Lewis and Harris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Scottish Island of
Lewis and Harris |
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| OS grid reference: | NB240256 |
| Names | |
| Gaelic or Celtic name: | None |
| Norse name: | Ljodusherad |
| Meaning of name: | Old Norse for 'Lewis Province' |
| Area and Summit | |
| Area: | 217,898 ha |
| Area rank if >40 ha: | 1 |
| Highest elevation: | Clisham 799 m |
| Population | |
| Population: | 19,918 |
| Population rank: | 1 out of 89 |
| Main settlement: | Stornoway |
| Groupings | |
| Island Group: | Lewis and Harris |
| Local Authority: | Na h-Eileanan Siar |
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| References: | [1][2][3] |
Lewis and Harris (Scottish Gaelic: Leòdhas is na Hearadh) in the Outer Hebrides make up the largest island in Scotland. Indeed, this island is easily the largest of the islands surrounding Great Britain (excluding Ireland). It has an area of 841 square miles - slightly under one per cent of the area of Great Britain.
An unusual circumstance is that the island actually has no common name in either English or Scots Gaelic. The northern part of the island is called Lewis, the southern is Harris and both are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. Thus the island is referred to as 'Lewis and Harris, 'Lewis with Harris', 'Harris with Lewis' etc.[4]
They are the ancestral homeland of the Highland clan MacLeod, with those individuals on Harris being referred to as from the clan MacLeod of Harris or MacLeod of MacLeod, and those on Lewis being referred to as from the clan MacLeod of Lewis.
The inhabited islands in the Lewis and Harris group are Leòdhas (Lewis), Beàrnaraigh Ùig (Great Bernera), Na Hearadh (Harris) and Sgalpaigh (Scalpay). Tarasaigh (Taransay) and An Sgarp (Scarp) are now-uninhabited islands close to the shore of Harris.
The main town in Lewis is Steòrnabhagh (Stornoway) with ferry links to Ullapool and air services to Benbecula (for Barra), Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. An Tairbeart (Tarbert) is the ferry terminal in Harris with connections to Skye and North Uist.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 2001 UK Census per List of islands of Scotland
- ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
- ^ Ordnance Survey
- ^ Thompson, Francis (1968) Harris and Lewis. Newton Abbott. David & Charles.
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