Almost 4.3 million people are registered to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, making it the largest electorate ever for a ballot in Scotland.

The 4,285,323 voters include 789,024 people who have applied for a postal vote, which is also the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.

Chief Counting Officer (CCO) Mary Pitcaithly said: "I want everyone's vote to count, whether they are voting by post or in person at a polling place on September 18.

"It's vital that everyone takes great care when completing their ballot paper. Mistakes mean that a ballot paper may not be counted."

Across Scotland, there are 2,608 polling places with a total of 5,579 polling stations.

In most areas, a maximum of 800 electors have been allocated to each polling station.

Measures, including extra staff at peak times, have been put in place to reduce the risk of queues.

Ms Pitcaithly added: "People who are voting at a polling place should think about what time they are going to vote.

"Polling places are busiest during the early morning and in the evening as people vote on their way to and from work. If you are able to avoid these times, I would encourage you to do so to ensure everyone can vote without having to queue for any length of time."

Andy O'Neill, head of the Scotland Office at the Electoral Commission, said: "We welcome this increase in the number of people registered to take part at the referendum.

"It's now important that voters, particularly first-time ones, take a couple of minutes to read our impartial guide to help them plan when they will cast their vote and ensure it will be counted by correctly marking their choice with a 'X'."

Voting areas and their electorates:

Aberdeen 175,740

Aberdeenshire 206,487

Angus 93,551

Argyll & Bute 72,002

Clackmannanshire 39,970

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 22,908

Dumfries & Galloway 124,956

Dundee 118,721

East Ayrshire 99,662

East Dunbartonshire 86,836

East Lothian 81,931

East Renfrewshire 72,994

Edinburgh 377,413

Falkirk 122,453

Fife 302,108

Glasgow 486,219

Highland 190,782

Inverclyde 62,482

Midlothian 69,613

Moray 75,170

North Ayrshire 113,924

North Lanarkshire 268,697

Orkney 17,515

Perth & Kinross 120,015

Renfrewshire 134,737

Scottish Borders 95,533

Shetland 18,514

South Ayrshire 94,888

South Lanarkshire 261,152

Stirling 69,029

West Dunbartonshire 71,109

West Lothian 138,212

Total 4,285,323

Meanwhile, a poll of almost 9,000 Unite members in Scotland has revealed that around nine in 10 will be voting in the referendum.

A total of 93% of the trade union's members polled said they will be voting, with 92% of male members and 96% of female members stating they will take part next week.

Of those, 88% of male Unite members have made up their minds about how they will vote compared with 86% of Unite's women members.

The union has taken a neutral position on the vote, and did not canvass workers on how they intend to vote.

Pat Rafferty, Unite's Scottish regional secretary, said: "Working people across Scotland look set to shape the outcome of next Thursday's historic vote by participating in astonishing numbers.

"Our members - the majority of whom are in work as well as sizeable numbers of community members - are fully engaged with the referendum debate on Scotland's future.

"Unite members told us very clearly that they do not want their union taking a stance one way or another, but instead wanted us to help them find the information that they needed in order to make up their minds, which is why this union has been striving to help our members in their deliberations, holding meetings across the country to allow our communities to debate the profound decision before us."