Skye's population increased by 4 per cent between 19. Resident numbers declined from over 20,000 in the early 19th century to just under 9,000 by the closing decade of the 20th century. The 18th century Jacobite risings led to the breaking up of the clan system and later clearances that replaced entire communities with sheep farms, some of which involved forced emigrations to distant lands. The island was considered to be under Norwegian suzerainty until the 1266 Treaty of Perth which transferred control over to Scotland.
The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Pictish, Celtic and Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald. Although it has been suggested that Sgitheanach describes a winged shape there is no definitive agreement as to the name's origins. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country.
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye ( / s k aɪ/ Scottish Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or Eilean a' Cheò Scots: Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.
