The remote islands have been inhabited for more that 5,500 years. It is closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. No part of Shetland is more than 4km from the sea.
Gales are frequent and wind speeds are the highest in Britain.
Edmund, Philip and John Blackadder were among the many pirates and privateers who operated in Shetland waters in the 16th and 17th centuries. The men of Shetland spent the three summer months at the fishing stations, leaving the women and children to plant and harvest the grain. A red hat was the distinctive badge of the head of the house. 3154 E. Doncaster, Vic.