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Shetland (; (スコットランド・ゲール語:Sealtainn) (:ˈʃal̪ˠt̪ʰɪɲ)) (Norn: ''Hjaltland)'', also called the Shetland Islands, is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north-east of the island of Great Britain and forms part of the United Kingdom. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total area is 〔Shetland Islands Council (2012) p. 4〕 and the population totalled 23,210 in 2012. Comprising the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, Shetland is also one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the islands' administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick. Also the capital of Shetland since 1708 taking over from Scalloway. The largest island, known simply as "Mainland", has an area of , making it the third-largest Scottish island〔Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 406〕 and the fifth-largest of the British Isles. There are an additional 15 inhabited islands. The archipelago has an oceanic climate, a complex geology, a rugged coastline and many low, rolling hills. Humans have lived there since the Mesolithic period, and the earliest written references to the islands date back to Roman times. The early historic period was dominated by Scandinavian influences, especially Norway, and the islands did not become part of Scotland until the 15th century. When Shetland became part of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, trade with northern Europe decreased. Fishing has continued to be an important aspect of the economy up to the present day. The discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s significantly boosted Shetland incomes, employment and public sector revenues. The local way of life reflects the joint Norse and Scottish heritage including the Up Helly Aa fire festival, and a strong musical tradition, especially the traditional fiddle style. The islands have produced a variety of writers of prose and poetry, many of whom use the local Shetlandic dialect. There are numerous areas set aside to protect the local fauna and flora, including a number of important seabird nesting sites. The Shetland pony and Shetland Sheepdog are two well-known Shetland animal breeds. Shetland also a a breed of pig called the Shetland pig. The islands' motto, which appears on the Council's coat of arms, is ''Með lögum skal land byggja''. This Icelandic phrase is taken from the Danish 1241 Basic Law: Jyske Lov, and is also mentioned in Njáls saga and means "By law shall land be built".〔("Shetland Islands Council" ). Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2 April 2011.〕 ==Etymology== (詳細はOld Norse words, ''hjalt'' (hilt), and ''land'' (land).〔(Hjaltland – Shetland – ‘yet, land!” – 1871 ), Jakobsen, Jakob, fetlaraerial.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015.〕〔 In AD 43 and 77 the Roman authors Pomponius Mela and Pliny the Elder referred to the seven islands they call ''Haemodae'' and ''Acmodae'' respectively, both of which are assumed to be Shetland. Another possible early written reference to the islands is Tacitus' report in AD 98, after describing the discovery and conquest of Orkney, that the Roman fleet had seen "Thule, too". In early Irish literature, Shetland is referred to as ''Inse Catt''—"the Isles of Cats", which may have been the pre-Norse inhabitants' name for the islands. The Cat tribe also occupied parts of the northern Scottish mainland and their name can be found in Caithness, and in the Gaelic name for Sutherland (''Cataibh'', meaning "among the Cats").〔Watson (2005) p. 30〕 The oldest version of the modern name Shetland is ''Hetlandensis'', the Latinised adjectival form of the Old Norse name recorded in a letter from Harald count of Shetland in 1190,〔DIPLOMATARIUM NORVEGICUM. p.2 () ''Dilectissimis amicis suis et hominibus Haraldus Orcardensis, Hetlandensis et Catanesie comes salutem.'' (archive.org )〕 becoming ''Hetland'' in 1431 after various intermediate transformations. It is possible that the Pictish "cat" sound forms part of this Norse name. It then became ''Hjaltland'' in the 16th century.〔Gammeltoft (2010) p. 21-22〕〔Sandnes (2010) p. 9〕 As Norn was gradually replaced by Scots, ''Hjaltland'' became ''Ȝetland''. The initial letter is the Middle Scots letter, "yogh", the pronunciation of which is almost identical to the original Norn sound, "". When the use of the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter z, hence ''Zetland'', the misspelt form used to describe the pre-1975 county council.〔Jones (1997) p. 210〕〔("Zetland County Council" ) shetlopedia.com. Retrieved 16 July 2009.〕 This is also the source of the ZE postcode used for the Shetlands. Most of the individual islands have Norse names, although the derivations of some are obscure and may represent pre-Norse, possibly Pictish or even pre-Celtic names or elements.〔Gammeltoft (2010) p. 19〕 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「Shetland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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