Benbecula

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Benbecula
Bay on Benbecula, in the background South Uist
Bay on Benbecula, in the background South Uist
Waters North Atlantic
Archipelago Outer Hebrides
Geographical location 57 ° 26 '45 "  N , 7 ° 19' 11"  W Coordinates: 57 ° 26 '45 "  N , 7 ° 19' 11"  W.
Location of Benbecula
surface 82.3 km²
Highest elevation Ruaval
124  m above sea level NN
Residents 1303 (2011)
16 inhabitants / km²
main place Balivanich

Benbecula ( Scottish Gaelic : Beinn na Faoghla ) is an island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland .

North end of the causeway from Benbecula to South Uist

geography

Climate diagram of Benbecula

Benbecula is 82 km² and lies between the islands of North Uist and South Uist . The three islands belong to the Uists , a group of islands within the Outer Hebrides. Benbecula is connected to North Uist and South Uist by causeways.

The west of the island is characterized by agricultural land, while moorland dominates in the east with lakes and deeply cut sea bays.

In 2011, 1,303 people lived on Benbecula. The highest point is the 124 meter high Ruaval , the second highest is the 54 meter high Stiaraval . In the northeast is the Rossinish peninsula .

Benbecula's capital and administrative center of the Uists is the village of Balivanich (Scottish Gaelic: Baile a 'Mhanaich ) in the north-west of the island, near the Benbecula Airport ( IATA code BEB). Lionacleit, with the Secondary School for the Uists and a branch of Lewis Castle College, is one of the other localities .

A Royal Air Force radar station monitors Benbecula from the North Atlantic . The chamber tomb of Airidh na h-aon Oidche is in Balivanich.

politics

Benbecula is part of the Western Isles administrative region .

traffic

There is no direct ferry service from Benbecula to mainland Scotland, but Caledonian MacBrayne operates regular ferry services between the mainland and Benbecula's neighboring islands of North Uist and South Uist.

There are also scheduled flight connections between Benbecula Airport and Glasgow and Inverness via Stornoway , by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, located on Lewis .

Individual evidence

  1. Census data for Benbecula (2011) ( pdf ; 95.7 kB)
  2. ^ Entry in the Gazetteer for Scotland
  3. ^ Entry in the Gazetteer for Scotland

Web links

Commons : Benbecula  - collection of images, videos and audio files