West Lothian, Scottish council area in southeastern Scotland.
West Lothian is a council area in central Scotland between the Rivers Avon and Almond, situated southeast of Edinburgh. The terrain covers farmland, low ridges with grasses and heather, and red spoil heaps left from coal and shale mining.
The territory carried the name Linlithgowshire until 1925 and held importance during medieval times through Scottish kings who resided at Linlithgow. Mining shaped the economy from the 19th century into the 1960s before new industries were established in Livingston.
Place names across the territory show Gaelic and Scots influences, visible in the –ton ending found in many settlement names. The streetscape shifts between smaller towns built with red sandstone and newer housing estates that appeared after the mining era ended.
Multiple roads and rail lines cross the area, linking it to Edinburgh in the east and Glasgow in the west. Points of interest spread across the territory, so using a vehicle or local bus connections helps when planning visits.
Cairnpapple Hill holds burial sites and stone circles from the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, documenting ceremonies across several thousand years. Researchers found fossil remains of the genus Westlothiana in the red spoil heaps near Niddry, a small reptile from the Carboniferous period 338 million years ago.
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