North Ayrshire (pop. 133,413) is a local government area in Scotland. It is a council area, the main unit of local government in Scotland. North Ayrshire lies along the southwest coast of Scotland and includes the Isle of Arran and the Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae islands. Irvine is the administrative center of North Ayrshire.
The Irvine and Garnock rivers run through North Ayrshire and into the Firth of Clyde. A mountain on Arran called Goatfell rises to a height of 2,867 feet (874 meters) and is the highest point in the area. North Ayrshire has several wildlife reserves. The Firth of Clyde is an important area for such marine wildlife as the minke whale, the basking shark, and the Atlantic gray seal.
Tourism makes a major contribution to the economy of North Ayrshire. Saltcoats and Ardrossan have served as vacation destinations for the people of Glasgow for generations. Largs, the scene of a decisive battle between the Scots and the Norsemen in 1263, is now home to the popular Vikingar leisure center and the site of an annual Viking Festival. The Isle of Arran is one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Scotland.
Robert Bruce, King Robert I of Scotland, granted a royal charter to Irvine in 1308. The North Ayrshire region developed as an industrial center in the late 1700’s. Factories producing textiles, coal, and iron were set up at Dalry and Glengarnock. Irvine was designated as a new town (area of rapid growth) in 1966.
The area that is now North Ayrshire was part of the county of Ayrshire. In 1975, the county ceased to exist as an administrative region and became a part of the larger Strathclyde Region. In 1996, North Ayrshire was created as part of the system of council areas, and the Strathclyde Region ceased to exist as an administrative region.
