For other uses see Scotland (disambiguation).
Scotland (English/Scots)
Alba (Scottish Gaelic)
Flag
Royal Standard
Motto: In My Defens God Me Defend (Scots)
(often shown abbreviated as IN DEFENS)
Anthem: None (de jure)
Various de facto - see National anthem of Scotland and note 1
Location of Scotland (orange)
in the European continent (camel & white)
in the United Kingdom (camel)
Capital
Edinburgh
5557N 312W / 55.95N 3.2W / 55.95; -3.2
Largest city
Glasgow
Official language(s)
English
Recognised regional languages
Gaelic Scots2
Ethnic groups
89% Scottish 7% English Irish Welsh 4% other1
Demonym
Scots Scottish3
Government
Devolved Government within a Constitutional monarchy4
-
Monarch
Elizabeth II
-
First Minister
Alex Salmond MSP
-
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
David Cameron MP
Legislature
Scottish Parliament
Establishment
Early Middle Ages; exact date of establishment unclear or disputed; traditional 843 by King Kenneth MacAlpin2
Area
-
Total
78772 km2
30414 sq mi
-
Water (%)
1.9
Population
-
mid-2010 estimate
52221003
-
2001 census
5062011
-
Density
65.9/km2
170.8/sq mi
GDP (nominal)
2006 estimate
-
Total
GBP 124 billion4
Currency
Pound sterling (GBP)
Time zone
GMT (UTC0)
-
Summer (DST)
BST (UTC+1)
Drives on the
left
ISO 3166 code
GB
Internet TLD
.uk5
Calling code
44
Patron saint
St Andrew5
St Margaret
St Columba
1
Flower of Scotland Scotland the Brave and Scots Wha Hae have been used in lieu of an official anthem.
2
Both Scots and Scottish Gaelic are officially recognised as autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;6 the Brd na Gidhlig is tasked under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 with securing Gaelic as an official language of Scotland commanding "equal respect" with English.7
3
Historically the use of "Scotch" as an adjective comparable to "Scottish" was commonplace particularly outwith Scotland. However the modern use of the term describes only products of Scotland usually food or drink related.
4
Scotland's head of state is the monarch of the United Kingdom currently Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952). Scotland has limited self-government within the United Kingdom as well as representation in the UK Parliament. It is also a UK electoral region for the European Parliament. Executive and legislative powers have been devolved to respectively the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh.
5
Also .eu as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB but .gb is unused.
Scotland inches toward wind energy goals
GLASGOW, Scotland, June 14 (UPI) -- The opening of two wind power facilities in Scotland help move the country closer to its renewable energy goals, the country's leader said.
GLASGOW, Scotland, June 14 (UPI) -- The opening of two wind power facilities in Scotland help move the country closer to its renewable energy goals, the country's leader said.
George Osborne unveils new financial powers for Scotland ...
Enhanced Scotland bill will include additional measures allowing Scottish government to borrow more money and issue bonds to access cash from capital markets
Enhanced Scotland bill will include additional measures allowing Scottish government to borrow more money and issue bonds to access cash from capital markets
Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: alap) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.8910 Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland Scotland includes over 790 islands11 including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Scotland to issue its own bonds
Just when European credit traders felt they could no longer be shocked, the Government has announced that Scotland will soon be able to issue its own sovereign bonds.
Just when European credit traders felt they could no longer be shocked, the Government has announced that Scotland will soon be able to issue its own sovereign bonds.
Edinburgh the country's capital and second largest city is one of Europe's largest financial centres.12 Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow Scotland's largest city was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector13 of the North Atlantic and the North Sea containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen the third largest city in Scotland the title of Europe's oil capital.14
Scotland On The Brink Of Getting The Power To Issue Its Own "Braveheart Bonds"
Under new rules introduced in Westminster, Scotland will be able to issue bonds, have some means of control over income tax, and take out loans of up to £2.2 billion.
Under new rules introduced in Westminster, Scotland will be able to issue bonds, have some means of control over income tax, and take out loans of up to £2.2 billion.
