Inner Hebrides
Island Gaelic name Area ( ha ) Population Highest point Height ( m ) Gaelic Speakers
Coll Colla 7,685 195 Ben Hogh 104
Colonsay Colbhasa 4,074 124 Carnan Eoin 143 20.2% ( 15 )
Eigg Eige 3,049 83 An Sgurr 393
Islay Ìle 61,956 3,228 Beinn Bheigeir 491 19% ( 613 )
Jura Diùra 36,692 196 Beinn an Òir 785
Lismore Lios Mor 6,231 192 Lios Mor 444 26.9% ( 50 )
Mull Muile 87,535 2,800 Ben More 966
Raasay Ratharsair 6,231 161 Dùn Caan 444 30.4% ( 48 )
Rùm Rùm 10,463 22 Askival 812
Skye An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or Eilean a ' Cheò 165,625 10,008 Sgurr Alasdair 993 29.4% ( 2,942 )
Tiree Tioridh 7,834 653 Ben Hynish 141 38.3% ( 250 )
Geography -- Physical
Tobermory , the largest settlement on Mull Sgurr Alasdair , the highest peak in the Inner Hebrides Main article : List of Inner Hebrides The ten largest islands are as follows .
The Inner Hebrides (; Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh, the inner isles) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides comprise 35 inhabited islands as well as 44 uninhabited islands with an area greater than . Skye, Islay and Mull are the three largest, and also have the highest populations. The main commercial activities are tourism, crofting, fishing and whisky distilling. In modern times the Inner Hebrides have formed part of two separate local government jurisdictions, one to the north and the other to the south. Together, the islands have an area of about , and had a population of 18,948 in 2011. The population density is therefore about 4.6 per km (12 per square mile). There are various important prehistoric structures, many of which pre-date the first written references to the islands by Roman and Greek authors. In the historic period the earliest known settlers were Picts to the north and Gaels in the southern kingdom of Dál Riada prior to the islands becoming part of the Suðreyjar kingdom of the Norse, who ruled for over 400 years until sovereignty was transferred to Scotland by the Treaty of Perth in 1266. Control of the islands was then held by various clan chiefs, principally the MacLeans, MacLeods and MacDonalds. The Highland Clearances of the 19th century had a devastating effect on many communities and it is only in recent years that population levels have ceased to decline.