Inverness-shire is a maritime county in north central Scotland, the largest of the Highland counties, bounded on the north by Beauly and Moray firths and Ross and Cromarty, on the east by Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire, and Aberdeenshire, south by Perthshire and Argyllshire, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and the Inner and Outer Hebrides. It covers an area of 4383 square miles.
The surface of the shire is generally mountainous, counting among its highest peaks Ben Nevis, at 4406 feet the highest peak in Great Britain. The shire also has many of Scotland's most famous glens, including Urquehart, Nevis, Garry and Coe. Their wild and scenic beauty and extensive deer forests are preserved in national parks.
Because of the shire's rugged terrain, only about 5% is under cultivation. The chief towns of the mainland are Inverness, the county seat, Fort William, Kinlochleven, and Spean Bridge.
