Linga is one of the Shetland Islands

Shetland Islands

Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...

, near Vaila

Vaila

Vaila is an island in Shetland, Scotland, lying south of the Westland peninsula of the Shetland Mainland. It has an area of , and is at its highest point.Vaila is home to an organic sheep farm and is also known for its mountain hares....

 and Walls on Mainland, Shetland.

Geography and geology

Linga is made up of sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

, subjected to ancient glacial erosion.

Linga is to the north east of Vaila, in Vaila Sound surrounded by Mainland, Shetland on three sides. The Holm of Breibister is to the west, the Baa of Linga to the south (baa is a Shetland word for a sunken rock).

History

Linga was inhabited up until the mid 20th century. it is recorded that there were two inhabitants in 1931, after growing steadily during the 19th century. In 1841, it is recorded that nine people were living there, which had grown to 13 in 1881.