Mainland

Mainland, largest of the Orkney Islands, north-eastern Scotland, formerly called Pomona. Its southern coast borders the former British naval base of Scapa Flow, which was closed in the 1950s. The hilly western part of the island contains several lakes and extensive moorland as well as the highest point, Ward Hill, which is 268 m (880 ft) high. The island is home to many species of seabirds, including kittiwakes and guillemots, and grey seal may be observed along the coast. A narrow neck of land about 4 km (2.5 mi) wide, on which Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkneys, stands, links the western to the eastern part of Mainland, which is mostly flat and agricultural in character. Beef and dairy cattle are the main agricultural products, and whisky is also distilled. The island is a service base for the extraction of North Sea oil, and tourism is another source of income. Kirkwall, an old Viking centre, has the Cathedral of St Magnus, which was begun in 1137, and contains the remains of Rognvald, its founder, and his uncle, Earl or St Magnus. The only other town, Stromness, is in the south-west. Western Mainland contains several major Neolithic sites dating from c. 3100 bc, which were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. They include Skara Brae, which is the well-preserved remains of a Neolithic village, and a dome-shaped mound at Maeshowe, which is a Stone Age tomb. Other interesting prehistoric sites are the Ring of Brogar, which consists of 27 of the original 60 standing stones, and the Stones of Stenness. Mainland has an area of about 500 sq km (195 sq mi). Population (1991) 15,123.