The Inverness region sits at the heart of the Highlands, containing Inverness, the only city in the Highlands (contained a quarter of the population). The city is at the north-eastern end of the Great Glen, and a short distance to the south-west is the start of Loch Ness. East of Inverness the countryside is a little more gentle, and the area contains the western part of the coastal plain that runs to Nairn, Forres and Elgin.