Inverness

: This article is about the city of Inverness in Scotland. For other places of the same name, see Inverness (disambiguation).

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Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. It lies at the mouth of the River Ness as it flows into the Moray Firth in north-east Scotland. It is from this that the city derives its name; Inbhir Nis is Scots Gaelic for "mouth of the Nis". The river flows from nearby Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal connects Loch Ness, Loch Oich, and Loch Lochy. Loch Ness is the home of the famous Loch Ness Monster, commonly known as Nessie. The city is the administrative centre for Highland Council, and was formerly the county town of Inverness-shire. The name Inverness is given to the most extensive of the Lieutenancy areas of Scotland.

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Buildings in Inverness include Inverness Castle and numerous churches, including St Andrew's Cathedral. However, the oldest church is the Old High Church, on St Michael's Mount by the riverside, a site perhaps used for worship since Celtic times. The castle was built on the site of a previous building in 1835 and is now a Sheriff Court; an older wooden castle was located further east in the 11th century, and may have been the basis for the castle in Shakespeare's Macbeth. St Andrew's Cathedral has a curiously square-topped look to its spires, as funds ran out before they could be completed.

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Islands in the River Ness, the Bught and- the river banks form a pleasant series of walks, as do the forested hills of Craig Phadraig and Craig Dunain. The city is well served with shops, as it is the main shopping centre for an area of nearly 26,000 sq km.

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Inverness was granted city status by the Queen in December 2000, and celebrated its new status officially in March 2001. In 2001, the population of Inverness was 51 000. Tourism is important to the city's economy, as are retailing, administration and healthcare. Most of the traditional industries such as distilling have been replaced by high-tech businesses, including the design and manufacture of diabetes diagnostic kits. The city is also home to the football clubs Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. and Clachnacuddin F.C.. Bught Park, located in the centre of Inverness is the Finishing point of the annual Loch Ness marathon.

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Inverness is linked to the Black Isle across the Moray Firth by the Kessock Bridge. It has a railway station with services to Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London, to Aberdeen, to Thurso and Wick, and to Kyle of Lochalsh. Inverness Airport is located 15 km east of the city and has scheduled flights to airports across the U.K. including London, Edinburgh and the islands to the north and west of Scotland.

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Culloden Moor lies nearby, and was the site of the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which ended the Jacobite Rising of 1745-1746.

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Inverness also serves as somewhat of a Mecca for lovers and players of the bagpipes. Every September the city hosts the Northern Meeting, the most prestigious solo piping competition in the world. The Inverness Cape, a garment worn by pipers in the rain, is actually made by a man in Glasgow.

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Scottish Highlands: :This article pertains to the geographic region of the Scottish Highlands. See Highlander for alternate meanings...

River Ness: The River Ness is a river flowing from Loch Ness in Scotland, north to Inverness and the Moray Firth....

Moray Firth: The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular inlet of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncansby Head in the north, to Fraserburgh in the east, to the Beauly Firth and Inverness in the west. It has more than 800 kilometres (about 500 miles)...

Inverness related Images and Photos (experimental)

Buildings along the River Inverness Scotland	View of Golfers Playing at Inverness Club - Toledo OH	Dark Shadows Barnabas Collins Deluxe Inverness Cape	Clouds Over Building on the Waterfront Inverness Highlands Scotland United Kingdom
Basin of Caledonian Canal at Muirtown Near Inverness