Harris lies in the Outer Hebrides chain of islands off the west coast of Scotland. Although physically connected to the Isle of Lewis, Harris and Lewis are usually considered as two islands separated by mountains. Harris is one of 94 inhabited islands in Scotland. In contrast to Perthshire, Harris is sparsely populated and has a total population of around 2,000. The main town, Tarbert (population 550), is in the north, and the remaining population lives in crofting townships around the island's perimeter (see Figure 4.1). Much of the island's interior is uninhabited. A larger town, Stornoway, in neighbouring Lewis, is the main service centre for the islands. It is an hour's bus ride from Tarbert, and even further from other settlements in South Harris. Connections to the mainland are via ferry (one hour, 45 minutes from Tarbert) or plane (from Stornoway).

The population of Harris has declined by almost 50 per cent since 1951. In 2018 32 per cent of residents were aged over 65, and approximately 41 per cent of the population resided in one-person households. Primary industries are tourism, with some fishing and crofting, but as in other rural areas, most employment today is in the service or public sector, notably health and education. In the Outer Hebrides as a whole, public sector employment accounts for 38.6 per cent of all employment, compared with 24.7 per cent for Scotland, and 18.4 per cent for Britain (Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership, 2019, 4).

A notable feature of Harris (and the Western Isles more generally) has been localisation of governance and control. Until 1975 Harris was part of the county of Ross-shire, administered from Dingwall on the east coast of mainland Scotland, but local government reorganisation in 1975 created Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (the Western Isles Council) with its headquarters in Stornoway. Since the 1990s, control and governance has become even more local, with the transfer of large tracts of land to the community: 70 per cent of the Western Isles is now in community ownership. In Harris, most of the island is under community ownership by the North Harris Trust and the West Harris Trust. In the Bays area to the east, another community buyout is under consideration. Nevertheless, there is still a sense of distance and remoteness from centres of power in Edinburgh, London and multinational boardrooms around the globe.