It attracts many tourists, particularly from the United States, Europe and England. The coast of Scotland is deeply pierced by inlets from the sea. The larger inlets are called firths. Long, narrow inlets are called sea lochs. On the rugged west coast the sea lochs are framed by great cliffs and resemble the fjords of Norway.
Numerous islands line the coast.
In the north are two large groups, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. Close to the west coast are the Inner and Outer Hebrides groups, and the islands of Arran and Bute. The Highlands are wild and picturesque. Their rocky, barren summits were chiseled by Ice Age glaciers and the rainfall of many centuries. Purple heather clothes the lower slopes in late summer.