Administrative Boundary of Na h-Eileanan Siar

About Na h-Eileanan Siar

Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles) is a council area in northwest Scotland. Covering approximately 3,071 square kilometres of island archipelago stretching approximately 200 kilometres from the Butt of Lewis in the north to Vatersay in the south, Na h-Eileanan Siar had a population of approximately 26,000 at the 2022 Census. The council area encompasses the Outer Hebrides — Lewis and Harris (the largest island), North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, and Barra, along with numerous smaller islands — and is the most Gaelic-speaking area in Scotland, with approximately 52% of residents speaking Scottish Gaelic. The Lewis Chessmen and Callanish Standing Stones The Lewis Chessmen — a set of 93 chess pieces carved in the 12th century from walrus ivory and whales' teeth, discovered in a sandbank at Uig on the west coast of Lewis in 1831 — are among the most famous archaeological objects from medieval Britain, their expressive carved faces and miniature armour making them unique in the history of medieval art; 82 pieces are in the British Museum (London), 11 in the National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh), and one piece was privately purchased by the Isle of Lewis. The Callanish Standing Stones (Clach an Trushal, Calanais) — a cruciform arrangement of 50 standing stones erected in the Neolithic period (c. 2900–2600 BC) on a ridge overlooking Loch Roag on the Isle of Lewis — are one of the most complete and dramatic megalithic stone circles in Europe, predating Stonehenge and unique in the British Isles for their cruciform plan. Harris Tweed Harris Tweed — a handwoven woollen tweed produced by islanders of the Outer Hebrides using pure virgin Scottish wool, dyed and spun in the islands — is one of the most celebrated and legally protected traditional textiles in the world. The Harris Tweed Act 1993 defines and protects the production process: only cloth woven by hand by islanders in their own homes in the Outer Hebrides from pure virgin wool that has been dyed and spun in the islands can bear the Orb trademark of the Harris Tweed Authority. The distinctive patterns and textures of Harris Tweed have made it a byword for quality and durability, worn by royalty, fashion houses, and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The Beaches of Harris and the Island of Barra The beaches of Harris — particularly Luskentyre and Scarista on the west coast — are widely regarded as among the most beautiful in Europe, their white shell-sand beaches, turquoise waters, and backdrop of mountains creating an almost Caribbean appearance in fine weather. The island of Barra at the southern end of the chain contains Kisimul Castle — the island stronghold of the MacNeil clan, built on a rock in Castlebay harbour — and Barra Airport (Traigh Mhòr), one of the world's most extraordinary airports, where scheduled flights land on a cockle-shell beach timed by the tides; the airport is a Category 2 scheduled service airport, the only beach airport with scheduled flights in the world. GIS and Boundary Data The administrative boundary of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Na h-Eileanan Siar Council) is available for free download in GeoJSON and KML formats, sourced from the OS Open Geography portal (Crown copyright 2024). Compatible with QGIS, ArcGIS, Mapbox, and Google Earth, the dataset supports Gaelic cultural heritage mapping, megalithic archaeology, island ecology, textile heritage research, and demographic analysis across the Western Isles council area.

📍 Administrative boundary of Na h-Eileanan Siar county