Does Scotland really need the Daily Record? | Media ...
The Sunday Herald in Glasgow dared yesterday to pose the question: does Scotland need the Daily Record? ... It is no less a principle for the future of Scotland's press. ...
The Sunday Herald in Glasgow dared yesterday to pose the question: does Scotland need the Daily Record? ... It is no less a principle for the future of Scotland's press. ...
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707 although it had been in a personal union with the kingdoms of England and Ireland since James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English and Irish thrones in 1603. On 1 May 1707 Scotland entered into an incorporating political union with England to create the united Kingdom of Great Britain.1516 This union resulted from the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706 and enacted by the twin Acts of Union passed by the Parliaments of both countries despite widespread protest across Scotland.1718 Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland and Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and in private law.19
Scotland's credit rating at risk - expert
THE ability of the Scottish Government to make the most of new financial borrowing powers could be jeopardised by constitutional wrangling and the prospect of an independence
THE ability of the Scottish Government to make the most of new financial borrowing powers could be jeopardised by constitutional wrangling and the prospect of an independence
Handheld shot in extremely low light conditions Very late in evening on a cloudy day The idea was to capture what I was seeing with my bare eyes and not an image that is HISTOGRAM PERFECT I think i managed to capture the mood of this lovely path that connects Edinburgh and Glasgow
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ummmur/489810999/
BBC Sport - Scotland's Craig Levein confirms Jack McBean interest
Scotland coach Craig Levein says Jack McBean's parents have been sounded out about a switch in allegiance for the USA striker.
Scotland coach Craig Levein says Jack McBean's parents have been sounded out about a switch in allegiance for the USA striker.
The continued existence of legal educational and religious institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the Union.20 In 1999 a devolved legislature the Scottish Parliament was founded with authority over many areas of home affairs following a successful referendum in 1997. Issues surrounding devolution and independence continue to be debated. The Scottish National Party won an overall majority in the 2011 Scottish Parliament election21 and have announced their intention to hold a referendum on independence sometime during the second half of the present five-year parliamentary term.22
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Early history
2.2 Roman influence
2.3 Medieval period
2.4 Early modern era
2.5 18th century
2.6 19th century
2.7 Scottish diaspora
2.8 20th century
2.8.1 First and Second World Wars
2.9 Since 1945
3 Government and politics
3.1 Administrative subdivisions
3.2 Scotland within the UK
4 Law and criminal justice
5 Geography and natural history
5.1 Geology and geomorphology
5.1.1 Highlands and islands
5.1.2 Central lowlands
5.1.3 Southern uplands
5.2 Climate
5.3 Flora and fauna
6 Economy and infrastructure
6.1 Currency
6.2 Transport
7 Demography
7.1 Education
7.2 Religion
7.3 Health care
8 Military
9 Culture
9.1 Sport
9.2 National symbols
10 Food
11 See also
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
Etymology
Main article: Etymology of Scotland
Scotland star Darren Fletcher to appeal over driving conviction
Scotland captain Darren Fletcher is to appeal his conviction for failing to tell police his dad was speeding in the footballer's car.
Scotland captain Darren Fletcher is to appeal his conviction for failing to tell police his dad was speeding in the footballer's car.
Music of Scotland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which ... The earliest mention of bagpipes in Scotland dates to the 15th century although ...
Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which ... The earliest mention of bagpipes in Scotland dates to the 15th century although ...
Scotland is derived from the Latin Scoti the term applied to Gaels people from what is now Scotland and Ireland and the Dl Riata who had come from Ireland to reside in the Northwest of what is now Scotland in contrast for example to the Picts.23 Accordingly the Late Latin word Scotia (land of the Gaels) was initially used to refer to Ireland.24 However by the 11th century at the latest Scotia was being used to refer to (Gaelic-speaking) Scotland north of the river Forth alongside Albania or Albany both derived from the Gaelic Alba.25 The use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages.15
History
Main article: History of Scotland
Early history
Main article: Prehistoric Scotland
Craig Levein reveals ambitious 'Barcelona-style' plan for Scotland
Scotland manager Craig Levein has outlined a new ' Barcelona -style' plan to adopt a philosophy of play that he expects to be replicated across Scotland at every level.
