Benbecula
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This article is about the island of Benbecula. For the record label of the same name, see Benbecula.
Benbecula (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn na Faoghla, meaning "the mountain of the ford") is an island of the Outer Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 1,249, the majority of which are Roman Catholic. It forms part of the area administered by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western Isles Council.
The island lies between the islands of North Uist and South Uist, to which it is connected by road causeways. Travel to any of the other main Hebridean islands, or to the Scottish mainland, must be done by air or sea. Benbecula Airport on the island has daily flights to Glasgow, Stornoway, Inverness and Barra. There are no direct ferry services from Benbecula to the mainland, but a service operated by Caledonian MacBrayne from Lochboisdale on South Uist provides a five-hour crossing to Oban on the mainland, whilst another service from Lochmaddy on North Uist provides a two-hour crossing to Uig on the Inner Hebridean island of Skye, and hence to the mainland via the Skye Bridge. Ferry services from the islands of Berneray (linked by causeway to North Uist) and Eriskay (linked to South Uist) connect to the other Outer Hebridean islands of Harris and Barra respectively.
Benbecula's main settlement is Balivanich (Scottish Gaelic: Baile a'Mhanaich, meaning "Town of the Monk") in the northwest. It is the main administrative centre for the three islands, and has the council offices and the administrative centre for the artillery deep sea firing range on South Uist, which is managed by QinetiQ. The village is also home to the airport and the island's bank.
Other villages include Craigstrome, which lies on the eastern half of Benbecula. In contrast to the cultivated west coast of the island, the eastern half is a mixture of freshwater lochs, moorland, bog and deeply indenting sea lochs. Craigstrome is near Ruabhal, Benbecula's highest hill at 124 metres (407ft).
The township of Lionacleit is also an important one, housing the Uists' main secondary school, which also doubles as a community centre containing a swimming pool, cafeteria, sports facilities, a small museum and a library. Next door to this is the Lionacleit campus of Lews Castle College.
Benbecula also hosts a RAF radar station, known as RRH Benbecula, which monitors the northern Atlantic.
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| Islands of the Hebrides |
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| Inner Hebrides |
| Ascrib Islands | Canna | Cara | Coll | Colonsay | Crowlin Islands | Easdale | Eigg | Gigha | Iona | Isay | Islay | Jura | Kerrera | Lismore | Luing | Lunga | Oronsay | Muck | Mull | Raasay | Rùm | Seil | Shuna | Skye | Soay | Staffa | Summer Isles |Tiree |
| Outer Hebrides |
| Barra (Isles) | Benbecula | Berneray | Eriskay | Flannan Isles | Great Bernera | Harris and Lewis | North Uist | Rockall | Scalpay | South Uist | St Kilda |
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