ALNESS

village, Highland council area, historic county of Ross-shire, historic region of Ross and Cromarty, northern Scotland, situated on the northern shore of the Cromarty Firth. The village was planned in the 1970s to accommodate commuters to nearby Invergordon's new industries, in particular an aluminum smelting plant (now closed) and goods and services for the North Sea oil industry; the latter include the construction of the world's largest dry dock and the manufacture of oil rigs. Telecommunications has become a major source of employment in the area. Pop. (1991) 5,696.