Arran is an island off the coast of Scotland, in the UK. It is the biggest island in the Firth of Clyde and the 7th largest Scottish island, at 432 square kilometres (167 sq mi). Historically part of Buteshire, it remains in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire. In the 2011 census it had a resident populace of 4,629. Though culturally and physically similar to the Hebrides, it is divided from them by the Kintyre peninsula. Usually referred to as "Scotland in Miniature", the island is split right into highland and lowland locations by the Highland Border Fault as well as has actually been described as a "geologist's heaven". Arran has actually been continuously populated given that the early Neolithic duration. Numerous primitive remains have been found. From the 6th century onwards, Goidelic-speaking peoples from Ireland colonised it and it became a centre of religious activity. In the struggling Viking Age, Arran came to be the residential or commercial property of the Norwegian crown, up until formally soaked up by the kingdom of Scotland in the 13th century. The 19th-century "clearances" caused significant depopulation and also completion of the Gaelic language and lifestyle. The economic climate as well as population have recuperated in recent times, the primary sector being tourism. There is a variety of wild animals, including 3 species of tree endemic to the location. The island includes miles of coastal pathways, numerous hills as well as mountains, forested locations, rivers, small lochs and also coastlines. Its main coastlines go to Brodick, Whiting Bay, Kildonan, Sannox as well as Blackwaterfoot.