Scotland manager Craig Levein has outlined a new ' Barcelona -style' plan to adopt a philosophy of play that he expects to be replicated across Scotland at every level.
BBC News - Edinburgh student is Gay Girl in Damascus blogger
A blog purportedly written by a gay woman in Syria, which described life in Damascas amid the current political unrest, is revealed as a hoax.
A blog purportedly written by a gay woman in Syria, which described life in Damascas amid the current political unrest, is revealed as a hoax.
Repeated glaciations which covered the entire land-mass of modern Scotland destroyed any traces of human habitation that may have existed before the Mesolithic period. It is believed that the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12800 years ago as the ice sheet retreated after the last glaciation.2627
Scotland boss Levein wants LA Galaxy young gun McBean
LA Galaxy Scotland national team manager Craig Levein is hoping that LA Galaxy youngster Jack McBean chooses to represent his country rather than the USA. The 16-year old forward is eligible to represent both Scotland, because of Scottish parents, and the USA, where he was born, but has yet to decide on his international career. Levein wants McBean in the Scotland setup and has confirmed that he ...
LA Galaxy Scotland national team manager Craig Levein is hoping that LA Galaxy youngster Jack McBean chooses to represent his country rather than the USA. The 16-year old forward is eligible to represent both Scotland, because of Scottish parents, and the USA, where he was born, but has yet to decide on his international career. Levein wants McBean in the Scotland setup and has confirmed that he ...
A Fantastic KAP session at Dunnotar the wind was blowing in the right directio the light was ideal The Castle was incredible and the Dan Leigh R8 Delta just wanted to fly Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval fortress located upon a precipitous rocky headland on the north east coast of Scotland about two miles south of Stonehaven Its surviving buildings are largely of the 15th 16th centuries but an important fortress certainly existed on this site from Dark Age times Dunnottar played an important role in the history of Scotland from the Middle Ages through to the Enlightenment due to its strategic location overlooking the shipping lanes to northern Scotland and also being situated on a fairly narrow coastal terrace that controlled land movements particularly the land access to the ancient Causey Mounth the only medieval route from the coastal south via Portlethen Moss to Aberdeen 1 The site now owned by private interests but open to the public is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists annually The ruins of the castle are spread over a three acre area virtually surrounded by sheer cliffs which drop to the North Sea 50 metres below This L plan castle is accessed via a narrow strip of land joining the mainland and a steep path leading up to the massive gatehouse The cliffs and headland formations which extend miles to the north and south are home to tens of thousands of pelagic birds making this stretch of Scottish coast a notable bird sanctuary of northern Europe from the standpoint of total bird populations and diversity of species The 1990 film Hamlet starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close was shot there PS more on my photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tahitipix/1444731498/
ScotlandCT.org
Scotland is located in Eastern Connecticut and is part of the "Last Green Valley" ... Scotland is located in Eastern Connecticut and is part of the "Last Green Valley" ...
Scotland is located in Eastern Connecticut and is part of the "Last Green Valley" ... Scotland is located in Eastern Connecticut and is part of the "Last Green Valley" ...
Groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9500 years ago and the first villages around 6000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the Mainland of Orkney dates from this period. Neolithic habitation burial and ritual sites are particularly common and well-preserved in the Northern Isles and Western Isles where a lack of trees led to most structures being built of local stone.28
The founders of Scotland of late medieval legend Scota with Godel Glas voyaging from Egypt as depicted in a 15th century manuscript of the Scotichronicon of Walter Bower.
