Highland (council area)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Highland (Scottish Gaelic: Gàidhealtachd; Scots: Hieland) is a council area in the Scottish Highlands. It is the largest local government area in Scotland and the United Kingdom by land area.

Geography and features
The area covers about 9,905 square miles (25,653 square kilometres). It stretches from rugged coastlines to the mountains and lochs of the inland Highlands. Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, is inside Highland, and the Isle of Skye is part of the area. Much of the inland is sparsely populated and very mountainous.

Population and density
Around 237,000 people live in Highland (as of 2024). The population density is very low, about 9 people per square kilometre, making it one of the least densely populated parts of Scotland.

Main town and government
Inverness is the largest town and the administrative centre. The Highland Council, based in Inverness, runs the local government for the area. The council was formed in its current single-tier form in 1996, after earlier regional reforms.

Language and culture
Gaelic speakers are still present in the area (about 13,500 people aged three and over in the 2022 census). The Scots language is spoken by a large minority as well (around 23.9% in the same census period).

Representation
In the UK Parliament, Highland is represented by four MPs. In the Scottish Parliament, it is part of the Highlands and Islands region, with several MSPs elected to cover the area.

Notes on the region
The Highland council area includes parts of the Inner Hebrides, notably the Isle of Skye, and stretches beyond other nearby districts. The name Highland is sometimes used loosely for the broader Scottish Highlands, which extends beyond the council boundaries.