COALITION administrations are no strangers to The Highland Council – there have been several over the last decade with independent councillors at their heart – and, in a region that comprises a third of Scotland’s total land area, there is plenty of ground for them to cover.

After the 2012 election the SNP, LibDems and Labour ran the council between them, but the LibDems quit that coalition in 2015. The now outgoing administration was formed by independent members.

The region’s total land area, including the islands at low water, is 26,484sq km (10,225sq miles), which is 10 times the size of Luxembourg, a fifth larger than Wales and almost the same size as Belgium.

Highland Region is the biggest local authority area in the UK and has the seventh-highest population of Scotland’s councils at more than 234,110. It also has the most remote and sparsely populated areas in the country.

Take the council ward of North, West and Central Sutherland, as just one example. It is Highland’s second-biggest ward, yet has a population density of just 1.2 people per square kilometre. That compares to 201.9 for the region itself and 3.0 for the whole of Scotland.

But that brings with it its own problems.

In common with the rest of Scotland its local population is ageing and it has Highland’s lowest proportion of residents in the birth-to-15, and 16-44 age groups, as well as the highest proportions in the 45-64 age range.

The area’s west coast is a popular destination for house buyers from other parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK, mostly in the second or holiday home markets.

Although its inward migration has been fairly high, the ageing population and Highland’s highest outward migration of young people have left it with a marginal population increase that is a tenth that of the region’s.

Highland has some of the most stunningly beautiful scenery in Scotland, from Glencoe to Loch Ness, John o’ Groats and virtually everything in between, which makes the tourism industry vital for the local economy.

Its natural and cultural heritage, walking, mountain biking, skiing, climbing and surfing are just some of the attractions for the millions of tourists that flock to the region.

VisitScotland reported last year that more than 1.7 million visitors had gone to the Highlands the year before from all parts of the UK, and 508,000 had travelled there from abroad, spending a total of £170m.

As such a valuable commodity, it’s not surprising that the population and politicians are protective of some of the world’s most breathtaking vistas – and there are many examples.

The Port of Cromarty Firth is anticipating a record year for cruise ship visitors, with an estimated 142,000 expected at Invergordon on 91 liners.

Such visitors frequently disembark and take in other local centres, including the bottlenose dolphins and other marine wildlife that make the waters such a popular attraction.

Local businesses and communities often depend on this natural environment for their livelihoods, and many have become alarmed at plans by the port authority to undertake at-sea crude oil transfers between ships in the firth. This has led to a long-running battle between the port and environmental campaigners which will be the subject of a debate in the Scottish Parliament next month.

Renewable energy is another controversial subject in Highland region, parts of whose landscape offer ideal locations for wind farms, but often at the expense of the environment, according to some. Energy firm SSE recently won approval for a 67-turbine development at Stronelairg, on an 8650-acre site at the south end of Loch Ness.

Conservation charity the John Muir Trust opposed the scheme, along with Cairngorms National Park Authority, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and three-quarters of local councillors.

Written objections outnumbered those of support by 15 to one, but the scheme was eventually approved.

Another wind farm development – for 13 wind towers in the Corrieyairack Pass near Fort Augustus – is the subject of a Scottish Government hearing which is under way in the town following Highland Council’s rejection of the plan by Glasgow-based RES Group.

Conservation and environmental groups are lining up to give evidence to the inquiry about the visual impact of the development on the pass, which was used for centuries by cattle drovers.

In 1731, General Wade completed the military road there and it later became the site of a major battle during the 1745 Jacobite rising.

Since then, the pass, which is designated a “scheduled ancient monument”, has become a magnet for walkers, as well as the venue for the popular Corrieyairack Challenge charity races.

Well, we did say there was plenty of ground for the new councillors to cover.

I, for one, would not be foolhardy enough to bet on there not being yet another coalition running Highland Council’s administration following this election.