VAT and fuel rises hammer health service
THE loss of more than £70 million to Scotland's NHS this year through UK tax hikes and soaring fuel prices has sparked fears of "obscene" cuts to services, such as
THE loss of more than £70 million to Scotland's NHS this year through UK tax hikes and soaring fuel prices has sparked fears of "obscene" cuts to services, such as
add that I myself am Scottish forgone citizenship and all However you cannot help but admit that we are a freaking crazy bunch of people Let s look over the history of Scotland shall we The first significant thing that happened to this great nation was that Rome tried to invade Scotland And even though Romans won they somehow ended up losing anyway How s that Well Rome
http://whyisthispopular.com/tag/canada
'Gay Girl ln Damascus' Is American Man In Scotland : NPR
It's been revealed that a widely-read Syrian blog, "Gay Girl In Damascus" was in fact written by an American male grad student living in Scotland. The blogger's ...
It's been revealed that a widely-read Syrian blog, "Gay Girl In Damascus" was in fact written by an American male grad student living in Scotland. The blogger's ...
The discovery in Scotland of a four thousand year old tomb with burial treasures at Forteviot near Perth the capital of a Pictish Kingdom in the 8th and 9th century's AD is unrivalled anywhere in Britain. It contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves.2930
Visit Scotland
Scotland's national tourism organisation provides information on Scotland travel, vacations, tours, holidays and accommodation.
Scotland's national tourism organisation provides information on Scotland travel, vacations, tours, holidays and accommodation.
Scotland may have been part of a Late Bronze Age maritime trading-networked culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age that also included the other Celtic nations England France Spain and Portugal.31323334
Roman influence
Main article: Scotland during the Roman Empire
Skara Brae a neolithic settlement located in the Bay of Skaill Orkney.
The written protohistory of Scotland began with the arrival of the Roman Empire in southern and central Great Britain when the Romans occupied what is now England and Wales administering it as a province called Britannia. Roman invasions and occupations of southern Scotland were a series of brief interludes.
According to the Roman historian Tacitus the Caledonians "turned to armed resistance on a large scale" attacking Roman forts and skirmishing with their legions. In a surprise night-attack the Caledonians very nearly wiped out the whole 9th Legion until it was saved by Agricola's cavalry.35
In AD 8384 the general Gnaeus Julius Agricola defeated the Caledonians at the Battle of Mons Graupius. Before the battle Tacitus wrote that the Caledonian leader Calgacus gave a rousing speech in which he called his people the last of the free and accused the Romans of making the world a desert and 'calling it peace.35 After the Roman victory Roman forts were briefly set along the Gask Ridge close to the Highland line (only Cawdor near Inverness is known to have been constructed beyond that line). Three years after the battle the Roman armies had withdrawn to the Southern Uplands.36
The Romans erected Hadrian's Wall to control tribes on both sides of the wall37 and the Limes Britannicus became the northern border of the empire although the army held the Antonine Wall in the Central Lowlands for two short periodsthe last of these during the time of Emperor Septimius Severus from 208 until 210.38
The extent of Roman military occupation of any significant part of northern Scotland was limited to a total of about 40 years although their influence on the southern section of the country occupied by Brythonic tribes such as the Votadini and Damnonii would still have been considerable between the first and the fifth century.37 In the 400s Gaels from Ireland established the kingdom of Dl Riata.3940
A replica of the Pictish Hilton of Cadboll Stone.
Medieval period
Main articles: Scotland in the Early Middle Ages Scotland in the High Middle Ages and Scotland in the Late Middle Ages
The Kingdom of the Picts (based in Fortriu by the 6th century) was the state that eventually became known as "Alba" or "Scotland." The development of "Pictland" according to the historical model developed by Peter Heather was a natural response to Roman imperialism.41 Another view places emphasis on the Battle of Dunnichen and the reign of Bridei m. Beli (671693) with another period of consolidation in the reign of engus mac Fergusa (732761).42
The Kingdom of the Picts as it was in the early 8th century when Bede was writing was largely the same as the kingdom of the Scots in the reign of Alexander (11071124). However by the tenth century the Pictish kingdom was dominated by what we can recognise as Gaelic culture and had developed a traditional story of an Irish conquest around the ancestor of the contemporary royal dynasty Cined mac Ailpn (Kenneth MacAlpin).24344
From a base of territory in eastern Scotland north of the River Forth and south of the River Oykel the kingdom acquired control of the lands lying to the north and south. By the 12th century the kings of Alba had added to their territories the English-speaking land in the south-east and attained overlordship of Gaelic-speaking Galloway and Norse-speaking Caithness; by the end of the 13th century the kingdom had assumed approximately its modern borders. However processes of cultural and economic change beginning in the 12th century ensured Scotland looked very different in the later Middle Ages.
