Barra

Barra
Scottish Gaelic nameEilean Bharraigh
Scots nameBarra

The Village of Castlebay from the sea with Kisimul Castle in the foreground and the heights of Heaval beyond
Location
Barra
Barra shown within the Outer Hebrides
OS grid referenceNF687004
Coordinates56°59′00″N 7°28′00″W / 56.9833°N 7.4667°W / 56.9833; -7.4667
Physical geography
Island groupUists and Barra
Area5,875 ha (22+58 sq mi)
Area rank20 
Highest elevationHeaval, 383 m (1,257 ft)
Administration
Council areaNa h-Eileanan Siar
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population1,209
Population rank12 
Population density20.6 people/km2
Largest settlementCastlebay
References

Barra (/ˈbærə/; Scottish Gaelic: Barraigh [ˈparˠaj] or Eilean Bharraigh [ˈelan ˈvarˠaj] ; Scots: Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by the Vatersay Causeway.

In 2022, the population was 1,209, an increase of 35 since the 2011 census. English and Gaelic are widely spoken, and at the 2011 Census, there were 761 Gaelic speakers (62% of the population, falling from 76% in the 1991 census). Barra's airport is claimed to be the only one in the world to have regular scheduled flights landing on a beach.