Coordinates: 55°30′N 4°18′W / 55.5°N 4.3°W / 55.5; -4.3 East Ayrshire (Scots: Aest Ayrshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquarters of the council are located on London Road, Kilmarnock. With South Ayrshire and the mainland areas of North Ayrshire, it formed the former county of Ayrshire. East Ayrshire had a population of 122,100 at the 2011 census, making it the 16th most populous local authority in Scotland. Spanning a geographical area of 1,262 km2 (487 sq mi), East Ayrshire is the 14th-largest local authority in Scotland in terms of geographical area. The majority of the population of East Ayrshire live within and surrounding the main town, Kilmarnock. Other large population areas in East Ayrshire include Cumnock, the second-largest town, and smaller towns and villages such as Stewarton, Darvel and Hurlford. The largest school in Scotland, the Robert Burns Academy, is located in Cumnock.
