Scottish Borders
§ This page gives an overview of the Scottish Borders 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 ⁞ Scottish Borders spans the southeastern edge of Scotland, bordering England. It is known for its rolling hills, historic abbeys, and textile industry, particularly in towns like Hawick and Galashiels. Agriculture and tourism remain important to the local economy.
Scottish Borders Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Scottish Borders 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 Scottish Borders can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Scottish Borders.
Key Facts about Scottish Borders
What region is Scottish Borders in? Scottish Borders is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is Scottish Borders a city? No, Scottish Borders is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Scottish Borders? The local government for this district is: Scottish Borders Council (Scotland Council Area).
▶ Official website of Scottish Borders Council 🔗 scotborders.gov.uk
Which police force covers Scottish Borders? Policing in Scottish Borders is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.
Scottish Borders in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Scottish Borders is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Scotland
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Southern Scotland
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Scottish Borders
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 Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders is divided into 2 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 Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders is divided into 11 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- East Berwickshire
- Galashiels and District
- Hawick and Denholm
- Hawick and Hermitage
- Jedburgh and District
- Kelso and District
- Leaderdale and Melrose
- Mid Berwickshire
- Selkirkshire
- Tweeddale East
- Tweeddale West
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 Scottish Borders
Below is a list of post towns in Scottish Borders, grouped by postcode area:
- EH ▸ Heriot (EH38) ⁞ Innerleithen (EH44) ⁞ Peebles (EH45) ⁞ Walkerburn (EH43) ⁞ West Linton (EH46)
- TD ▸ Cockburnspath (TD13) ⁞ Coldstream (TD12) ⁞ Cornhill-on-Tweed (TD12) ⁞ Duns (TD10 / TD11) ⁞ Earlston (TD4) ⁞ Eyemouth (TD14) ⁞ Galashiels (TD1) ⁞ Gordon (TD3) ⁞ Hawick (TD9) ⁞ Jedburgh (TD8) ⁞ Kelso (TD5) ⁞ Lauder (TD2) ⁞ Melrose (TD6) ⁞ Mindrum (TD12) ⁞ Newcastleton (TD9) ⁞ Selkirk (TD7)
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 Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders covers 34 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ancrum
- Ayton
- Broughton (Scottish Borders)
- Cardrona Village
- Charlesfield
- Chirnside
- Clovenfords
- Coldingham
- Coldstream
- Copshaw Holm
- Darnick
- Denholm
- Duns
- Earlston
- Eyemouth
- Fogo
- Galashiels
- Gattonside
- Greenlaw
- Hawick
- Innerleithen
- Jedburgh
- Kelso
- Lauder
- Leitholm
- Melrose
- Newtown St Boswells
- Peebles
- Selkirk
- St Boswells
- Stow (Scottish Borders)
- Swinton (Scottish Borders)
- Walkerburn
- West Linton
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 Scottish Borders.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders 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 Scottish Borders Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- ScotRail ▸ Tweedbank (TD1 3AB) ⁞ Galashiels (TD1 1BP) ⁞ Stow (TD1 2SQ) ⁞ Reston (TD14 5JS)
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.