Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute is a council area of Scotland, UK. It is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead.

Argyll and Bute covers the second-largest administrative area of any Scottish council. The council area adjoins those of Highland, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire. Its border runs through Loch Lomond.

The present council area was created in 1996, when it was carved out of the Strathclyde region, which was a two-tier local government region of 19 districts, created in 1975. Argyll and Bute merged the existing Argyll and Bute district and one ward of the Dumbarton district. The Dumbarton ward, called 'Helensburgh and Lomond', included the burgh of Helensburgh and consisted of an area to the west of Loch Lomond, north of the Firth of Clyde and mostly east of Loch Long.

Some of the oldest rocks occur in the fingers of rock close to Ireland. The earliest rock is laid down in the Port Askaig formation. roughly 700 million years ago.