South Lanarkshire
§ This page gives an overview of the South 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 ⁞ South Lanarkshire stretches from the southern fringes of Glasgow into rural Clydesdale. Major towns include Hamilton, East Kilbride, and Lanark. The area blends urban industry with agriculture and is well connected by transport links.
South Lanarkshire Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the South 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 South Lanarkshire can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of South Lanarkshire.
Key Facts about South Lanarkshire
What region is South Lanarkshire in? South Lanarkshire is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is South Lanarkshire a city? No, South Lanarkshire is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs South Lanarkshire? The local government for this district is: South Lanarkshire Council (Scotland Council Area).
▶ Official website of South Lanarkshire Council 🔗 southlanarkshire.gov.uk
Which police force covers South Lanarkshire? Policing in South Lanarkshire is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.
South Lanarkshire in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, South Lanarkshire is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) Scotland
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Southern Scotland
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ South 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 South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is divided into 5 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
- East Kilbride and Strathaven
- Hamilton and Clyde Valley
- Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke
- Rutherglen
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 South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Avondale and Stonehouse
- Blantyre
- Bothwell and Uddingston
- Cambuslang East
- Cambuslang West
- Clydesdale East
- Clydesdale North
- Clydesdale South
- Clydesdale West
- East Kilbride Central North
- East Kilbride Central South
- East Kilbride East
- East Kilbride South
- East Kilbride West
- Hamilton North and East
- Hamilton South
- Hamilton West and Earnock
- Larkhall
- Rutherglen Central and North
- Rutherglen South
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 South Lanarkshire
Below is a list of post towns in South Lanarkshire, grouped by postcode area:
- ML ▸ Biggar (ML12) ⁞ Carluke (ML8) ⁞ Hamilton (ML3) ⁞ Lanark (ML11) ⁞ Larkhall (ML9) ⁞ Strathaven (ML10)
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 South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire covers 46 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashgill
- Biggar
- Blantyre
- Bothwell
- Braidwood
- Cambuslang *
- Carluke
- Carmunnock *
- Carnwath
- Carstairs
- Carstairs Junction
- Chapelton (South Lanarkshire)
- Cleghorn
- Coalburn
- Crawford
- Crossford (South Lanarkshire)
- Douglas
- East Kilbride
- Ferniegair
- Forth
- Glasgow *
- Glassford
- Hamilton
- Jackton
- Kirkfieldbank
- Kirkmuirhill and Blackwood
- Lanark
- Larkhall
- Law
- Leadhills
- Lesmahagow
- Nerston
- Netherburn
- Quarter
- Rosebank
- Rutherglen *
- Spittal (South Lanarkshire) *
- Stonehouse (South Lanarkshire)
- Strathaven
- Symington (South Lanarkshire)
- Thankerton
- Thorntonhall *
- Uddingston *
- Uddington
- Waterfoot *
- West End (South Lanarkshire)
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 South 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 South Lanarkshire
South 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 South Lanarkshire Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- ScotRail ▸ Rutherglen (G73 1DB) ⁞ Cambuslang (G72 7EL) ⁞ Uddingston (G71 7LR) ⁞ Hamilton Central (ML3 6PB) ⁞ Hamilton West (ML3 0DA) ⁞ Newton (Lanark) (G72 7TD) ⁞ East Kilbride (G74 1AR) ⁞ Hairmyres (G75 8SW) ⁞ Blantyre (G72 9BB) ⁞ Carluke (ML8 5AA) ⁞ Lanark (ML11 7JP) ⁞ Larkhall (ML9 1DP) ⁞ Burnside (South Lanarkshire) (G73 3SA) ⁞ Chatelherault (ML3 7UD) ⁞ Merryton (ML9 2UW) ⁞ Kirkhill (G72 8NL) ⁞ Carstairs (ML11 8PR) ⁞ Thorntonhall (G74 5AB)
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.