INVERNESS

district, Highland region, northern Scotland; created by the administrative reorganization of 1975, it covers an area of 1,081 sq mi (2,800 sq km), formerly the northern half of the county of Inverness. Glen More nan Albin, or rift valley of Glenmore, containing the glacial Loch Ness, bisects the area from northeast to southwest, separating the deeply dissected eastward-sloping plateau of the North West Highlands from the higher and more rugged Cairngorms to the east and from Ben Nevis (4,406 ft , the highest mountain in Great Britain) to the south. Lowland areas are limited and confined to the coastal strip and glacial drift-covered valley floors. In the 6th century the early Pictish inhabitants were converted to Christianity by St. Columba and subsequently overrun by heathen Norsemen in the 9th century. Rural depopulation is a longstanding feature of the remoter highland areas, exacerbated in the 19th century by the Highland clearances when the crofters were forcibly evicted by the landowners and their lands converted into extensive sheep farms. Depopulation continues, reflecting the marginal nature of hill farming (the result of difficult physical conditions) and the attraction of better employment opportunities in Inverness and the oil-related industries of the west shore of the Moray Firth and Aberdeen areas. Crofting, the traditional agricultural economy based on sheep, oats, potatoes, and supplementary fishing, continues in the north and west. Extensive sheep farms predominate in the hills, with cattle- and sheep-raising in the valleys. The drier eastern lowlands produce barley, oats, and beef cattle. Large areas have been developed for forestry, game moors, and tourist amenitiesclimbing and winter sports. Early development of hydroelectric power attracted an aluminum smelting plant to Foyers, now closed and superseded by Kinlochleven and Fort William (Lochaber district) and Invergordon. Traditional industries include whisky distilling, woollen manufacturing, and boat building. The North Sea oil boom has resulted in increased industrial activity in Inverness and on the west shore of the Moray Firth. Ardersier, previously a declined fishing village on the southern shore of the Firth, now has an important oil platform production yard. Inverness, the historic regional capital and seat of both district and regional authorities, is the administrative, commercial, and educational centre for an extensive hinterland and is an important tourist centre. Pop. (1982 est.) 57,263. royal burgh (town), Highland council area, historic county of Inverness-shire, Scotland. It is the long-established centre of the Highlands and lies at the best crossing place of the River Ness, which flows from Loch Ness at the east end of Glen Mor. Situated astride the river and the Caledonian Canal, it commands the route system of northern Scotland. Inverness was the capital of the Picts under King Brude, who was visited and converted by St. Columba about 565. By the 12th century Inverness had become a burgh nestling under the castle attributed to King Malcolm III (Malcolm Canmore), which remained a royal residence and fortress for centuries. The present 19th-century castle, on the site of a fortress destroyed in 1746 by the Jacobites, overlooks the river and houses law courts. The few old surviving buildings include the old Town Cross (1685), the Town Steeple (formerly a prison), the old High Church (176972), and St. Andrew's Cathedral (186671). Inverness is the commercial, educational, and tourist centre of a large area and has light engineering, woolen, and food-processing industries. Both manufacturing and services have expanding to meet the needs of the offshore oil industry. Inverness Airportat Dalcross, 8 miles (13 km) northeastprovides service to domestic destinations. Pop. (1991) 41,234.