The Outer Hebrides or Western Isles, sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides are considered to be the traditional heartland of the Gaelic language. The islands form one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, which since 1998 has used only the Gaelic form of its name, including in English language contexts. The council area is called Na h-Eileanan an Iar and its council is Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
Harris is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the Isle of Lewis as the Isle of Harris, which is the former postal county and the current post town for Royal Mail postcodes starting HS3 or HS5.
Eriskay, from the Old Norse for "Eric's Isle", is an island and community council area of the Outer Hebrides in northern Scotland with a population of 143, as of the 2011 census. It lies between South Uist and Barra and is connected to South Uist by a causeway which was opened in 2001. In the same year Ceann a' Ghàraidh in Eriskay became the ferry terminal for travelling between South Uist and Barra. The Caledonian MacBrayne vehicular ferry travels between Eriskay and Ardmore in Barra. The crossing takes around 40 minutes.
The island of Vatersay is the southernmost and westernmost inhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the settlement of Caolas on the north coast of the island is the westernmost permanently inhabited place in Scotland. The main village, also called Vatersay, is in the south of the island.
Berneray is an island and community in the Sound of Harris, Scotland. It is one of fifteen inhabited islands in the Outer Hebrides. It is famed for its rich and colourful history which has attracted much tourism. It lies within the South Lewis, Harris and North Uist National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.
Stornoway is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides, and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland.
Balivanich is a village on the island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. It is the main centre for Benbecula and the adjacent islands of North Uist, South Uist and several smaller islands. Balivanich is within the parish of South Uist.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is the local authority for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It is based in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
Ceann a' Ghàraidh is the location of the ferry terminal on the south-western side of the island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It provides a service across the Sound of Barra to Ardmore on the island of Barra The placename literally means "The head of the garden". This location is so called due to the presence of the old crofting boundary walls, which can no longer be seen.
The Outer Hebrides are a unique religious area in contemporary Scotland. The northern island is dominated by Calvinist 'free churches', and has been described as "the last bastion of Sabbath observance in the UK". It is also home to a unique form of Gaelic psalm singing known as precenting. The southern islands of South Uist and Barra are the last remnants of native pre-Reformation Scottish Catholicism. Barra was once dubbed "the island the Reformation did not reach".
MV Loch Bhrusda is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited water-jet propulsion ro-ro car ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. After 11 years operating in the Outer Hebrides, she is now a Clyde-based relief small vessel.
Elections to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election was the second one using the 9 wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Each ward elected three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system: a form of proportional representation. A total of 31 Councillors were elected.
MV Rhum is a car ferry built for Caledonian MacBrayne in 1974. Until 1987, she operated the seasonal Lochranza crossing to Arran. Since 1998, she has been one of the Arranmore ferries in County Donegal.
The Sound of Barra is a large ocean inlet or sound situated to the north of the isle of Barra and to the south of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. Since 2014 it has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Sound of Barra is composed of 98.91% marine and inlet areas, 1.07% mudflats and other semi-submerged areas and 0.02% sea cliffs and islets. There are ten islands in the sound, with only Eriskay still being inhabited:
Barraigh, Bhatarsaigh, Eirisgeigh agus Uibhist a Deas was one of the nine wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2007, the ward elected four councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system. As a result of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, the ward was abolished in 2022.
MV Eilean Na H-Oige is a small passenger ferry built for the Outer Hebrides and now operating in Southern Ireland.
The Vatersay Causeway is a 250-metre-long causeway that links the Scottish Hebridean Islands of Vatersay and Barra across the Sound of Vatersay.
Uibhist a Deas, Èirisgeigh agus Beinn na Faoghla is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2022, the ward elects three councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 3,067 people.
Uibhist a Tuath is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2022, the ward elects two councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 1,616 people.
Na Hearadh is one of the 11 wards of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Created in 2022, the ward elects two councillors using the single transferable vote electoral system and covers an area with a population of 1,795 people.
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