Dumfries and Galloway

§ This page gives an overview of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ Dumfries and Galloway occupies the southwest corner of Scotland, bordered by the Solway Firth and the Galloway Hills. Known for its rural charm, historic towns like Dumfries, and outdoor attractions such as Galloway Forest Park, it has a strong agricultural and tourism base.

The administrative boundary of Dumfries and Galloway can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Dumfries and Galloway.

Map of Dumfries and Galloway
Administrative Boundary of Dumfries and Galloway (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about Dumfries and Galloway

What region are Dumfries and Galloway in? Dumfries and Galloway are in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.

Is Dumfries and Galloway a city? No, Dumfries and Galloway is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)

Who governs Dumfries and Galloway? The local government for this district is: Dumfries and Galloway Council (Scotland Council Area).

▶ Official website of Dumfries and Galloway Council 🔗 dumgal.gov.uk

Website of Dumfries and Galloway Council
Website of Dumfries and Galloway Council (captured on 2025-09-20)

Which police force covers Dumfries and Galloway? Policing in Dumfries and Galloway is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.

Dumfries and Galloway in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Dumfries and Galloway is an ITLs Level 3 area:

  1. (ITL 1) Scotland
  2. (ITL 2) ⇒ Southern Scotland
  3. (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Dumfries and Galloway

The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.

This district page, Dumfries and Galloway, is a sub-page of this region page: Scotland. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in Dumfries and Galloway

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 57 of them are in Scotland. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway is divided into 12 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Abbey
  • Annandale East and Eskdale
  • Annandale North
  • Annandale South
  • Castle Douglas and Crocketford
  • Dee and Glenkens
  • Lochar
  • Mid and Upper Nithsdale
  • Mid Galloway and Wigtown West
  • Nith
  • North West Dumfries
  • Stranraer and the Rhins

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Built-up Areas in Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway covers 50 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Annan
  • Beattock
  • Bladnoch
  • Cairnryan
  • Canonbie
  • Cargenbridge
  • Castle Douglas
  • Collin
  • Creca
  • Creetown
  • Crossmichael
  • Dalbeattie
  • Drummore
  • Dumfries
  • Eaglesfield
  • Eastriggs
  • Ecclefechan
  • Gatehouse of Fleet
  • Glenluce
  • Gretna
  • Heathhall and Locharbriggs
  • Hightae
  • Isle of Whithorn
  • Kippford
  • Kirkconnel
  • Kirkcowan
  • Kirkcudbright
  • Kirkpatrick-Fleming
  • Langholm
  • Lochmaben
  • Lockerbie
  • Millhousebridge
  • Moffat
  • Moniaive
  • New Abbey
  • New Galloway
  • Newton Stewart
  • Parkgate (Dumfries and Galloway)
  • Port William
  • Portpatrick
  • Rockcliffe
  • Sanquhar
  • Southerness
  • St John's Town of Dalry
  • Stoneykirk
  • Stranraer
  • Thornhill (Dumfries and Galloway)
  • Tongland
  • Whithorn
  • Wigtown

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Dumfries and Galloway.)