Moray Scottish Gaelic: Moireibh | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 57°25′N 3°15′W / 57.417°N 3.250°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Scotland |
Lieutenancy areas | Moray, Banffshire (Part) |
Admin HQ | High Street Elgin Moray IV30 1BX |
Government | |
• Body | The Moray Council |
• Control | Ind + Con (council NOC) |
• MPs | |
• MSPs | |
Area | |
• Total | 864 sq mi (2,238 km2) |
• Rank | Ranked 8th |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 94,280 |
• Rank | Ranked 24th |
• Density | 110/sq mi (42/km2) |
ONS code | S12000020 |
ISO 3166 code | GB-MRY |
Website | www |
Moray (/ˈmʌri/ ; Scottish Gaelic: Moireibh or Moireabh) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Its council is based in Elgin, the area's largest town. The main towns are generally in the north of the area on the coastal plain. The south of the area is more sparsely populated and mountainous, including part of the Cairngorms National Park.
The council area is named after the historic county of Moray (called Elginshire prior to 1919), which was in turn named after the medieval Province of Moray, each of which covered different areas to the modern council area. The modern area of Moray was created in 1975 as a lower-tier district within the Grampian Region. The Moray district became a single-tier council area in 1996.