The Small Isles () are a small archipelago of islands in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. They lie south of Skye and north of Mull and Ardnamurchan – the most westerly point of mainland Scotland. The islands form part of the Lochaber area of the Highland council area. Until 1891, Canna, Rùm and Muck were historically part of the shire of Argyll; Eigg was historically part of Inverness-shire. All of the Small Isles were in Inverness-shire between 1891 and 1975, and remain part of the registration county of Inverness for land registration and statistical purposes. A single community council covers the islands. Name "Small Isles" is the name of the coterminous civil parish and former Church of Scotland parish, originally created in 1726 from part of Sleat parish, the balance of which lies on the much larger island of Skye. The original name of the new parish was Eigg or Short Isles. "In process of time the name was by an easy transition changed from 'Short' to 'Small' Isles." The islands are not especially small, with Rùm being the 15th largest in Scotland. The Gaelic name of translates as "cross isles", referring to the islands' position between Morar and Uist. Geography The four main islands are: Canna, Rùm, Eigg and Muck. The largest is Rùm, with an area of . Smaller islands surrounding the main four include: Sanday, separated from Canna by a narrow tidal channel; Eilean Chathastail, near Eigg and Eilean nan Each (Horse Island), near the north coast of Muck () There are also a number of skerries: Hyskeir or Òigh-sgeir, (not to be confused with Heisker or the Monach Islands in the Outer Hebrides) Garbh Sgeir, Eagamol, near Eilean nan Each Humla, and two places called Dubh Sgeir Demographics According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Small Isles was 153. Five of the islands are inhabited: Eigg (83), Muck (27), Rùm (22), Canna (12) and Sanday (9). The inhabited islands are in contrasting forms of ownership: Canna (along with the tidally linked Sanday) is owned by a national conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland; Eigg has been owned by a local community trust since 1997; Muck remains in private ownership; and Rùm is largely in the hands of the state (via NatureScot), although some land in and around the only village (Kinloch) is owned by a community trust. Transport