Ross-shire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ross-shire
Historic county
Coat of arms
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
County town	Dingwall
Area
• Total	3,089 sq mi (8,000 km2)
	Ranked 3rd of 34
Chapman code	ROC (as part of Ross and Cromarty)

Ross-shire (pronounced 'ross-shy-er') is a historic county located in the Scottish Highlands. It's a really old area of Scotland with a long history. To the north, it shares a border with Sutherland. To the south, it borders Inverness-shire.

Ross-shire also has a tricky border with Cromartyshire. Cromartyshire was made up of many small pieces of land scattered inside Ross-shire. Ross-shire includes most of the area called Ross. It also includes Lewis, which is part of the Outer Hebrides islands. The main town of Ross-shire has always been Dingwall.

For a long time, Ross-shire was managed by a special judge called a sheriff. This area was separated from Inverness by the Scottish Parliament. Later, in 1889, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire were joined together. They became one big area called Ross and Cromarty. This new area was used for local government until 1975. Even after that, Ross-shire was still used as a postal address for many years.

In 1975, the area changed again. Ross and Cromarty became part of the larger Highland region. This region then became a single council area in 1996.

Ross-shire also had its own representatives in the British Parliament. From 1708 to 1832, it was a separate voting area. Then, it joined with Cromartyshire to form the Ross and Cromarty voting area.

Exploring Ross-shire's Geography

Sgurr Fiona and the Corrag Bhuidhe pinnacles on An Teallach in Wester Ross

Ross-shire is a place of amazing natural beauty. It has two main parts: the west and the east.

Wester Ross: Mountains and Coasts

The western part of Ross-shire is known as Wester Ross. It's famous for its tall, rugged mountains. These include the impressive Torridon Hills, with peaks like Beinn Eighe and Liathach. The very highest point in the county is Càrn Eighe, which stands at 1,183 meters (3,881 feet) tall.

Wester Ross also has a long, broken coastline. It faces The Minch and Inner Sound, which are waters near the Skye island. This coastline has many isolated peninsulas. These are pieces of land almost surrounded by water. They are separated by deep sea lochs, which are like long, narrow sea inlets. Some of these sea lochs include Loch Broom, Little Loch Broom, Loch Ewe, Loch Gairloch, Loch Torridon, Loch Kishorn, Loch Carron, Loch Long, and Loch Duich.

Easter Ross: Flat Lands and Farmland

The eastern part of Ross-shire is called Easter Ross. This area is much flatter than the west. It has many towns, villages, and farms. It borders the Moray Firth, which is a large bay.

In the north, the Dornoch Firth separates Ross-shire from Sutherland. The Tarbat peninsula is a hammerhead-shaped piece of land in the north-east. It is shared with Cromartyshire. Across the Cromarty Firth is the Black Isle. This is actually a peninsula, not an island, and it's also shared with Cromartyshire. To the south-east, the Beauly Firth forms the border with Inverness-shire.

Lakes and Islands

Ross-shire is home to many beautiful lakes, called lochs in Scotland. Some of the most well-known include Loch Maree, Loch Fannich, Fionn Loch, Loch Eye, Loch Glass, and Loch Luichart.

Lewis is the northern part of a much larger island. It's the biggest island in the Outer Hebrides. Because its land is flatter and more fertile, most of the people in the Western Isles live on Lewis. The largest town there is Stornoway. Far out to the west are the Flannan Isles, which are uninhabited. Even further north, about 71 kilometers (44 miles) from the Butt of Lewis, are North Rona and Sula Sgeir. These remote islands are also part of Ross-shire.

Islands of Mainland Ross-shire

Islands of Lewis

Islands of North Rona

Towns and Villages

Ross-shire has many towns and villages, both on the mainland and on the Isle of Lewis.

Mainland Settlements

Dingwall, with Ben Wyvis in the distance

Shieldaig

Isle of Lewis Settlements

Stornoway

Images for kids

• 

  Eilean Bàn from the Skye Bridge, looking towards Kyle of Lochalsh

• 

  Shag birds on Longa Island

• 

  The Isle of Ewe

• 

  Cave on Garbh Eilean, Shiant Isles

• 

  The famous Callanish Stones on Lewis

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  Seana Chnoc (at left) and Bearasaigh from the south west. Stac nam Balg is just visible to the left of Seanna Chnoc

See also

• Mormaer of Ross
• Bishop of Ross
• James McKenzie