The impetus for this change was the reign of King David I and the Davidian Revolution. Feudalism government reorganisation and the first legally defined towns (called burghs) began in this period. These institutions and the immigration of French and Anglo-French knights and churchmen facilitated a process of cultural osmosis whereby the culture and language of the low-lying and coastal parts of the kingdom's original territory in the east became like the newly acquired south-east English-speaking while the rest of the country retained the Gaelic language apart from the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland which remained under Norse rule until 1468.454647
The Wallace Monument commemorates William Wallace the 13th-century Scottish hero.
The death of Alexander III in March 1286 followed by the death of his granddaughter Margaret Maid of Norway broke the centuries old succession line of Scotland's kings and shattered a two hundred year golden age that began with King David I. This led to the requested arbitration of Edward I of England who organised a process known as the Great Cause to identify the most legitimate claimant for the vacant crown. John Balliol was pronounced king in the Great Hall of Berwick Castle on 17 November 1292 and inaugurated at Scone 30 November 1292 St. Andrew's Day. Edward I who had coerced recognition as Lord Paramount of Scotland the feudal superior of the realm steadily undermined John's authority.48 In 1294 Balliol and other Scottish lords refused Edward's demands to serve in his army against the French. Instead the Scottish parliament sent envoys to France to negotiate an alliance. Scotland and France sealed a treaty on 23 October 1295 that came to be known as the Auld Alliance (12951560). War ensued and King John was deposed by Edward who took personal control of Scotland. Andrew Moray and William Wallace initially emerged as the principal leaders of the resistance to English rule in what became known as the Wars of Scottish Independence (12961328).49
The nature of the struggle changed dramatically when Robert the Bruce Earl of Carrick killed rival John Comyn on 10 February 1306 at Greyfriars Kirk in Dumfries.50 He was crowned king (as Robert I) less than seven weeks after the killing. Robert I battled to restore Scottish Independence as King for over 20 years beginning by winning Scotland back from the Norman English invaders piece by piece. Victory at The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 proved that the Scots had regained control of their kingdom. In 1315 Edward Bruce brother of the King was briefly appointed High King of Ireland during an ultimately unsuccessful Scottish invasion of Ireland aimed at strengthening Scotlands position in its wars against England. In 1320 the production of the world's first documented declaration of independence the Declaration of Arbroath won the support of Pope John XXII leading to the legal recognition of Scottish sovereignty by the English Crown.
However war with England continued for several decades after the death of Bruce and a civil war between the Bruce dynasty and their long-term Comyn-Balliol rivals lasted until the middle of the 14th century. Although the Bruce dynasty was successful David II's lack of an heir allowed his nephew Robert II to come to the throne and establish the Stuart Dynasty.4651 The Stewarts ruled Scotland for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The country they ruled experienced greater prosperity from the end of the 14th century through the Scottish Renaissance to the Reformation. The Education Act of 1496 made Scotland the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education.52 This was despite continual warfare with England the increasing division between Highlands and Lowlands and a large number of royal minorities.5153
This period was the height of the Franco-Scottish alliance. The Scots Guard Garde cossaise was founded in 1418 by Charles VII of France. The Scots soldiers of the Garde cossaise fought alongside Joan of Arc against England during the Hundred Years War.54 In March 1421 a Franco-Scots force under John Stewart 2nd Earl of Buchan and Gilbert de Lafayette defeated a larger English army at the Battle of Baug. Three years later at the Battle of Verneuil the Scots lost around 6000 men but the Scottish intervention bought France valuable time and likely saved the country from defeat.55
Early modern era
Main article: Scotland in the Early Modern Era
In 1502 James signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII of England. He also married Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor setting the stage for the Union of the Crowns. For Henry the marriage into one of Europe's most established monarchies gave legitimacy to the new Tudor royal line.56 A decade later James made the fateful decision to invade England in support of France under the terms of the Auld Alliance. He was the last British monarch to die in battle at the Battle of Flodden.57 Within a generation the Auld Alliance was ended by the Treaty of Edinburgh. France agreed to withdraw all land and naval forces and in the same year 1560 the revolution of John Knox achieved its ultimate goal of convincing the Scottish parliament to revoke papal authority in Scotland.58 Mary Queen of Scots a Catholic and former queen of France was forced to abdicate in 1567.59
David Morier's depiction of the Battle of Culloden.
