Highlands

Through Waverley, we've gotten to hear a lot about the Scottish Highlands, but what exactly are these magic little lands?  

    The topography is quite different from the rest of the British Isles, with the Highlands boasting large mountain ranges and the largest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. The Highlands are also home to the only taiga biome within the British Isles, thanks to its thick scots pine forests. The topography make the highlands quite a difficult area for the cultivation of agricultural product, with only approximately 9% of the land suitable for cultivation. Because of this, famines have been a long-standing issue in the highlands, it's hard to survive off of mountain meat all the time. 

    The Highlands are quite sparsely populated, having a population density of only about 24 people per square mile. That's comparable to Russia's population density of 23 people per square mile, only the Highlands don't consist of 6.6 million square miles like Russia does. The most populated city, Inverness, only has a population of about 60,000 within its urban area, so if you enjoy rural mountainous areas, you may want to consider the Highlands as a possible travel destination. 

    Until the late 19th century, the Highlands solely spoke Gaelic and the Islands north of the Highlands boast the highest percentage of Gaelic speakers throughout all of Scotland. When you look at the town names of Highland towns, you can sense a distinct Gaelic origin from them. For example, the city name Inverness is derived from the Gaelic words "Inbhir Nis" meaning "Mouth of the River Ness", I assume you can all guess why its named that with the english translation.

    While it'll probably be close to impossible for us to visit the Highlands in the time that we have allotted for Scotland, I hope that everyone may consider this area for a future visit to the Isles as experiencing such an area in person will be so much more magical than simply reading or writing about it.