The Central Belt of Scotland is a common term used to describe the area of highest population density within Scotland. It is not geographically "central", but in fact nearer the south of the country.

It is a common complaint amongst Scots outside the Central Belt, that Scottish government and media is overcentralised there, and indeed it is not uncommon to hear Central-Belters speak of it as "Scotland", e.g. "the West of Scotland" referring to Glasgow, and the area to the west, rather than the larger "West of Scotland" which would include the West Highlands & Galloway.

Smaller Central Belt

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The area is often considered as a strip following the M8 and M9 motorways stretching from Greenock and Glasgow in the West to Edinburgh in the East, encompassing towns such as Paisley, Stirling, Falkirk, Bathgate and Linlithgow.

Larger Central Belt

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The larger Central Belt, is a trapezoid stretching from Dundee, to Ayr, and Dumbarton to Dunbar. This also takes in fairly densely populated areas such as Ayrshire, Fife, Midlothian and East Lothian. This area encompasses all the major cities of Scotland, except for Aberdeen and Inverness.

Both of these areas also contain the bulk of Scotland's industrial works.

Geography of Scotland

Central Belt | Central Belt