North Lanarkshire
§ This page gives an overview of the North Lanarkshire 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 ⁞ North Lanarkshire is in the central belt, east of Glasgow, and includes towns such as Motherwell, Airdrie, and Cumbernauld. Historically industrial, especially in steelmaking, it now focuses on logistics, manufacturing, and commuter communities.
North Lanarkshire Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the North Lanarkshire 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 North Lanarkshire can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of North Lanarkshire.
Key Facts about North Lanarkshire
What region is North Lanarkshire in? North Lanarkshire is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is North Lanarkshire a city? No, North Lanarkshire is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs North Lanarkshire? The local government for this district is: North Lanarkshire Council (Scotland Council Area).
▶ Official website of North Lanarkshire Council 🔗 northlanarkshire.gov.uk
Which police force covers North Lanarkshire? Policing in North Lanarkshire is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.
North Lanarkshire in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, North Lanarkshire is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Scotland
- (ITL 2) ⇒ West Central Scotland
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ North Lanarkshire
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 North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is divided into 4 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Airdrie and Shotts
- Coatbridge and Bellshill
- Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
- Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke
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 Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is divided into 21 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Airdrie Central
- Airdrie North
- Airdrie South
- Bellshill
- Coatbridge North
- Coatbridge South
- Coatbridge West
- Cumbernauld East
- Cumbernauld North
- Cumbernauld South
- Fortissat
- Gartcosh, Glenboig and Moodiesburn
- Kilsyth
- Mossend and Holytown
- Motherwell North
- Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig
- Motherwell West
- Murdostoun
- Stepps, Chryston and Muirhead
- Thorniewood
- Wishaw
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 North Lanarkshire
Below is a list of post towns in North Lanarkshire, grouped by postcode area:
- ML ▸ Airdrie (ML6) ⁞ Bellshill (ML4) ⁞ Coatbridge (ML5) ⁞ Motherwell (ML1) ⁞ Shotts (ML7) ⁞ Wishaw (ML2)
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 North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire covers 41 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Airdrie
- Allanton
- Auchinloch
- Bargeddie *
- Bellshill
- Bishopbriggs *
- Blackridge *
- Calderbank
- Caldercruix
- Chapelhall
- Chryston
- Cleland
- Coatbridge
- Crindledyke
- Croy (North Lanarkshire)
- Cumbernauld *
- Dullatur
- Eastfield
- Gartcosh
- Glasgow *
- Glenboig
- Glenmavis
- Harthill (West Lothian) *
- Holytown
- Kilsyth
- Kirkintilloch *
- Moffat Mills
- Moodiesburn
- Morningside
- Motherwell
- Newarthill
- Newmains
- Overtown
- Plains
- Queenzieburn
- Salsburgh
- Shotts
- Stepps *
- Uddingston *
- Wattston
- Wishaw
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 Lanarkshire.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire 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 North Lanarkshire Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- ScotRail ▸ Croy (G65 9HT) ⁞ Motherwell (ML1 1BL) ⁞ Airdrie (ML6 9EX) ⁞ Bellshill (ML4 1RJ) ⁞ Coatbridge Sunnyside (ML5 3HR) ⁞ Wishaw (ML2 0EX) ⁞ Blairhill (ML5 1NP) ⁞ Drumgelloch (ML6 7BL) ⁞ Stepps (G33 6AT) ⁞ Whifflet (ML5 4AS) ⁞ Coatdyke (ML5 3PZ) ⁞ Cumbernauld (G67 2UH) ⁞ Gartcosh (G69 8DF) ⁞ Shotts (ML7 5DX) ⁞ Holytown (ML1 4HD) ⁞ Kirkwood (ML5 5RS) ⁞ Shieldmuir (ML2 7TF) ⁞ Carfin (ML1 5AL) ⁞ Greenfaulds (G67 2XJ) ⁞ Airbles (ML1 2SX) ⁞ Cleland (ML1 5RR) ⁞ Bargeddie (G69 7TS) ⁞ Caldercruix (ML6 7RJ) ⁞ Coatbridge Central (ML5 1RL) ⁞ Hartwood (ML7 7DU)
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.