located_in_the_administrative_territorial_entity dalmellington
The Hebrides ( Scottish Gaelic : " Innse Gall "; Old Norse : " Suðreyjar ") comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the ___MASK77___ coast of ___MASK44___ ___MASK71___ . There are two main groups : the Inner and Outer Hebrides . These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic , and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive influences of Celtic , Norse , and English - speaking peoples . This diversity is reflected in the names given to the islands , which are derived from the languages that have been spoken there in historic and perhaps prehistoric times . The ___MASK57___ Isles is an archipelago comprising a chain of islands off the north coast of ___MASK44___ ___MASK71___ . The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas . There are two main island groups : Shetland and Orkney . There are a total of 26 inhabited islands with landscapes of the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrasting with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north , where the economy is more dependent on fishing and the oil wealth of the surrounding seas . Both have a developing renewable energy industry . They also share a common Pictish and Norse history . Both island groups were absorbed into the Kingdom of ___MASK71___ in the 15th century and remained part of the country following the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 , and later the United Kingdom after 1801 . The islands played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century . The Irish Sea (, , , ___MASK18___ - Scots : " Airish Sea "), separates the islands ___MASK39___ Ireland and Great Britain . It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George ' s Channel , and to the Inner Seas off the ___MASK77___ Coast ___MASK39___ ___MASK71___ in the north by the North Channel . Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea , followed by the Isle ___MASK39___ Man . The sea is occasionally , but rarely , referred to as the Manx Sea . ___MASK36___ is a country that is part ___MASK39___ the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with ___MASK71___ to the north and Wales to the west . The Irish Sea lies ___MASK24___ ___MASK39___ ___MASK36___ and the Celtic Sea lies to the ___MASK14___ . ___MASK36___ is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five - eighths ___MASK39___ the island ___MASK39___ Great Britain ( which lies in the North Atlantic ) in its centre and south ; and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles ___MASK39___ Scilly , and the Isle ___MASK39___ Wight . Dalmellington ( Scots : Dawmellinton , Scottish Gaelic : Dail M ' Fhaolain ) is a market town and civil parish in ___MASK53___ , Scotland . In 2001 the village had a population of 1407 . The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of Scotland from the Central Lowlands . Dalmellington sits at the issue of a river from the uplands into Dalmellington Moss plain . The town has a history as a rest area , market town , weaving centre and mining village . The Chalmeston open cast coal mine to the north of the village covered some 742 hectares , but the operations have now ceased and the first phase of the site restoration has been completed . Robert Hetrick the blacksmith - poet lived in the town in the 19th century . The town has a working museum to record the history of the area . There are many Sites of Special Scientific Interest around Dalmellington , the most notable being the nearby Loch Doon . Selection of local views The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory is located near Dalmellington and is within the northern edge of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park . Dalmellington Craigengillan Curling Club is the oldest constituted club in Dalmellington ; it was formed on the 3rd of December 1841 in the Black Bull Hotel and has continued unbroken since . In 2004 the members reinstated the outside curling pond at Craigengillan , this is the only self leveling curling pond in Scotland . The ___MASK23___ is the second largest of the world ' s oceans with a total area of about . It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth ' s surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area . It separates the " Old World " from the " New World ". Kilmarnock (" Meàrnag ' s church ") is a large burgh in ___MASK4___ , Scotland with a population of 46 , 350 , making it the 15th most populated place in Scotland and the second largest town in Ayrshire . The River Irvine runs through its eastern section , and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it , giving rise to the name ' Bank Street '. Kilmarnock is often shortened to ' Killie ', especially when it is referenced in a footballing situation . Kilmarnock is the main town within ___MASK4___ , and the ___MASK4___ HQ is located on London Road in Kilmarnock , leading to the villages Crookedholm and Hurlford , which furthermore leads to Loudoun . A county is a geographical region ___MASK39___ a country used for administrative or other purposes , in certain modern nations . The term is derived from the Old French " conté " or " cunté " denoting a jurisdiction under the sovereignty ___MASK39___ a count ( earl ) or a viscount . The modern French is " comté ", and its equivalents in other languages are " contea ", " contado ", " ___MASK35___ ", " condado ", " Grafschaft ", " graafschap ", " Gau ", etc . ( cf . " conte ", " comte ", " conde ", " Graf "). The ___MASK90___ Lowlands or ___MASK33___ Valley is a geologically defined area ___MASK39___ relatively low - lying land in southern ___MASK71___ . It consists ___MASK39___ a rift valley between the ___MASK96___ Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south . The ___MASK90___ Lowlands are one ___MASK39___ the three main geographical sub - divisions ___MASK39___ ___MASK71___ , the other two being the Highlands and Islands which lie to the north , northwest and the Southern Uplands , which lie south ___MASK39___ the associated second fault line . The United ___MASK59___ and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north - western coast of the European ___MASK44___ , it includes the island of Great Britain ( the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part of the island of Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its ___MASK20___ and the Celtic Sea to its ___MASK20___ - ___MASK20___ - west , giving it the 12th - longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of , the UK is the 78th - largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th - largest in Europe . It is also the 21st - most populous country , with an estimated 65 . 