A small, narrow, uninhabited island in Shetland, Linga is situated at the southern end of the Bluemull Sound which separates Yell from Unst. It has an area of 45 ha (111 acres) and has a long low ridge which rises to 26m (85 feet) near its southern end. The island is separated from Yell by Linga Sound.
It is said that Jan Tait of Fetlar once kept a bear here. Having had to answer to the King of Norway after killing one of his men, the King promised Tait freedom if he killed a bear that was causing problems. Instead Tait captured the bear and brought it back to Shetland, keeping it on a chain on Linga to impress his friends and neighbours.
A ruined chapel and homestead bear evidence of former settlement, but today the island's only inhabitants are sheep. A former owner island began building a Normanesque castle at the northern end in the 1980s, but the project was refused planning permission and abandoned.
