The Moray Firth is a roughly triangular area of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncansby Head in the north, to Fraserburgh in the east, to the Beauly Firth and Inverness in the west. It has more than 800 kilometres (about 500 miles) of coastline, much of which is cliffs. The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... Firth is the Lowland Scots word used to denote various coastal waters in Scotland. ... Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the extreme North East corner. ... The Beauly Firth is an estuary in northern Scotland. ... Inverness (Inbhir Nis in Scottish Gaelic) is the only city in the Scottish Highlands. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer, symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ...

A number of rivers flow into the Moray Firth, including the River Spey, as do Cromarty Firth, Dornoch Firth and Beauly Firth. The River Spey is a river in Scotland that runs 107 miles (172 km) to the Moray Firth at Spey Bay, making it the second longest river in Scotland. ... External link Cromarty Firth Port Authority Categories: 1911 Britannica | UK geography stubs | Geography of Scotland | Special protection areas in the UK | Ports and harbours of the UK ... Dornoch Firth is an inlet in northern Scotland, near the Black Isle. ... The Beauly Firth is an estuary in northern Scotland. ...

The Moray Firth is effectively two firths, the Inner Moray Firth, which was traditionally known as the Firth of Inverness, and Outer Moray Firth which is effectively the open North Sea. The name "Firth of Inverness" is rarely found on modern maps, but extended from the Beauly Firth in the west, to Chanonry Point in the east. The Beauly Firth is an estuary in northern Scotland. ...

Conservation and economy

The Moray Firth is one of the most important places on the U.K. coast for observing dolphins and whales. The most common species are the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Harbour Porpoise. Motto: Dieu et mon droit (Royal motto) (French: God and my right)2 Anthem: God Save the Queen3 Capital London 51°30′ N 0°7′ W Largest city London Official languages None; English de facto 4 Government Queen Prime Minister Constitutional monarchy Elizabeth II Tony Blair Establishment 18015 Area  â€¢ Total... Genera See article below. ... Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic placental mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... Binomial name Tursiops truncatus Montagu, 1821 The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the most common and well-known dolphin species. ... Binomial name Phocoena phocoena Linnaeus, 1758 Harbour Porpoise range The Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of six species of porpoise, and so one of about eighty cetacean species. ...

It is also an important oil field and fishing grounds. The Beatrice oil field in the Outer Moray Firth is the closest of the North Sea oil fields; it is also the (as of 2004) planned home for a 200-turbine deep-water wind farm. Much of the fishing industry focuses on scallops and Norway lobsters. Drilling rig in a small oil field Near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 An oil field is an area with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum (oil) from below ground. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A tall tower holds a wind turbine aloft where winds are consistently stronger. ... Wind turbines in Neuenkirchen, Dithmarschen (Germany). ... Genera See text Scallops are the family Pectinidae of bivalve molluscs. ... Subfamilies and Genera Neophoberinae Acanthacaris Thymopinae Nephropsis Nephropides Thymops Thymopsis Nephropinae Homarus Nephrops Homarinus Metanephrops Eunephrops Thymopides Clawed lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine crustaceans. ...

The Inner Moray Firth is a designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). ...

External links

• The Moray Firth Wildlife Centre
• The Moray Firth Partnership