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Arran or the Isle of Arran (; (スコットランド・ゲール語:Eilean Arainn) ) is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. With an area of it is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire. In the 2011 census it had a resident population of 4,629. Although it is culturally and physically similar to the Hebrides, it is separated from them by the Kintyre peninsula. Arran is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault and it has been described as a "geologist's paradise".〔Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 11-17.〕 Arran has been continuously inhabited since the early Neolithic period, and numerous prehistoric remains have been found. From the 6th century onwards, Goidelic-speaking peoples from Ireland colonised the island and it became a centre of religious activity. During the troubled Viking Age, Arran became the property of the Norwegian crown before becoming formally absorbed by the kingdom of Scotland in the 13th century. The 19th century "clearances" led to significant depopulation and the end of the Gaelic language and way of life. The economy and population have recovered in recent years, the main industry being tourism. There is diversity of wildlife, including three species of tree endemic to the area. ==Etymology== Most of the islands of Scotland have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the Iron Age, and many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning as a result. Arran is therefore not unusual in that the derivation of the name is far from clear. Mac an Tàilleir (2003) states that "it is said to be unrelated to the name Aran in Ireland" (which means "kidney shaped", cf Irish ''ára'' "kidney"). Unusually for a Scottish island, Haswell-Smith (2004) offers a Brythonic derivation and a meaning of "high place" which at least corresponds with the geography—Arran is significantly loftier than all the land that immediately surrounds it along the shores of the Firth of Clyde.〔 Any other Brythonic place names that may have existed were later replaced on Arran as the Goidelic-speaking Gaels spread from Ireland via their adjacent kingdom of Dál Riata. During the Viking Age the island, along with the vast majority of the Scottish islands, became the property of the Norwegian crown, at which time it may have been known as "Herrey" or "Hersey". As a result of this Norse influence, many current place names on Arran are of Viking origin.〔Downie (1933) pp. 38–39.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Isle of Arran」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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