Benbecula is an island of the Outer Hebrides, in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland. In the 2011 census it had an usually resident population of 1,283, with a substantial percent of Roman Catholics. It creates part of the location provided by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar or the Western Isles Council. The island is about 12 kilometres from west to east as well as a comparable distance from north to south. It exists in between the islands of North Uist as well as South Uist; it is attached to both by road embankments. Travel to any one of the various other Hebridean islands, or to the British landmass, is by air or sea. Benbecula Airport on the island has daily flights to Glasgow, Stornoway and Barra. A direct service to Inverness was introduced in 2006 yet discontinued in May 2007. There are no straight ferryboat solutions from Benbecula to the landmass, but a solution run by Caledonian MacBrayne from Lochboisdale on South Uist provides a five-hour going across to Oban on the landmass, whilst an additional solution from Lochmaddy on North Uist provides a two-hour crossing to Uig on the Inner Hebridean island of Skye, and also for this reason to the mainland via the Skye Bridge. Ferry services from the islands of Berneray (connected by embankment to North Uist) as well as Eriskay (connected to South Uist) attach to the other Outer Hebridean islands of Harris and also Barra specifically. There is a dense cluster of lochs across nearly the entire island, and also nearly all of the island is below 20 metres in altitude.
