Dumfries and Galloway
Unitary authority in southern Scotland, formed in 1996 from the regional
council of the same name (1975-96)
Area:
6,421 sq km/2,479 sq mi
Towns:
Annan, Dumfries (administrative headquarters), Kirkcudbright, Stranraer,
Castle Douglas, Newton Stewart
Physical:
Area characterized by an indented coastline, including Luce Bay and
Wigtown Bay, backed by a low-lying coastal strip of varying width;
intensively forested in the Galloways. Much of the inland area
is upland: east to west this includes Eskdalemuir (Hart Fell 808
m/2,651 ft), the Lowther Hills (Green Lowther 732 m/2,402 ft)
and the Galloway Hills (the Merrick 843 m/2,766 ft)
Features:
Wanlockhead (the highest village in Scotland); the oldest working post
office in the world at Sanquhar; Glen Trool National Park; Ruthwell
Cross, Whithorn dig
Industries:
Timber, chemicals, food processing
Agriculture:
Beef and dairy cattle, sheep, forestry
Population:
(1995) 147,900
Economy
Agriculture is the most important economic enterprise in the area,
with poorer lands being intensively forested and better quality
lands being intensively cropped or grazed. Tourism is also important,
with many camping and caravan sites along the southern coast and,
via Stranraer, it is the shortest ferry route to Ireland.
Archaeology
There are Neolithic tombs and a wide range of later prehistoric sites
at Burnswark; also at Burnswark and Birrens are Roman artefacts.
Early Christian monuments include those at Whithorn and Ruthwell.
Architecture
There are many earthen mounds (mottes) for timber castles which testify
to the Norman penetration of Scotland. Caerlaverock Castle is
one of the foremost examples of medieval secular architecture
in Scotland.
Environment
There are 93 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, five National Nature
Reserves, four Ramsars (wetland sites), three Special Protection
Areas, three Biosphere Reserves, and three National Scenic Areas.
Other Features
The Galloway Hills provided the setting of John Buchan's The Thirty-
Nine Steps. The region had a number of early innovators during
the agricultural revolution, and has associations with Robert
the Bruce, the poet Robert Burns, and the writer Thomas Carlyle.
Administrative History
Prior to 1975, the area was part of the counties of Wigtownshire, Kirkcudbrightshire
and Dumfriesshire.
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