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    Awaiting Your Return From Shore | 
    The Orkney 
    Islands are politically a part of Britain, yet seem quite different in many 
    ways. Numerous place names have non-English sounds, reflecting the original 
    Viking settlement of the 9th century. Norse crafts and traditions are 
    obvious everywhere. These islands were ruled from Norway and Denmark until 
    1468, when a Norwegian king gave them to Scotland in lieu of a dowry for his 
    daughter's marriage to King James III. In addition to the Norse heritage 
    there are numerous remains of prehistoric monuments such as the Stenness 
    Standing Stones at Finstown.
 The archipelago is located at the same latitude as southern Greenland; the 
    Gulfstream accounts for the islands' temperate climate. Approximately half 
    of the 60 islands are inhabited; the rest are home only to seals and sea 
    birds. Most of the inhabitants, who draw their livelihood from the fertile 
    hills rather than the sea, live on Mainland, the largest of the Orkney 
    Islands.
 
 Kirkwall, located on Mainland, is the principal harbor and capital of the 
    Orkneys. Steep-roofed stone houses line streets that wind around the 
    medieval St. Magnus Cathedral. A museum featuring Orkney historical 
    artifacts is housed in the 16th-century Tankerness House. Other attractions 
    around the island include Maes Howe, the site of Britain's best-preserved 
    megalithic tomb, and the stone-age village of Skara Brae. Scapa Flow serves 
    as a reminder of more recent times when, during both World Wars, Britain's 
    naval base was located here.
 
 The islands are virtually a museum of prehistoric times. Rock circles, 
    cairns, standing stones, ancient tombs and prehistoric villages are 
    scattered about, gaining these islands international recognition. The Orkney 
    Islands are a bird-watcher's paradise, with a myriad of puffins, eider 
    ducks, whooper swans and arctic terns. These birds, as well as many other 
    species, nest here during the summer months.
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