The second largest town is Stranraer, located 76 miles (122 km) to the west of Dumfries on the North Channel coast.

Until fairly recent times the ancient route to Edinburgh travelled right up Annandale to the Beef Tub before climbing steeply to Annanhead.

[6] The present road ascends northward on a ridge parallel to Annandale but to the west of it which makes for a much easier ascent.

Train operators in the region are, ScotRail, TransPennine Express and Avanti West Coast.

Express bus services link the main towns with Glasgow, Ayr, Edinburgh and Carlisle.

Dumfries and Galloway is home to two ports which have services to Northern Ireland, both are in the West of the region.

Its predecessor, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary (dissolved 2014) was the smallest police force in the United Kingdom.

Nith Inshore Rescue is a declared facility for HM Coastguard, the control centre and overseeing authority responsible for call outs.

Dumfries & Galloway Council provides nursery, primary and secondary education across the region.

The region is known as a stronghold for several rare and protected species of amphibian, such as the Natterjack toad and the Great crested newt.

Prior to 1975, the area that is now Dumfries and Galloway was administered as three separate counties: Dumfriesshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, and Wigtownshire.

The counties of Scotland originated as sheriffdoms, which were established from the twelfth century, consisting of a group of parishes over which a sheriff had jurisdiction.

(Scotland) Act 1994 saw the area's four districts abolished, with the Dumfries and Galloway Council taking over the functions they had previously performed.

The leaders since 2007 have been:[45] Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was: Three of the independent councillors and the Liberal Democrat sit together as the 'Independent Group'.

This system was introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004 to achieve a reasonably proportionately representative outcome.