Council area · Scotland
Shetland Islands
Explore Shetland’s separate archaeological sites and the later maritime growth of Lerwick, from Jarlshof and island brochs to a sheltered harbour.
Quick facts
- Type of place
- Council area
- Nation
- Scotland
- Official identifier
- gss:S12000027
- Part of
- Scotland (Nation)
Overview
The Shetland Islands form a council area in Scotland. Historic sites across the islands span about 5,000 years of human history. These separate sites provide an islands-wide perspective, while Lerwick’s harbour offers a later story of trade and fishing.
Shetland Islands is a council area in Scotland.
Population and demographics
- Land area
- 1,467.47 km²
-
Figures for . NRS mid-2025 administrative areas; land area from ONS SAM through 31 December 2024.
National Records of Scotland · nrs-mid-2025 · Table 4!E32 (binary spreadsheet decimal rounded to 6 dp). Released 14 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: National Records of Scotland. Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Population
- 22,710 people
-
Figures for . NRS mid-2025 administrative areas; land area from ONS SAM through 31 December 2024.
National Records of Scotland · nrs-mid-2025 · Table 1!E34. Released 14 July 2026.
Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: National Records of Scotland. Crown copyright; Open Government Licence v3.0.
Population density: 15.5 people per km²
Calculated from the population and land area for 30 June 2025, using figures from the same release and covering the same boundaries.
Archaeology across the islands
Jarlshof, in the south of Mainland, preserves successive settlements. Mousa is known for its broch, while Clickimin broch stands at Clickimin Loch in Lerwick. They are separate places across an island landscape, rather than parts of one continuous settlement. Clickimin also provides evidence of occupation older than Lerwick’s modern growth. It connects the islands’ archaeological history with an area whose later development centred on its harbour.
Lerwick’s harbour and later growth
Sheltered Bressay Sound became Lerwick’s harbour. The town’s modern growth was linked to international trade and the catching, processing and export of fish. Its name derives from the Norse Leirvik, meaning muddy or clay bay. During the later twentieth century, the expanding town absorbed the hamlet of Sound. This local history concerns Lerwick; it should not be read as an account of every island or settlement in the Shetland council area.