I was wondering idly if the chain of lochs and rivers cutting across Scotland made an island of its north, and found this fantastic photograph of the country taken from the International Space Station a few years ago. As you can see, it's not quite an island. The Great Glen is interrupted by several land bridges, though man-made canals cover the span.
The glen's strategic importance in controlling the Highland Scottish clans, particularly around the time of the Jacobite risings of the 18th century, is recognised by the presence of the towns of Fort William in the south, Fort Augustus in the middle of the glen, and Fort George, just to the northeast of Inverness. Much of the glen is taken up with a series of lochs, with rivers connecting them. The Caledonian Canal also uses the lochs as part of the route, but the rivers are not navigable. From northeast to southwest, the natural water features along the Great Glen are:
Spectacular as it is, the Great Glen Fault is considered very unlikely to trigger a major earthquake—none have been recorded, though minor tremors are felt sometimes and the kilometer-long road bridge at Inverness was built with seismic buffers.
Previously:
• Shopping for consumer electronics in Scotland
• 'Terrified' hikers rescued from Scotland's 2nd highest mountain — hours after turning rescuers away
• Scotland honors historical victims of witch hunts with new tartan design
