Towering hills, narrow lochs, and a rugged coastline make it a lure for tourists, climbers, and other lovers of the out- doors. Barrenness, partly due to mass clearances a couple of centuries ago, defines the landscape. Today it is the most sparsely populated region in Britain while covering the largest administrative area. Its geography, encompassing high mountains and widely spread islands, makes the provision of health care a greater challenge than in other settings.
Many people live in small villages and townships, often many miles from the nearest town.
There are a few towns such as Oban, Ullapool, and Fort William, and one city, Scotland's newest, Inverness. The major industries are tourism, fishing and fish farming, and agriculture, with a sig- nificant number of people still working the semisubsistence crofting system. There has been a renaissance of Highland culture recently and there is a thriving traditional music and arts scene. The traditional language, Gaelic, previously confined to small island populations, is now offered in schools. The establishment of the University of the Highlands and Islands looks set to allow young people to remain in the area rather than heading to Aberdeen or the central belt for higher education, and the new Scottish parliament has given highlanders and islanders a greater voice in the country.