This article is about the council area covering part of the Scottish Highlands. Not to be confused with the larger geographic area of the Scottish Highlands themselves.
The Highland Region was created covering the area in 1975 as part of a two-tier local government structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. The Highland Region had eight districts. Local government was reorganised again in 1996 into single-tier council areas, with the former region becoming one of the new council areas.
The Highland Council is based in Inverness, the area's largest settlement. The area is generally sparsely populated, with much of the inland area being mountainous with numerous lochs. The area includes Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. Most of the area's towns lie close to the eastern coasts. Off the west coast of the mainland the council area includes some of the Inner Hebrides, notably the Isle of Skye.
Unlike the other council areas of Scotland, the name Highland is often not used as a proper noun. The council's website only sometimes refers to the area as being Highland, and other times as being the Highland Council Area or the Highlands.[3][4] Road signs on the boundary of the council area say "Welcome to the Highlands" rather than "Welcome to Highland".
Road sign on the A9 where it enters the Highland council area south of Kingussie
Further local government reforms in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the regions and districts created in 1975 abolished and replaced with single-tier council areas. The former Highland region became one of the new council areas, run by the Highland Council.[7] The Highland Council has run various area committees since its creation. These were initially based on the abolished districts, but have been reviewed a number of times since.[8]
Geography
Topographic map of the Highland council area.
The council area covers a land area of 25,653 square kilometres (9,905 sq mi)[2] – which is 11.4% of the land area of Great Britain, 32.9% of the land area of Scotland and an area 20% larger than Wales.[9] The Highland and Islands division of Police Scotland also includes the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland (the former area of the Northern Constabulary) and therefore covers an area of 30,659 square kilometres (11,838 sq mi), which is larger than that of the state of Belgium.[10]
Though relatively populous for a Scottish council area, it is also sparsely populated. At 9 per km2 in 2022,[2] the population density is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole,[11] and comparable with that of Bolivia, Chad and Russia.[12][13] Historically, the area was home to a much higher percentage of Scotland's population. The rural population of the Highlands (both within and outwith the council area) declined in the late 19th century even as Scotland's grew substantially. For example, the population of Skye declined from 23,082 in 1841 to 15,705 in 1891 and a low point of 7,183 in 1971, before growing in more recent decades.
The city of Inverness is by far the largest settlement, with its urban area having a population of 59,910 in 2012.[14]
The highest point in the Highland council area is Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. Its northernmost point is the Island of Stroma, in the Pentland Firth. Its southernmost point is on the Morvern peninsula. Highland contains the northernmost and westernmost points of the island of Great Britain, respectively at Dunnet Head and Corrachadh Mòr. Despite the name, not all of Highland is mountainous. The areas east of Inverness, as well as the Black Isle, eastern Sutherland, and all of Caithness are, in fact, low-lying.
Gaelic language
According to the 2011 UK census, there are nearly 12,000 Scottish Gaelic speakers in the Highland area.[15]
The local authority is the Highland Council, based at the Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness (formerly the main offices of Inverness-shire County Council).[16][17] The council also has numerous local offices across the area.[18]
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