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	County Town: Wick County Population: 30,000 (estimate)
	Caithness occupies the far northeastern tip of Scotland, approximately 13km (8 miles) south of the main body of the Orkney Islands, to which there are ferries from Scrabster, near Thurso. Despite its northerly position, the county is sheltered by mountains in the west. Rolling, barren moors and black peat bogs in the southwest give way to a strip of rich deep soil to the northeast, which is ideal for farming and rearing cattle.
	The area is rich in relics of prehistoric occupation, including subterranean dwellings, forts, and memorial stone piles called cairns, as well as the later stone towers built by the Picts, called brochs, and Christian chapels. Because of its vulnerable location at the northern tip of the Scottish mainland, Caithness suffered for many hundreds of years from raids by the Vikings. Over the centuries the area has largely supported agriculture, fishing and cattle farming, with tourism now playing an important role in the economy. Following government reorganisation in 1975, the historic county of Caithness became part of the newly created Highland Region, a much larger county that stretches south to Argyllshire and east to Moray and Aberdeenshire.
	As with much of Scotland, the county is sparsely populated, and remains largely unspoilt by modern development.
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