Fort William, Highlands

Coordinates: 56°49′11″N 5°06′19″W / 56.8198°N 5.1052°W / 56.8198; -5.1052
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Fort William

Fort William High Street
Fort William is located in Highland
Fort William
Fort William
Location within the Highland council area
Population10,459 
OS grid referenceNN 10584 74114
• Edinburgh134 mi (216 km)
• London512 mi (824 km)
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townFORT WILLIAM
Postcode districtPH33
Dialling code01397
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°49′11″N 5°06′19″W / 56.8198°N 5.1052°W / 56.8198; -5.1052

Fort William (Scottish Gaelic: An Gearasdan [ən ˈkʲɛɾəs̪t̪ən]; "The Garrison") is in the Scottish Highlands. It is a town in the area of Lochaber on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe.

In 2011, Fort William had a population of about 10,500. It is the second largest settlement in the Highland council area, and the second largest settlement in the whole of the Scottish Highlands. Only the city of Inverness has a larger population.[1]

Fort William is a major tourist centre. It has Glen Coe to the south, Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles.

Fort William is a centre for hillwalking and climbing. It is near Ben Nevis and other Munro mountains. It is the start and end of travel to the north-east or south-west.

About 700 people (~7% of the population) can speak Gaelic.[2]

Geologically, the town sits on the Great Glen Fault, the most striking feature of Scotland on the map. The fault runs from the south-west to the north-east of Scotland.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Highland profile - key facts and figures".
  2. "Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic) Local Studies" (PDF). Population figures. Linguæ Celticæ. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2012.