It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.

The south of the area is more sparsely populated and mountainous, including part of the Cairngorms National Park.

During this period Moray's status fluctuated; it was sometimes an independent kingdom, and at other times a vassal of Alba (early Scotland) to the south.

It had the biggest percentage for 'Leave' out of all the Scottish council areas and the narrowest margin of victory for either side anywhere in the UK.

The large majority of Moray's population live in the northern part of the district; only one of its eight wards covers the glens to the south.

Largest settlements by population: 25,040 9,900 9,010 6,840 4,610 1,840 1,830 1,770 1,710 1,590 There are 45 primary and eight secondary schools in Moray and the council currently has responsibility for educating more than 13,000 pupils.

The council's community learning and development team is also involved in arranging a wide range of classes and courses for adult learners.

The council's development control section, which is part of the environmental services department, deals with thousands of planning applications every year from individuals and organisations seeking permission to erect buildings or adapt existing ones.[relevant?]

[16] Figures from the National Records of Scotland show there were 17 drug deaths in the Moray area in 2018 compared to 7 the year before.

Of these 34,000, 31% were employed in the public sector, compared with 27% for Scotland and 25% for the UK (the RAF personnel are not included in these figures).

Significant areas where Moray has a larger than average share of national markets are in tourism, forest products, textiles and specialised metal working.

In contrast, however, Moray is significantly underrepresented in the business services area at 15% of GVA, while it is 19% for Scotland and 25% for the UK.

In March 2014 a tourism strategy was launched by the Moray Economic Partnership aimed at doubling the £95m industry over the next decade.

[19] In June 2014 a website (morayspeyside.com) was launched under the auspices of the Moray Chamber of Commerce to support the strategy and provide a one-stop shop for visitors.

These figures reflect the large amount of part-time employment, with fewer qualified workers and less managerial and professional jobs.

Also, a large outward-commuting workforce (estimated to be in excess of 5,000 people) derives its income from the neighbouring centres of Aberdeen and Inverness.

[27] Records towards the end of the 19th century improved and show that between 1881 and 1921 the percentage of Gaelic speakers in Moray fluctuated as shown in the following table: Since then, it has been consistently below 1%.