NORTH UIST

island of the Outer Hebrides, Western Isles council area, historic county of Inverness-shire, Scotland, lying off the northwest coast of the Scottish mainland. North Uist measures 17 miles (27 km) long from north to south and 13 miles (21 km) east to west. Its eastern part is moorland broken by numerous lochs (lakes), while the west is green, fertile, and rimmed by long, sandy beaches. The coastline is deeply indented. Cattle and sheep are raised on the island, and there is some lobster fishing. Tourism is important to the local economy. There are several prehistoric standing stones, as well as the ruins of a 13th-century church. Many of the island's inhabitants speak Gaelic. Lochmaddy is the chief port and settlement. North Uist is connected by a road bridge southward to the neighbouring islands of Benbecula and South Uist. Pop. (1991) 1,404.