Small Isles

This article is about the Small Isles off Skye. For the Small Isles off south east Jura, see Small Isles, Argyll.

Small Isles
A distant view of Eigg, with the hills of Rùm behind.
The location of the Small Isles within the Hebrides
LocationLochaber, Highland, Scotland
Coordinates56°58′N 6°16′W / 56.967°N 6.267°W / 56.967; -6.267
Area472 km2 (182 sq mi)[1]
Established1981
Governing bodyNatureScot
Blaeu's 1654 Atlas of Scotland - The Small Isles. Rùm is at centre, surrounded by "Kannay', 'Egg' and 'Muck'.
Ordnance Survey Map of 1896

The Small Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan Tarsainn[2]) are a small archipelago in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland.

Until 1891, Canna, Rùm and Muck belonged to the county of Argyll,[3] while Eigg belonged to Inverness-shire. In that year, the entire archipelago was transferred to Inverness-shire. They now belong to the Highland council area.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference nsa-area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Iain Mac an Tàilleir. "Placenames" (PDF). Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  3. ^ "Argyll". Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Small Isles Community Council - Boundary Map". The Highland Council. April 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2018.