Hebrides

Regions: Western Isles Area, Highland and Strathclyde Region.

More than 500 islands off the northwest coast of Scotland make up the Hebrides (2,812sq.mil/7,285sq.km in total) and about 80 of them are inhabited. The islands are broken up into those lying close to the mainland, the Inner Hebrides with Skye, Mull, Islay, Jura, Rhum, Eigg, Coll and Colonsay the biggest and best known, and the 130mi/210km long outer arc, known as the Outer Hebrides or Western Isles (Nah Eileanan Siar) with Lewis and Harris ("Long Island"), North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra as the main islands. The North Minch, Little Minch and Sea of the Hebrides separate the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The former islands are part of the Highland and Strathclyde regions, while the Outer Hebrides form the Western Isles region and are administered from Stornaway.

The Hebrides are formed from Pre-Cambrian gneiss, metamorphic schist and volcanic rocks. Heathers and moorland predominate in the cool, windy, and wet climate. As well as cattle rearing and the cultivation of small plots of land, woolen products, such as tweeds, fishing and tourism provide the main employment opportunities for the islanders.