Orkney is an archipelago of 70 or so islands and skerries, of which 17 are currently inhabited. Orkney can be found off the northern tip of Scotland, lying on latitude 59° North, where the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet.

The Islands cover an area of 974 square kilometres, of which more than half is taken up by the Mainland, which is the group’s largest island.The islands are about 85 km from north to south and 37 km from east to west. Approximately 20,000 people live in Orkney, the majority of which live in the main towns of Kirkwall and Stromness.