Editing Hebrides (section)

==Geology, geography and climate==
[[File:Leaving Lochmaddy - geograph.org.uk - 929584.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry [[MV Hebrides|MV ''Hebrides'']] leaving [[Lochmaddy]] for [[Skye]] ]]
{{Main|List of Inner Hebrides|List of Outer Hebrides}}

The Hebrides have a diverse [[geology]], ranging in age from [[Precambrian]] strata that are amongst the oldest rocks in Europe, to [[Paleogene]] [[igneous rock|igneous]] intrusions.<ref>Rollinson, Hugh (September 1997). [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/gday/1997/00000013/00000005/art00011 "Britain's oldest rocks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606174151/http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/gday/1997/00000013/00000005/art00011 |date=6 June 2011 }} ''Geology Today''. '''13''' no. 5 pp. 185–190.</ref><ref>Gillen, Con (2003). ''Geology and landscapes of Scotland''. Harpenden. Terra Publishing. Pages 44 and 142.</ref>{{refn|Rollinson (1997) states that the oldest rocks in Europe have been found "near Gruinard Bay" on the Scottish mainland. Gillen (2003) p. 44 indicates the oldest rocks in Europe are found "in the Northwest Highlands and Outer Hebrides". McKirdy, Alan Gordon, John & Crofts, Roger (2007) ''Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. p. 93 state of the [[Lewisian complex|Lewisian gneiss]] bedrock of much of the Outer Hebrides that "these rocks are amongst the oldest to be found anywhere on the planet". Other (non-geologist) sources sometimes claim that the rocks of Lewis and Harris are "the oldest in Britain", meaning that they are the oldest deposits of large bedrock. As Rollinson makes clear, Lewis and Harris is not the location of the oldest small outcrop.|group=Note}} Raised shore platforms in the Hebrides have been identified as [[strandflat]]s, possibly formed during the [[Pliocene]] period and later modified by the [[Quaternary glaciation]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dawson |first1=Alastair G. |last2=Dawson |first2=Sue |last3=Cooper |first3=J. Andrew G. |last4=Gemmell |first4=Alastair |last5=Bates |first5=Richard |date=2013 |title=A Pliocene age and origin for the strandflat of the Western Isles of Scotland: a speculative hypothesis |journal=[[Geological Magazine]] |volume=150 |issue=2 |pages=360–366 |doi=10.1017/S0016756812000568 |bibcode=2013GeoM..150..360D |s2cid=130965005}}</ref>

The Hebrides can be divided into two main groups, separated from one another by [[the Minch]] to the north and the [[Sea of the Hebrides]] to the south. The [[Inner Hebrides]] lie closer to mainland Scotland and include [[Islay]], [[Jura, Scotland|Jura]], [[Skye]], [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], [[Raasay]], [[Staffa]] and the [[Small Isles]]. There are 36 inhabited islands in this group. The [[Outer Hebrides]] form a chain of more than 100 islands and small [[Skerry|skerries]] located about {{cvt|70|km|mi|round=5}} west of mainland Scotland. Among them, 15 are inhabited. The main inhabited islands include [[Lewis and Harris]], [[North Uist]], [[Benbecula]], [[South Uist]], and [[Barra]].

A complication is that there are various descriptions of the scope of the Hebrides. The ''[[Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland]]'' describes the Inner Hebrides as lying "east of the Minch". This definition would encompass all offshore islands, including those that lie in the sea lochs, such as {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Bàn, Lochalsh|Eilean Bàn]]}} and {{lang|gd|[[Eilean Donan]]}}, which might not ordinarily be described as "Hebridean". However, no formal definition exists.<ref>Keay & Keay (1994) p. 507.</ref><ref>'' Encyclopædia Britannica'' (1978) states: "Hebrides – group of islands of the west coast of Scotland extending in an arc between 55.35 and 58.30 N and 5.26 and 8.40 W." These coordinates include [[Gigha]], [[St Kilda, Scotland|St Kilda]] and everything up to [[Cape Wrath]] – although not [[North Rona]].</ref>

In the past, the Outer Hebrides were often referred to as the ''Long Isle'' ({{langx|gd|An t-Eilean Fada}}). Today, they are also sometimes known as the ''Western Isles'', although this phrase can also be used to refer to the Hebrides in general.{{refn|Murray (1973) notes that "Western Isles" has tended to mean "Outer Hebrides" since the creation of the {{lang|gd|[[Na h-Eileanan an Iar (UK Parliament constituency)|Na h-Eileanan an Iar]]}} or Western Isles parliamentary constituency in 1918. Murray also notes that "Gneiss Islands" – a reference to the underlying geology – is another name used to refer to the [[Outer Hebrides]], but that its use is "confined to books".<ref>Murray (1973) p. 32.</ref>|group=Note}}

The Hebrides have a cool, temperate climate that is remarkably mild and steady for such a northerly [[latitude]], due to the influence of the [[Gulf Stream]]. In the Outer Hebrides, the average temperature is 6&nbsp;°C (44&nbsp;°F) in January and 14&nbsp;°C (57&nbsp;°F) in the summer. The average annual rainfall in Lewis is {{cvt|1100|mm|in}}, and there are between 1,100 and 1,200 hours of sunshine ''[[wikt:per annum|per annum]]'' (13%). The summer days are relatively long, and May through August is the driest period.<ref>Thompson (1968) pp. 24–26.</ref>