NORTH LANARKSHIRE

council area, west-central Scotland, on the eastern periphery of the Glasgow metropolitan area. It lies mostly within the historic county of Lanarkshire, but the area around Cumbernauld in the north is part of the historic county of Dunbartonshire, and the council area's northernmost extension, around Kilsyth, belongs to the historic county of Stirlingshire. North Lanarkshire encompasses a portion of the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands) extending from the valley of the River Clyde in the west to the upper valley of the River Almond in the east. It also incorporates an area of rolling hills in the southeast and a section of the Kilsyth Hills in the far north. Most of the population lives in the southwestern portion of North Lanarkshire, which is urban and suburban in character. Many of the smaller towns are residential suburbs of Glasgow, and many residents of larger towns, such as Airdrie, commute to work in other parts of the metropolitan area. The older industrial towns of Motherwell, Wishaw, and Coatbridge owe their early development to local coal and iron ore production, which supplied a large-scale iron and steel industry. By the end of the 20th century, coal mining had ceased in the area, and the collapse of heavy industry had caused economic hardship in these towns. The development of specialized manufactures and service activities has partly compensated for this loss. The new town of Cumbernauld manufactures computers, office equipment, and electronics and supports a range of services. North Lanarkshire also incorporates agricultural areas in the north and east devoted largely to dairy farming, pigs, poultry, and fodder crops, and there are forests in the far north. Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, and Motherwell are the administrative centres. Area 180 square miles (466 square km). Pop. (1999 est.) 327,940.