North Ayrshire

§ This page gives an overview of the North Ayrshire 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 ⁞ North Ayrshire spans part of the mainland and islands such as Arran and Great Cumbrae. It combines coastal resorts, industrial towns, and rural areas, with Ardrossan as a key ferry port to the islands.

The administrative boundary of North Ayrshire can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of North Ayrshire.

Map of North Ayrshire
Administrative Boundary of North Ayrshire (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about North Ayrshire

What region is North Ayrshire in? North Ayrshire is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.

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

Who governs North Ayrshire? The local government for this district is: North Ayrshire Council (Scotland Council Area).

▶ Official website of North Ayrshire Council 🔗 north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Website of North Ayrshire Council
Website of North Ayrshire Council (captured on 2025-09-20)

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

North Ayrshire in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, North Ayrshire is within an ITLs Level 3 area:

  1. (ITL 1) Scotland
  2. (ITL 2) ⇒ Southern Scotland
  3. (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire

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, North Ayrshire, 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 North Ayrshire

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 North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire is divided into 9 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Ardrossan
  • Arran
  • Garnock Valley
  • Irvine East
  • Irvine South
  • Irvine West
  • Kilwinning
  • North Coast
  • Saltcoats and Stevenston

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 North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire covers 22 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Ardrossan
  • Beith
  • Brodick
  • Dalry
  • Fairlie
  • Glengarnock
  • Irvine
  • Kilbirnie
  • Kilwinning
  • Lamlash
  • Largs
  • Millport
  • Perceton
  • Portencross
  • Saltcoats
  • Shewalton
  • Skelmorlie *
  • Springside *
  • Stevenston
  • Troon (South Ayrshire) *
  • West Kilbride
  • Whiting Bay

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 North Ayrshire.)