The Hebrides

Comprised of two main archipelagos, the HEBRIDES are located off the western coast of Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Like most of Scotland, both sheep and land for grazing are common. Inner Hebrides is the grouping of islands that is closer to mainland Scotland, while the islands of the Outer Hebrides are aptly named for being situated farther out into the ocean. The body of water separating the two groups is the Little Minch. The Minch (also known as North Minch) is east of Lewis & Harris island, west of Scotland, and north of Skye island. The Sea of the Hebrides is in the south-central part of my graphic, surrounded by the islands of Barra, Canna, Coll, Rùm, South Uist, Tiree, and Skye. The Firth of Lorn separates the Isle of Mull from islands like Colonsay, Islay, Kerrera, Lismore, and Jura. You may have noticed, on my graphic, two towns named Uig - one on Lewis & Harris, and one in northern Skye; that is not a mistake! In fact, there is even a community named Uig on Coll!

Inner Hebrides
In this grouping, Skye is the largest island, followed by the Isle of Mull. Besides those two islands, the islands are much smaller; some do not have humans living on them. Amongst every inhabited island in the archipelago, the population and population density is low. According to the Skye and Lochalsh Council for Voluntary Organizations, Skye's population density is less than 4.5 people per square mile while the population is around 12,000. Other islands include Coll, Eigg, Lismore, Muck, Raasay, Rùm (also known as Rhum), and Tiree. The islands featured in the small inset map (which is scaled down 65% as noted) in the larger graphic above also belong to the Inner Hebrides.

Outer Hebrides
In this grouping, the largest island by far is Lewis & Harris. Marked by a white star with a dark blue border on my graphic, Stornoway is the administrative center for the Outer Hebrides and has the largest population of all towns in the Hebrides. Other smaller yet major islands include Barra, North Uist, and South Uist. These three islands, along with a smaller Benbecula island, have populations above 1,000. Islands with small or no populations include Berneray, Eriskay, Mingulay, Pabbay, and Vatersay.