The Moray Firth (Scottish Gaelic: An Cuan Moireach or Linne Mhoireibh) is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of Scotland. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water often leading to an enclosed body of water such as a sound, bay, Firth is the Lowland Scots word used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. Inverness (Inbhir Nis iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ is a city in northern Scotland. The Highland Council area ( Sgìre Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd in Gaelic, s̪g̊ʲiːɾʲə kɔ For local government purposes Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncansby Head (near John o' Groats) in the north, in the Highland council area, and Fraserburgh in the east, in the Aberdeenshire council area, to Inverness and the Beauly Firth in the west. Duncansby Head ( grid reference) is one of the most northerly parts of the Scottish mainland and is near John o' Groats, Caithness, Highland John o' Groats ( Taigh Iain Ghròt in Scottish Gaelic) ( is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland Fraserburgh, called The Broch in Scots, is a small town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the extreme Northeast corner approximately 40 miles North Aberdeenshire (Siorrachd Obar Dheathain is one of the 32 unitary Council areas in Scotland. Therefore three council areas have Moray Firth coastline: Highland to the west and south of the Moray Firth and Highland, Moray and Aberdeenshire to the south. The firth has more than 800 kilometres (about 500 miles) of coastline, much of which is cliff. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States
A number of rivers flow into the Moray Firth, including the River Ness and the River Spey. The River Ness ( Scottish Gaelic: "Abhainn Nis" is a River flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the The River Spey ( Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a River in the northeast of Scotland, the second longest and the fastest flowing river in Various smaller firths and bays are inlets of the firth, including the Cromarty Firth and the Dornoch Firth. Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment The Cromarty Firth ( Scottish Gaelic Caolas Chrombaidh kɯːɫ̪əs̪ xɾɔumbaj - literally Kyles/ Straits of Cromarty forms an arm of the North Sea The Dornoch Firth ( Gaelic: Caolas Dhòrnaich, kɯːɫ̪əs̪ ɣɔːɾnɪç is a Firth on the east coast of Highland, in northern Scotland The Pentland Firth has its eastern mouth at the Moray Firth's northern boundary. The Pentland Firth ( Scottish Gaelic: An Caol Arcach, meaning the Orcadian Strait which is actually more of a Strait than a Firth, separates
The Moray Firth is effectively two firths, the Inner Moray Firth, which was traditionally known as the Firth of Inverness, and the Outer Moray Firth which is more open North Sea water. The name "Firth of Inverness" is rarely found on modern maps, but extended from the Beauly Firth in the west, to Chanonry Point in the east. Chanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie
Conservation and economy
The Moray Firth is one of the most important places on the U.K. coast for observing dolphins and whales. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas The most common species are the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Harbour Porpoise. The Bottlenose Dolphin is one of the most common and well-known Dolphins. The Harbor Porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena) is one of six Species of Porpoise. With occasional sightings of Common dolphin and Minke Whale. The Common Dolphin is the name given to up to three species of Dolphin making up the Genus Delphinus. Minke Whale ( or Lesser Rorqual is a name given to two species of Marine mammal belonging to a Clade within the suborder of Baleen whales The The popular wildlife viewing area located at Chanonry Point host some spectacular displays of dolphins within the inner Moray Firth. Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants animals and other organisms Chanonry Point lies at the end of Chanonry Ness, a spit of land extending into the Moray Firth between Fortrose and Rosemarkie Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. There are also visitor centres at Spey Bay and North Kessock run by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society where dolphins and other wildlife can often be seen. Spey Bay is a small settlement in Moray, Scotland. It is situated at the eastern side of the mouth of the River Spey on the coast of the Moray Firth North Kessock is the first village encountered on the Black Isle when driving from Inverness north over the Kessock Bridge. ( WDCS) the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife Charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales dolphins
It is also an important oil field and fishing grounds. An oil field is a region with an abundance of Oil wells extracting Petroleum (crude oil from below ground The Beatrice oil field in the Outer Moray Firth is the closest of the North Sea oil fields; it is also the (as of 2004) planned home for a 200-turbine deep-water wind farm. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " A wind turbine is a rotating machine which converts the Kinetic energy in Wind into Mechanical energy. A wind farm is a group of Wind turbines in the same location used for production of electric power Much of the fishing industry focuses on scallops and Norway lobsters. A scallop (ˈskɒləp or /ˈskæləp/ is a marine Bivalve Mollusk of the family Pectinidae. The Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, (also called Dublin Bay prawn, langoustine or scampo) is a slim orange-pink Lobster
The Inner Moray Firth is a designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds
Map references
| Latitude and longitude | Ordnance Survey grid reference |
|
|---|---|---|
| Duncansby Head | ND405733 | |
| Chanonry Point | NH750557 | |
| Inverness (Kessock Bridge) | NH664476 | |
| Fraserburgh (Kinnaird Head) | NJ999676 |
External links
- UK governent website re its status as a protected site
- Scottish government press release about seal management in the firth
- The Moray Firth Wildlife Centre
- The Moray Firth Partnership
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
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