In 1603 James VI King of Scots inherited the throne of the Kingdom of England and became King James I of England and left Edinburgh for London.60 With the exception of a short period under the Protectorate Scotland remained a separate state but there was considerable conflict between the crown and the Covenanters over the form of church government. The Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 saw the overthrow of the King James by William and Mary. As late as the 1690s Scotland experienced famine which reduced the population of parts of the country by at least 20 percent.61
In 1698 the Scots attempted an ambitious project to secure a trading colony on the Isthmus of Panama. Almost every Scottish landowner who had money to spare is said to have invested in the Darien scheme. Its failure bankrupted these landowners but not the burghs which remained cash rich. Nevertheless the nobles' bankruptcy along with the threat of an English invasion played a leading role in convincing the Scots elite to back a union with England.6263
On 22 July 1706 the Treaty of Union was agreed between representatives of the Scots Parliament and the Parliament of England and the following year twin Acts of Union were passed by both parliaments to create the united Kingdom of Great Britain with effect from 1 May 1707.16
18th century
With trade tariffs with England now abolished trade blossomed especially with Colonial America. The clippers belonging to the Glasgow Tobacco Lords were the fastest ships on the route to Virginia. Until the American War of Independence in 1776 Glasgow was the world's premier tobacco port dominating world trade.64 The disparity between the wealth of the merchant classes of the Scottish Lowlands and the ancient clans of the Scottish Highlands grew amplifying centuries of division.
St. Kildans sitting on the village street 1886.
The deposed Jacobite Stuart claimants had remained popular in the Highlands and north-east particularly amongst non-Presbyterians. However two major Jacobite risings launched in 1715 and 1745 failed to remove the House of Hanover from the British throne. The threat of the Jacobite movement to the United Kingdom and its monarchs effectively ended at the Battle of Culloden Great Britain's last pitched battle. This defeat paved the way for large-scale removals of the indigenous populations of the Highlands and Islands known as the Highland Clearances.
The Scottish Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution made Scotland into an intellectual commercial and industrial powerhouse.65 So much so that Voltaire said "We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation." 66 With the demise of Jacobitism and the advent of the Union thousands of Scots mainly Lowlanders took up numerous positions of power in politics civil service the army and navy trade economics colonial enterprises and other areas across the nascent British Empire. Historian Neil Davidson notes that after 1746 there was an entirely new level of participation by Scots in political life particularly outside Scotland. Davidson also states that far from being peripheral to the British economy Scotland or more precisely the Lowlands lay at its core.67
19th century
Scotland became known across the world for its excellence in engineering as typified by the Clyde built ships and locomotives built in Glasgow. Prefabricated cast iron buildings made in Scotland are still in use in India South America and Australia.68 Prominent scientists engineers and architects of the industrial age included David Dale Joseph Black Thomas Telford Robert Stevenson James Watt James Nasmyth Robert Adam and John MacAdam.
