Stromness - Orkney Islands is a town in the very north of Scotland amidst the seventy Orkney Islands. Stromness is on of the twenty of these which are inhabited. This area has always been very advanced. There is evidence of high activity in prehistorical times. Advanced buildings--round buildings--were discovered in the Orkney Islands, dates as being built long before their time.
Due to the fact that Stromness is on an island--and all of the islands once belonged to Norway--it is needless to say that fishing and shipping is the prime market. Agriculture is strong in this area, but not nearly as strong as it could be were they not on islands. It is too difficult to move animals and there is not enough pasture land.
Stromness was the center of Orkney's advancement. This is an easy feat, since Stromness is on what they call "Mainland, " which is the largest island in the archipelago. Being the second largest town of Orkney, it is only natural that the town would pull ahead and lead commerce.
It became important in the late 1600s during yet another war with Britain's great rival, France. Shipping men and sailors were put to the test, since the normal trading route through the English Channel could not be used. Other ports were closer, of course, but Stromness's pride was its shipping and boats.
The town itself is very quaint, with just over two thousand residents. There is a ferry crossing to get you from Stromness to Scotland proper, but that is the only way apart from airplanes. It dealt with a lot of whaling in its time and though that has been cut back due to the endangered nature of the animals, Stromness residents still boast their whale bone relics.
The area has strong historical ties, especially religious ones. The town is a parish capital, and has an old monastery and ancient burial grounds. Though it is not a religious pillar in the Christian world any more, it is a place of note for scholars.
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