Anglo-Scottish border north of the boundary for oil installations established by the Civil Jurisdiction (Offshore Activities) Order 1987. The border country, historically known as the Scottish Marches, is the area either side of the Anglo-Scottish border including parts of the modern council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and parts of the English counties of Cumbria and Northumberland. It is a hilly area, with the Scottish Southern Uplands to the north, and the Cheviot Hills forming the border between the two countries to the south. From the Norman conquest of England until the reign of James VI of Scotland,
Scottish Borders Thus, across the region are to be seen the ruins of many castles, abbeys and even towns. The council area was created in 1975, by merging the historic counties of Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire and part of Midlothian, as a two-tier region with the districts of Berwickshire, Ettrick and Lauderdale, Roxburgh, and Tweeddale within it. In 1996 the region became a unitary authority area and the districts were wound up. The region was created with the name "Borders". Following the election of a shadow area council in 1995 the name was changed to "Scottish Borders" with effect from 1996.