Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides (English Outer Hebrides or Western Isles, Scottish Gaelic na h - Eilean Siar to, the western islands ') are an entity belonging to the Hebrides island chain in the Atlantic Ocean on the west coast of Scotland. They are located about 60 kilometers west of the mainland and extending in an arc from the Butt of Lewis in the north to Barra Head in the south. The entire island chain is 208 km long. From the southeast, Inner Hebrides separate them, among other things, the Little Minch Straits and North Minch.
Under her name Na h- Eileanan gällischen Siar the Outer Hebrides form one of the 32 council areas, the local government units in Scotland. Capital is Stornoway (Gaelic Steòrnabhagh ) on the island of Lewis.
Geography
To the Outer Hebrides include the following inhabited islands (from north to south):
- Lewis and Harris
- Great Bernera
- Scalpay
- Archipelago Uist (Gaelic Uibhist ): Berneray
- North Uist
- Grimsay
- Benbecula
- South Uist
- Eriskay
- Monach Islands
- Flannan Isles
- St. Kilda
- Rockall
The smaller of the inhabited islands are connected by bridges for cars and road embankments with larger islands, so that there are three inhabited island groups, multiple car ferries run daily between them.
The ten largest islands in the Outer Hebrides
1 of which Harris: 3,061
Economy
The people in the Outer Hebrides live mainly on fish and shrimp catching and as crofters and sheep farmers. Tourism also plays a role. The extensive peat bogs of Lewis are broken down by island residents for their own consumption of fuel.
One important industry is the manufacture of Harris tweed. Contrary to his name but he is made to Lewis.
Traffic
The following ferry lines serve the islands from outside of the Outer Hebrides:
- Oban - Castlebay ( Barra )
- Oban - Lochboisdale (South Uist )
- Uig ( Skye ) to Tarbert ( Harris)
- Uig Loch Maddy (North Uist )
- Ullapool - Stornoway (Lewis)
On Barra, Benbecula and Lewis will also find small, national tailed airports. The airport of Barra has a special feature: its flight plans are governed by the tides, because the starting and landing strip is located on the beach.
Culture
Among themselves speak the islanders mostly Gaelic. Also, place and street signs are partly in Gaelic.
A cultural specificity of the Outer Hebrides expected for a part of the UK to exotic: On the northern, Protestant dominated islands Sunday Sabbath is celebrated, which is why public life comes on that day to a standstill. It then drive no ferries to and from the islands. Most residents belong to conservative free churches that reject as music in worship and have strict rules for church clothes. On the southern islands of the Outer Hebrides live predominantly Catholics.
Fiction
The Outer Hebrides are the scene of Simon Beckett's novel Cold Ash, playing on the fictional island " Runa ". The capital of Stornoway and many other actually existing places and islands, including St. Kilda, also occur in the novel.