Scottish counties/shires map

Scottish counties or shires are historic administrative regions, that were in use until 1975. There were 33 shires of counties in Scotland. Shires and councils are still used for cultural purposes, and people ofter trace their Scottish ancestry with relation to these historic shires. Today governance is based upon council areas.

Geography of Scotland
Population: 5.4 million
Capital: Edinburgh
Highest mountain: Ben Nevis 1,345 meters 4,413 ft
Land area: 80,240 km2, 30,981 sq mi

Scotland is situated in the north of the island of Great Britain in Northwest Europe, and is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. Scotland is the most rugged and mountainous of the four countries. The southern part of Scotland is generally lowlands, while the famous Scottish Highlands rise to the north and west. Scotland has around 790 islands, many of them quite large, including the Isle of Skye, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides.

Play the Scottish shires quiz.

For learning the ceremonial counties of England (lieutenancies), which are similarly still widely used for cultural and geographical purposes, use our English counties interactive map ( includes a fun map quiz).

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