These figures are based on aggregating 2001 Data Zone data on a 'best fit' basis. This means that results for higher geographies such as Council Areas are estimates. Best-fit simply means that when Data Zones are aggregated and assigned to a higher geography, they do not fit exactly into the boundary of the higher geography; instead they form an approximation to the shape of the boundary of the higher geography. For further information on best-fit for geographies, see [National Records of Scotland Geography Policy on Best-fit and Exact-fit](https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/geography/Policy/best-fit-exact-fit-geog.pdf).
Land area in hectares based on aggregating 2001 Data Zone data.
The land area to mean high water excluding areas of inland water, in hectares. It is based on aggregating 2001 Data Zone data. The Data Zone data was created by aggregating National Records of Scotland 2001 Census Output Areas.
Data file for Land Area (based on 2001 Data Zones)