 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2017) |
| Scottish Gaelic name | Uibhist a Deas |
|---|---|
| Scots name | Sooth Uist[1] |
| Meaning of name | Pre-Gaelic and unknown[2] |
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
  South Uist South Uist shown within the Outer Hebrides | |
| OS grid reference | NF786343 |
| Coordinates | 57°16′00″N 7°19′00″W / 57.2667°N 7.3167°W |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Uist & Barra[3] |
| Area | 32,026 hectares (124 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 9 [4] |
| Highest elevation | Beinn Mhòr 620 metres (2,030 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Na h-Eileanan Siar |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population |  1,754[5] |
| Population rank | 9 [4] |
| Population density | 5.5 people/km2[5][6] |
| Largest settlement | Lochboisdale |
 | |
| References | [6][7][8][9] |
South Uist (Scottish Gaelic: Uibhist a Deas, [ˈɯ.ɪʃtʲ ə ˈtʲes̪] ; Scots: Sooth Uist) is the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. At the 2011 census, it had a usually resident population of 1,754: a decrease of 64 since 2001.[10] The island, in common with the rest of the Hebrides, is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Gaelic language in Scotland. South Uist's inhabitants are known in Gaelic as Deasaich (Southerners). The population is about 90% Roman Catholic.
The island is home to a nature reserve and a number of sites of archaeological interest, including the only location in the British Isles where prehistoric mummies have been found.[11] In the northwest, there is a missile testing range. In 2006 South Uist, together with neighbouring Benbecula and Eriskay, was involved in Scotland's biggest-ever community land buyout by Stòras Uibhist.[12] The group also owns the "biggest community wind farm in Scotland", Lochcarnan, on South Uist which opened in 2013.[13][14]
- ^ "Map of Scotland in Scots - Guide and gazetteer" (PDF).
- ^ Gammeltoft, Peder "Scandinavian Naming-Systems in the Hebrides—A Way of Understanding how the Scandinavians were in Contact with Gaels and Picts?" in Ballin Smith et al (2007) p. 487
- ^ The correct term for the island group is Uist and Barra, as evidenced by the name of the local hospital. https://www.wihb.scot.nhs.uk/ospadal-uibhist-agus-bharraigh
- ^ a b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
- ^ a b National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ a b Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 978-1-84195-454-7.
- ^ The Chronicles of Mann. Manx Society. Vol XXII, Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Germanic Lexicon Project Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Ordnance Survey. OS Maps Online (Map). 1:25,000. Leisure.
- ^ General Register Office for Scotland (28 November 2003) Scotland's Census 2001 – Occasional Paper No 10: Statistics for Inhabited Islands. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/mummies-may-have-been-scattered-across-bronze-age-britain-180956796/ “A pair of well-preserved bodies dating back to around 1300 and 1600 B.C. was discovered in 2001, entombed beneath an ancient dwelling in Cladh Hallan, Scotland. Intriguingly, these bodies seem to have been intentionally mummified.”
- ^ Stòras Uibhist
- ^ "Rise in independent renewable energy schemes in Scotland". BBC News. July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023.
- ^ Scots community wind farm secures future