1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the ___MASK74___ . The Southern Uplands are the southernmost and least populous ___MASK39___ ___MASK44___ ___MASK71___ ' s three major geographic areas ( the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands ). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to collectively denote the various ranges ___MASK39___ hills and mountains within this region . The ___MASK13___ Sea is a marginal sea ___MASK39___ the ___MASK23___ located between Great Britain , Scandinavia , ___MASK58___ , the Netherlands , Belgium , and France . An epeiric ( or " shelf ") sea on the European continental shelf , it connects to the ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north . It is more than long and wide , with an area ___MASK39___ around . A ___MASK70___ is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area , usually in the form ___MASK39___ a peak . A ___MASK70___ is generally steeper than a hill . Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism . These forces can locally raise the surface ___MASK39___ the earth . Mountains erode slowly through the action ___MASK39___ rivers , weather conditions , and glaciers . A few mountains are isolated summits , but ___MASK40___ occur in huge ___MASK70___ ranges . National The Firth ___MASK39___ Clyde encloses the largest and deepest coastal waters in the ___MASK42___ , sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and ___MASK53___ , Scotland . The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm ___MASK39___ the Firth ___MASK39___ Clyde , separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle ___MASK39___ Arran . Within the Firth ___MASK39___ Clyde is another major island - the Isle ___MASK39___ Bute . Given its strategic location , at the entrance to the middle / upper Clyde , Bute played a vitally important military ( naval ) role during World War II . ___MASK26___ (" Mouth ___MASK39___ the River ___MASK26___ ") is a large town and former Royal Burgh situated on the ___MASK77___ coast ___MASK39___ ___MASK53___ in Scotland , United Kingdom . It is the administrative centre ___MASK39___ the South ___MASK53___ Council area and historical county town ___MASK39___ ___MASK53___ . ___MASK26___ is currently the most populated settlement in ___MASK53___ and is the 12th most populous settlement in Scotland . ___MASK26___ adjoins the smaller town ___MASK39___ ___MASK65___ to the north , forming a single continuous urban area with the town . A country is a region that is identified as a distinct national entity in political geography . A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state , as a non - sovereign or formerly sovereign political division , or a geographic region associated with sets ___MASK39___ previously independent or differently associated people with distinct political characteristics . Regardless ___MASK39___ the physical geography , in the modern internationally accepted legal definition as defined by the League ___MASK39___ Nations in 1937 and reaffirmed by the United Nations in 1945 , a resident ___MASK39___ a country is subject to the independent exercise ___MASK39___ legal jurisdiction . A shire is a traditional term for a division ___MASK39___ land , found in the United Kingdom and ___MASK93___ . It was first used in Wessex from the beginning ___MASK39___ Anglo - Saxon settlement , and spread to ___MASK40___ ___MASK39___ the rest ___MASK39___ ___MASK36___ in the tenth century . Great Britain , also known as Britain , is a large island in the ___MASK13___ ___MASK23___ off the ___MASK24___ coast of continental Europe . With an area of , Great Britain is the largest European island and the ninth - largest in the world . In 2011 the island had a population of about 61 million people , making it the world ' s third - most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan . The island of Ireland is situated to the west of it , and together these islands , along with over 1 , 000 smaller surrounding islands , comprise the British Isles archipelago . ___MASK4___ is one of thirty - two council areas of Scotland . It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway , East Renfrewshire , North Ayrshire , South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire . The headquarters of the council are located on London Road , Kilmarnock . With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire , it formed the former county of Ayrshire . ___MASK13___ ___MASK53___ is one of 32 council areas in Scotland . It has a population of roughly 136 , 000 people . It is located in the ___MASK14___ of Scotland , and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north , Renfrewshire to the northeast and ___MASK4___ and South ___MASK53___ to the east and south respectively . ___MASK13___ ___MASK53___ Council is a hung Council . ___MASK13___ ___MASK53___ also forms part of the east coast of the Firth of Clyde . ___MASK20___ ___MASK53___ is one of 32 council areas of Scotland , covering the southern part of ___MASK53___ . It borders onto ___MASK28___ and Galloway , ___MASK4___ and North ___MASK53___ . ___MASK20___ ___MASK53___ Council is a Conservative controlled council . The administrative boundaries were formed in 1996 as a direct successor to the Kyle and Carrick district council area , with the district of Dalmellington - located along the south - east of Kyle and Carrick - being transferred over to the newly formed ___MASK4___ Council area . ___MASK20___ ___MASK53___ also forms part of the east coast of the Firth of Clyde . ___MASK53___ is a historic county in south - west Scotland , located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde . It is also , under the name the County of Ayr , a registration county . Its principal towns include Ayr , Kilmarnock and Irvine . Like the other counties of Scotland , it currently has no administrative function , instead being sub - divided into the council areas of North ___MASK53___ , South ___MASK53___ and ___MASK4___ . It has a population of approximately 366 , 800 . ___MASK71___ ( Scots : ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain . It shares a border with England to the south , and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south - west . In addition to the mainland , the country is made up of more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides .