Fife
§ This page gives an overview of the Fife local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Fife lies between the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay, known for its coastline, fishing villages, and the historic town of St Andrews, home to Scotland’s oldest university and the “Home of Golf.” Its largest town is Dunfermline, now a city.
Fife Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Fife local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Fife can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Fife.
Key Facts about Fife
What region is Fife in? Fife is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is Fife a city? Yes, Fife is a city. Fife holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Fife? The local government for this district is: Fife Council (Scotland Council Area).
▶ Official website of Fife Council 🔗 fife.gov.uk
Which police force covers Fife? Policing in Fife is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.
Fife in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Fife is within an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Scotland
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Eastern Scotland
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Clackmannanshire and Fife
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.
Constituencies in Fife
Fife is divided into 4 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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 Fife
Fife is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss Villages
- Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy
- Cowdenbeath
- Cupar
- Dunfermline Central
- Dunfermline North
- Dunfermline South
- East Neuk and Landward
- Glenrothes Central and Thornton
- Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch
- Glenrothes West and Kinglassie
- Howe of Fife and Tay Coast
- Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay
- Kirkcaldy Central
- Kirkcaldy East
- Kirkcaldy North
- Leven, Kennoway and Largo
- Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty
- Rosyth
- St Andrews
- Tay Bridgehead
- West Fife and Coastal Villages
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Post Towns in Fife
Below is a list of post towns in Fife, grouped by postcode area:
- DD ▸ Newport-on-Tay (DD6) ⁞ Tayport (DD6)
- KY ▸ Anstruther (KY10) ⁞ Burntisland (KY3) ⁞ Cowdenbeath (KY4) ⁞ Cupar (KY14 / KY15) ⁞ Dunfermline (KY11 / KY12 / KY99) ⁞ Glenrothes (KY6 / KY7) ⁞ Inverkeithing (KY11) ⁞ Kelty (KY4) ⁞ Kirkcaldy (KY1 / KY2) ⁞ Leven (KY8 / KY9) ⁞ Lochgelly (KY5) ⁞ St. Andrews (KY16)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Fife
Fife covers 69 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aberdour
- Anstruther
- Auchtermuchty
- Ballingry and Lochore *
- Balmullo
- Blairhall
- Bowershall
- Bowhill
- Buckhaven
- Burntisland
- Cairneyhill
- Cardenden
- Carnock
- Ceres
- Charlestown
- Coaltown of Balgonie
- Coaltown of Wemyss
- Cowdenbeath
- Crail
- Crossford (Fife)
- Crossgates (Fife)
- Culross
- Cupar
- Dalgety Bay
- Drumoig
- Dunfermline
- East Wemyss
- Elie
- Falkland
- Freuchie
- Gauldry
- Glenrothes
- Guardbridge
- High Valleyfield
- Inverkeithing
- Kelty *
- Kennoway
- Kincardine
- Kinghorn
- Kinglassie
- Kingseat (Fife)
- Kirkcaldy
- Ladybank
- Leslie
- Leuchars
- Leven (Fife)
- Limekilns
- Lochgelly
- Lower Largo
- Markinch
- Methil
- Newburgh (Fife)
- Newport-on-Tay
- North Queensferry
- Oakley and Comrie
- Pittenweem
- Rosyth
- Saline
- Springfield
- St Andrews
- St Monance
- Star
- Steelend
- Strathkinness
- Strathmiglo
- Tayport
- Thornton (Fife)
- Torryburn and Newmills
- Windygates
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 Fife.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Fife
Fife is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Fife Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- ScotRail ▸ Inverkeithing (KY11 1NJ) ⁞ Kirkcaldy (KY1 1YL) ⁞ Leuchars (For St. Andrews) (KY16 0AA) ⁞ Dunfermline City (KY12 7HT) ⁞ Markinch (KY7 6DH) ⁞ Dalgety Bay (KY11 9HZ) ⁞ Burntisland (KY3 9DR) ⁞ Rosyth (KY11 2JF) ⁞ Cupar (KY15 5HX) ⁞ Leven (KY8 4LQ) ⁞ Dunfermline Queen Margaret (KY12 0GB) ⁞ Cowdenbeath (KY4 9SQ) ⁞ North Queensferry (KY11 1JE) ⁞ Aberdour (KY3 0SN) ⁞ Kinghorn (KY3 9RA) ⁞ Ladybank (KY15 7JS) ⁞ Lochgelly (KY5 9EP) ⁞ Glenrothes with Thornton (KY1 4AE) ⁞ Cameron Bridge (KY8 5BP) ⁞ Cardenden (KY5 0BP) ⁞ Springfield (KY15 5QY)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.