Caithness | ||
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Historic county | ||
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Country | Scotland | |
County town | Wick | |
Area | ||
• Total | 618 sq mi (1,601 km2) | |
Ranked 14th of 34 | ||
Chapman code | CAI |
Caithness (Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh [ˈkal̪ˠɪv], Scots: Caitnes;Old Norse: Katanes) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland.
Caithness has a land boundary with the historic county of Sutherland and is otherwise bounded by sea. The land boundary follows a watershed and is crossed by two roads, the A9 and the A836, and one railway, the Far North Line. Across the Pentland Firth ferries link Caithness with Orkney, and Caithness also has an airport at Wick. The Pentland Firth island of Stroma is within Caithness.
The name was also used for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (1708 to 1918). Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is now entirely within the Highland council area.