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 National Scenic Area
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 of islands 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.

The islands form part of the Lochaber area of the Highland council area. Until 1891, Canna, Rùm and Muck were historically part of the shire of Argyll;[3] Eigg was historically part of Inverness-shire. All of the Small Isles were in Inverness-shire between 1891 and 1975, and remain part of the registration county of Inverness for land registration and statistical purposes. A single community council covers the islands.[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.