Editing Sutherland (section)

{{About|the county of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                            = Sutherland
| native_name                     = {{native_name|gd|Cataibh}}
| native_name_lang                = gd
| settlement_type                 = [[Shires of Scotland|Historic county]]
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| image_flag                      = Flag of Sutherland.svg
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| subdivision_type                = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name                = {{Flag|United Kingdom }}
| subdivision_type1               = [[Subdivisions of the United Kingdom|Country]]
| subdivision_name1               = {{flag|Scotland}}
| subdivision_type2               = [[Council area]]
| subdivision_name2               = [[Highland (council area)|Highland]]
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| unit_pref                       = UK<!-- or US or Metric -->
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| area_total_sq_mi                = 2028
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| area_note                       = Ranked 5th of 34
| elevation_footnotes             = 
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| population_total                = 12,803
| population_as_of                = 2011
| population_density_km2          = auto
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| postal_code_type                = [[Chapman code]]
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}}

'''Sutherland''' ({{langx|gd|Cataibh}}) is a [[Counties of Scotland|historic county]], [[registration county]] and [[lieutenancy areas of Scotland|lieutenancy area]] in the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]] of Scotland. The name dates from the [[Scandinavian Scotland|Viking]] era when the area was ruled by the [[Jarl of Orkney]]; although Sutherland includes some of the northernmost land on the island of [[Great Britain]], it was called ''{{lang|non|Suðrland}}'' ("southern land") from the standpoint of [[Orkney]] and [[Caithness]].

From the 13th century, Sutherland was a [[provincial lordship]], being an [[earldom]] controlled by the [[Earl of Sutherland]]. The earldom just covered the south-eastern part of the later county. A [[Shires of Scotland|shire]] called Sutherland was created in 1633, covering the earldom of Sutherland and the neighbouring provinces of [[Assynt]] to the west and [[Strathnaver]] to the north. Shires gradually eclipsed the old provinces in administrative importance, and also become known as counties.

The county is generally rural and sparsely populated. Sutherland was particularly affected by the [[Highland Clearances]] of the 18th and 19th centuries, and the population has been in decline since the mid-19th century. As at 2011 the population of the county was 12,803, being less than half of the peak of 25,793 which was recorded in 1851. Only one town held [[burgh]] status, being [[Dornoch]], where the county's courts were held. Between 1890 and 1975 Sutherland had a county council, which had its main offices in the village of [[Golspie]].

Sutherland has a coast to the east onto the [[Moray Firth]] and a coast to the north-west onto the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. Much of the county is mountainous, and the western and northern coasts include many high [[sea cliffs]]. There are four [[National scenic area (Scotland)|national scenic areas]] wholly or partly in the county: [[Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area|Assynt-Coigach]], [[North West Sutherland National Scenic Area|North West Sutherland]], [[Kyle of Tongue]] and [[Dornoch Firth]], with the first three of these lying along the western and northern coasts.

The county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975, when the area became part of the [[Highland (council area)|Highland]] region, which in turn became a single-tier [[Council areas of Scotland|council area]] in 1996. There was a [[Districts of Scotland|local government district]] called Sutherland from 1975 to 1996, which was a lower-tier district within the Highland region, covering a similar but not identical area to the pre-1975 county. The pre-1975 county boundaries are still used for certain functions, being a registration county. The neighbouring counties prior to the 1975 reforms were Caithness to the north-east and [[Ross and Cromarty]] to the south.

The Sutherland [[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|lieutenancy area]] was redefined in 1975 to be the local government district. The registration county and the lieutenancy area therefore have slightly different definitions; the registration county does not include [[Kincardine (Ardgay and District)|Kincardine]], but the lieutenancy area does.