Administrative Boundary of Argyll and Bute

About Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute is a council area in western Scotland with one of the most intricate coastlines in Europe, encompassing sea lochs, peninsulas, and numerous islands including Mull, Islay, Jura, Tiree, Colonsay, and the southern part of Bute. Covering approximately 6,909 square kilometres — with a coastline longer than that of France — Argyll and Bute had a population of approximately 86,000 at the 2022 Census. Kingdom of Dál Riata and Kilmartin Glen Argyll takes its name from the Gaelic Earra-Ghàidheal, "coastland of the Gaels," and was the heartland of Dál Riata, the early medieval Gaelic kingdom whose royal dynasty eventually united with the Picts to form the Kingdom of Scotland. Kilmartin Glen contains one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric and early medieval monuments in Scotland — more than 350 sites within a six-mile radius, including standing stones, burial cairns, and rock carvings — among them Dunadd Fort, the hillfort where the kings of Dál Riata were traditionally inaugurated. Iona, a small island off Mull, is the site of Iona Abbey, founded by St Columba in 563 AD as the base from which Celtic Christianity spread across Scotland and northern England; it became the burial place of early Scottish, Irish, and Norwegian kings and remains an important spiritual pilgrimage site today. Inveraray Castle and Islay Whisky Inveraray Castle, on the shores of Loch Fyne, has been the seat of the Duke of Argyll and Clan Campbell since the 18th century, when the 3rd Duke rebuilt it in the Gothic Revival style. The Isle of Islay is renowned worldwide for its heavily peated single malt whiskies, produced by distilleries including Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, and Bowmore, whose distinctive smoky character comes from the island's peat-rich water and traditional floor maltings. Oban, the region's principal town on the mainland, developed as a Victorian resort and remains known as the "Gateway to the Isles" for its ferry connections to the Hebrides. GIS and Boundary Data The administrative boundary of Argyll and Bute 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 island and coastal planning, archaeological research, whisky industry mapping, and demographic analysis across the Argyll and Bute council area.

📍 Administrative boundary of Argyll and Bute county