West Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties.
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19 Facts About West Lothian
2.
Geology of West Lothian is typical for the Midland valley area geological of Scotland.
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3.
The oil shale in West Lothian is an organic-rich, fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen from which liquid hydrocarbons can be extracted.
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4.
West Lothian was extensively settled in prehistoric times, and several ancient burial sites have been uncovered, such as at Cairnpapple Hill, described as one of Scotlands richest archaeological sites and one of the earlier places of organised worship in the country.
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5.
The bings produced by the mining industry, 19 of which still stand in West Lothian, were at first considered blights, but now are thought of as monuments to Scotland's industrial past, and a representation of one appears on the council's coat of arms.
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6.
In 1975, as a result of the Local Government Act 1973, the boundaries of West Lothian were adjusted, so that some western areas of Midlothian were added to the country, while some West Lothian settlements became part of Falkirkshire and Edinburgh.
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7.
West Lothian was made a district of Lothian region but lost the burgh of Bo'ness and the district of Bo'ness to Falkirk district of Central Region, the burgh of Queensferry and the district of Kirkliston and part of Winchburgh to Edinburgh district of Lothian Region.
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8.
West Lothian Council is the local authority for the West Lothian area of Scotland and has 33 elected members.
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9.
West Lothian is represented in the Scottish Parliament by two constituency members and seven regional members of the Scottish Parliament.
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10.
West Lothian question, referring to whether Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish MPs should be allowed to vote on English laws, is so named because it was supposedly first raised by Tam Dalyell while he was MP for West Lothian.
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11.
Historic houses in West Lothian include Linlithgow Palace, a ruined palace that was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries and is the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots.
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12.
Public healthcare in West Lothian is administered by NHS Lothian within NHS Scotland.
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13.
West Lothian previously had a psychiatric hospital with general hospital in the Dechmont area called Bangour Village Hospital.
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14.
West Lothian has a diverse economy and as of 2020 had approximately 4,500 businesses providing almost 72,000 jobs in the area.
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15.
In 2014, West Lothian Council reported that the five largest employment sectors in the council area were healthcare, construction, retail, manufacturing, and business administration and supportservices.
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16.
West Lothian has several shopping centres, the largest of which are located in Livingston, including 'The Centre' and Livingston Designer Outlet.
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17.
West Lothian has a number of former, disused and defunct railway lines, principally branch lines that originated in connection with oil, mineral and shale mining activities in the 19th century but were later closed as traffic diminished and industrial operations ceased.
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18.
West Lothian has 11 secondary schools, 12 special schools, 67 primary schools, and 60 nurseries.
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19.
West Lothian has dozens of professional and local level football teams playing across a variety of leagues in the Scottish football league system.
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