Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders (Scottish Gaelic: Crìochan na h-Alba; Scots: The Mairches), known simply as the Borders within Scotland and North East England, is one of the country's 32 council areas. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the west, and the English ceremonial counties of Cumbria and Northumberland to the south. The area's largest settlement is Galashiels; its administrative centre is Newtown St Boswells. The term "Scottish Borders" is also used for the areas of southern Scotland and northern England that bound the Anglo-Scottish border, namely Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Northumberland, and Cumbria. The council area occupies approximately the same area as the historic shires of Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire.