Highland Council

Scotland, United Kingdom

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The Highland Council is the local authority for the Highland council area in northern Scotland, serving as the region’s largest administrative unit in the United Kingdom by land area. Covering nearly one-third of Scotland’s total land (9,770 square miles or 25,304 square km) but home to only about 232,000 people, it has the lowest population density in the UK and includes dramatic landscapes from the Grampian Mountains to the Atlantic coast and islands like Skye. Inverness acts as its administrative center, and the council provides essential public services such as education, social care, transport, housing, and planning to residents, businesses, and visitors across vast rural and remote communities. The area is renowned for its rugged scenery, including Ben Nevis (the UK’s highest peak at 4,406 feet/1,343 meters), Loch Ness, and the Cairngorms, drawing over half a million tourists annually for activities like skiing, fishing, and hiking. Traditionally dependent on crofting and fishing, the economy now heavily relies on whisky distilling, salmon farming, North Sea oil services, and tourism, which is the largest economic sector.