Scottish diaspora
Scots born migrants also played a leading role in the foundation and principles of the United States 69(John Witherspoon John Paul Jones Andrew Carnegie) Canada 70(John A MacDonald James Murray Tommy Douglas) Australia 71 (Lachlan Macquarie Thomas Brisbane Andrew Fisher) New Zealand72 (James Mckenzie Peter Fraser).
20th century
First and Second World Wars
Royal Scots with captured Japanese flag Burma January 1945.
Scotland played a major role in the British effort in the First World War. It especially provided manpower ships machinery fish and money.73 With a population of 4.8 million in 1911 Scotland sent 690000 men to the war of whom 74000 died in combat or from disease and 150000 were seriously wounded.74 Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was Britain's commander on the Western Front.
The war saw the emergence of a radical movement called "Red Clydeside" led by militant trades unionists. Formerly a Liberal stronghold the industrial districts switched to Labour by 1922 with a base among the Irish Catholic working class districts. Women were especially active in building neighborhood solidarity on housing issues. However the "Reds" operated within the Labour Party and had little influence in Parliament and the mood changed to passive despair by the late 1920s.75
The shipbuilding industry expanded by a third and expected renewed prosperity but instead a serious depression hit the economy by 1922 and it did not fully recover until 1939. The interwar years were marked by economic stagnation in rural and urban areas and high unemployment.76 Indeed the war brought with it deep social cultural economic and political dislocations. Thoughtful Scots pondered their declension as the main social indicators such as poor health bad housing and long-term mass unemployment pointed to terminal social and economic stagnation at best or even a downward spiral. Service abroad on behalf of the Empire lost its allure to ambitious young people who left Scotland permanently. The heavy dependence on obsolescent heavy industry and mining was a central problem and no one offered workable solutions. The despair reflected what Finlay (1994) describes as a widespread sense of hopelessness that prepared local business and political leaders to accept a new orthodoxy of centralized government economic planning when it arrived during the Second World War.77
The Second World War brought renewed prosperityas well as bombing of cities by the Luftwaffe. It saw the invention of radar by Robert Watson-Watt which was invaluable in the Battle of Britain as was the leadership at RAF Fighter Command of Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding.78
Since 1945
After 1945 Scotland's economic situation became progressively worse due to overseas competition inefficient industry and industrial disputes.79 Only in recent decades has the country enjoyed something of a cultural and economic renaissance. Economic factors that have contributed to this recovery include a resurgent financial services industry electronics manufacturing (see Silicon Glen)80 and the North Sea oil and gas industry.81 The introduction in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher's government of the Community Charge (widely known as the Poll Tax) one year before the rest of the United Kingdom contributed to a growing movement for a return to direct Scottish control over domestic affairs.82 Following a referendum on devolution proposals in 1997 the Scotland Act 199883 was passed by the United Kingdom Parliament to establish a devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government with responsibility for most laws specific to Scotland.84
Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of Scotland Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government
Scotland
This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Scotland
Government
First Minister: Alex Salmond
Deputy First Minister: Nicola Sturgeon
Cabinet
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Executive agencies
Public bodies
Political Parties
Parliament
Acts
Statutory Instruments
Presiding Officer: Tricia Marwick
Scottish Parliament Building
Members (MSPs): 1999 2003 2007
Constituencies and electoral regions
Elections: 1999 2003 2007 2011
Legislative Consent Motion
Scotland in the UK
Her Majesty's Government
Secretary of State: Michael Moore
Under Secretary of State for Scotland: David Mundell
Scotland Office
Reserved matters
Advocate General for Scotland: Jim Wallace
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Constituencies
Grand Committee
Select Committee
Elections: 1997 2001 2005 2010
Lists of Scottish MPs
Scots law
Supreme Courts
Sheriff Courts
Land Courts
Justice of the Peace Courts
Lord Lyon Court
Scotland in the EU
European Parliament
European Parliament constituency
Elections: 2004 2009
Local government
Subdivisions of Scotland
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Political make-up of local councils in Scotland
Other countries Atlas
Politics portal
view talk
The 2007 cabinet of the Scottish Government
Scotland's head of state is the monarch of the United Kingdom currently Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952). The title Elizabeth II caused controversy around the time of the queen's coronation as there had never been an Elizabeth I in Scotland. A legal case MacCormick v. Lord Advocate (1953 SC 396) was taken to contest the right of the Queen to title herself Elizabeth II within Scotland arguing that to do so would be a breach of Article 1 of the Treaty of Union.
