern side the county merges into the vast blanket-bog landscape of the Flow Country, while the coast alternates between harbour country, cliffs and long exposed headlands. Caithness is a northern Highland county whose defining character comes precisely from the relative absence of great mountain masses.
- Norse: 'headland of cats'
- Medieval records = 'Catnes'
- Norse then Scottish rule
- Area: 618 sq miles / 1,601 km²Medieval records = 'Catnes'
- Population: 26,486
- County top: Morven 2,316 ft / 706 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 36.1 people per sq mi (13.96 people per km²)
The Caithness plain
Much of the county consists of broad, gently undulating country rather than steep Highland relief.
That openness gives settlement, farmland and sky unusual prominence and produces a landscape which can feel almost startling after the mountains further south.
Flow Country
Part of the great Flow Country extends across inland Caithness, creating immense expanses of blanket bog, pools and wet moorland.
This landscape is not empty ground between more important places. It is one of the defining natural systems of northern Scotland.
Two maritime faces
Caithness looks both east to the North Sea and north across the Pentland Firth. The two coasts meet through a sequence of cliffs, bays, harbours and headlands.
That position gave the county powerful connections with the northern seas and helps explain its strong Norse historical inheritance.
County questions
Questions about Caithness
Why does Caithness feel so different from much of the Highlands?
Because much of the county is comparatively low and open. Farmland, moor and blanket bog dominate rather than continuous mountain ranges.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Caithness
- Local name
- Gallaibh
- Foundation
- Norse Earldom 13th Century
Caithness and Gallaibh are forms associated with the county. Its northern maritime position and Norse inheritance give it a character distinct from the Gaelic mountain country further west and south.