Inner Moray Firth is the most densely populated area in the Highlands and Islands.
Stretching from Ross-shire south to Badenoch and Strathspey, the area is home to around 143,500 people, more than a third of them in the Highland capital of Inverness.
The area is connected with the rest of Scotland by major trunk roads, rail and ferry services. Inverness Airport has daily flights to London and several other locations in the UK and Ireland.
It is an area which regularly scores high in quality of life surveys, combining the attractions of city living with a rich culture and history.
The area also boasts such world famous attractions as Loch Ness and the Cairngorms National Park.
The range of businesses and community enterprises in the area is as diverse as the landscape. Tourism and food and drink play a big role, as does the service sector.
Inverness is developing as a centre for life sciences commercialisation and research. The country's largest life sciences employer, Lifescan Scotland, is based in the city, along with the prestigious Centre for Health Science.
Currently HIE is leading a partnership to develop Inverness Campus, a highly ambitious education and business park which will be a centre for learning and research as well as a prime location for inward investment.
