Perth and Kinross

Statistics

Principal Town: Perth
Population (1991):
Area (hectares): 539479
Entry Updated: 10-AUG-2015
Local Authority Contact Information

Address: Perth and Kinross Council
Council Building
2 High Street
Perth
PH1 5PH
Geography
Extending over an area of 5,406 sq. km (2,087 sq. miles), Perth and Kinross lies at the heart of Scotland, straddling the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands.

In the south the Kinross basin, with Loch Leven at its focal point, comprises a valley surrounded by Benarty and the Lomond, Cleish and Ochil Hills. To the north of the Tay the fertile river plain of the Carse of Gowrie is separated by the Sidlaw Hills from the equally fertile Strathmore valley which is the centre of Scotland's fruit-growing industry.

Highland Perthshire is characterised by a series of river valleys of varying width that in general trend W-E or SW-NE from Strath Allan in the south to Glen Garry in the north. Some of these contain the regions largest lochs including Loch Tay, Loch Earn, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel. The principal valleys are those of the River Tay (Strath Tay), which is Scotland's longest River, and the River Earn (Strath Earn). Beyond these valleys the southern outliers of the Grampian Mountains rise up through the Braes of Angus and the Forest of Atholl.

Perth and Kinross has a higher proportion of older people than Scotland as a whole; in the 2010 census, there were 10.6% of residents aged between 65 and 74 and a further 9.5% aged over 75 years, compared to 9.1% and 7.7% in Scotland overall.

History
The Council area comprises the former counties of Perth and Kinross which formed the Perth and Kinross District of Tayside Region from 1975 to 1996. Its administrative centre is Perth and its principal settlements are Alyth, Auchterarder, Blairgowrie, Coupar Angus, Crieff, Kinross, Pitlochry and Rattray.
Industry
Tourism, knitwear, crafts, distilling, farming, fruit-growing and forestry are leading elements of the economy in this largely rural heartland of Scotland. Although it is 30 miles (48 km) inland and easily accessed by road and rail from Stirling, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, Perth Harbour has a varied, and growing, overseas and coastal shipping trade.
References and Further Reading
Fraser, Duncan (1969) Highland Perthshire. Standard Press, Montrose
Gifford, John (2007) The Buildings of Scotland: Perth and Kinross. Yale University Press, New Haven and London
Haynes, Nick (2000) Perth & Kinross: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. The Rutland Press, Edinburgh
MacNair, Peter (1912) Cambridge County Geographies: Perthshire. The University Press, Cambridge
McKerracher, Archie (2000) Perthshire in History and Legend. John Donald Publishers Ltd., Edinburgh
Peck, Sir Edward (1981) North-East Scotland. John Bartholomew & Sons Ltd., Edinburgh
Tranter, Nigel (1971) The Queen's Scotland: The Heartland - Clackmannanshire, Perthshire and Stirlingshire. Hodder and Stoughton, London
Walker, Bruce and Graham Ritchie (1996) Exploring Scotland's Heritage: Fife, Perthshire and Angus. Second Edition, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and HMSO, Edinburgh
Watney, John (1994) Perthshire Walks. Ordnance Survey and Jarrold

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