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Western Isles
Western Isles is the name given to the administrative region which since 1973 has been the local government area for the Outer Hebrides (Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Eriskay, and other small islands). Until 1973 Lewis was part of the county of Ross and Cromarty, and the other islands of Inverness-shire. Although the islands are diverse geologically, they are mostly rocky or peaty with sandy shores, supporting very limited agriculture, mainly in crofting townships, which provide some of the raw material for the woollen goods manufacture for which Harris is famed. Various attempts to diversify manufacturing (most notably Lord Leverhulme's establishment of Leverburgh, in Harris) have had very limited success). The isolation of the Western Isles has helped Scottish Gaelic to survive as a living language, with distinctive accents in the different islands, and the local authority fosters Gaelic, for example by bilingual road and street signs.
Charlotte M. Lythe |
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-WesternIsles.html JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-WesternIsles.html |
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Western Isles
Western Isles is the name given to the administrative region which since 1973 has been the local government area for the Outer Hebrides (Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Eriskay, and other small islands). Although the islands are diverse geologically, they are mostly rocky or peaty with sandy shores, supporting very limited agriculture, mainly in crofting townships, which provide some of the raw material for the woollen goods manufacture for which Harris is famed. The isolation of the Western Isles has helped Scottish Gaelic to survive as a living language, with distinctive accents in the different islands.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-WesternIsles.html JOHN CANNON. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-WesternIsles.html |
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Western Isles
Western Isles (the unitary authority). The Outer Hebrides, the most westerly island chain in Scotland. The Gaelic name of the islands is Na h-Eileanan an Iar, ‘The Islands of the West’, or for the unitary authority Eilean Siar, ‘Western Isles’.
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Cite this article
A. D. MILLS. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-WesternIsles.html A. D. MILLS. "Western Isles." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-WesternIsles.html |
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Western Isles
Western Isles or Western Islands, Scotland: see Hebrides, the . |
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Cite this article
"Western Isles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Western Isles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-WesternI.html "Western Isles." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-WesternI.html |
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Western Isles
Western Isles See Hebrides
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Cite this article
"Western Isles." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Western Isles." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-WesternIsles.html "Western Isles." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-WesternIsles.html |
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