The Lord Advocate won the case and it was decided that future British monarchs would be numbered according to either their English or Scottish predecessors whichever number is higher.85 Hence any future King James would be styled James VIII (since the last Scottish King James was James VII (also James II of England etc.)) while the next King Henry would be King Henry IX throughout the UK despite the fact that there have been no Scottish kings of the name.
Scotland has partial self-government within the United Kingdom as well as representation in the UK Parliament. Executive and legislative powers have been devolved to respectively the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. The United Kingdom Parliament retains power over a set list of areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998 as reserved matters including for example levels of UK taxes social security defence international relations and broadcasting.86
The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland as well as limited power to vary income tax a power it has yet to exercise. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in a BBC Scotland interview indicated that the Scottish Parliament could be given more tax-raising powers.87
The Scottish Parliament can give legislative consent over devolved matters back to Westminster by passing a Legislative Consent Motion if United Kingdom-wide legislation is considered to be more appropriate for a certain issue. The programmes of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament have seen a divergence in the provision of public services compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance the costs of a university education and care services for the elderly are free at point of use in Scotland while fees are paid in the rest of the UK. Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public places.88
The debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament Building
The Scottish Parliament is a unicameral legislature comprising 129 Members 73 of whom represent individual constituencies and are elected on a first past the post system; 56 are elected in eight different electoral regions by the additional member system serving for a four year period. The Queen appoints one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) on the nomination of the Parliament to be First Minister. Other Ministers are also appointed by the Queen on the nomination of the Parliament and together with the First Minister they make up the Scottish Government the executive arm of government.89
In the 2011 election the Scottish National Party (SNP) formed a majority government after winning 69 of the 129 seat Parliament; This was the first majority government since the modern post-devolutionary Scottish Parliament was established in 1999. The leader of the SNP Alex Salmond continued as First Minister. The Labour Party continued as the largest opposition party with the Conservative Party the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party also represented in the Parliament. Margo MacDonald is the only independent MSP sitting in Parliament. The next Scottish Parliament general election will be held on 5 May 2016.
Scotland is represented in the British House of Commons by 59 MPs elected from territory-based Scottish constituencies. The Scotland Office represents the UK government in Scotland on reserved matters and represents Scottish interests within the UK government.90 The Scotland office is led by the Secretary of State for Scotland who sits in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom the current incumbent being Michael Moore.
Administrative subdivisions
Main article: Subdivisions of Scotland
Glasgow City Chambers viewed from George Square
Historical types subdivisions of Scotland include the mormaerdom stewartry earldom burgh parish county and regions and districts. The names of these areas are still sometimes used as geographical descriptors.
Modern Scotland is subdivided in various ways depending on the purpose. For local government there have been 32 council areas since 199691 whose councils are unitary authorities responsible for the provision of all local government services. Community councils are informal organisations that represent specific sub-divisions of a council area.
For the Scottish Parliament there are 73 constituencies and eight regions. For the Parliament of the United Kingdom there are 59 constituencies. The Scottish fire brigades and police forces are still based on the system of regions introduced in 1975. For healthcare and postal districts and a number of other governmental and non-governmental organisations such as the churches there are other long-standing methods of subdividing Scotland for the purposes of administration.
City status in the United Kingdom is determined by letters patent.92 There are six cities in Scotland: Aberdeen Dundee Edinburgh Glasgow most recently Inverness and Stirling.93
Scotland within the UK
A policy of devolution had been advocated by the three main UK parties with varying enthusiasm during recent history. The late Labour leader John Smith described the revival of a Scottish parliament as the "settled will of the Scottish people".94 The constitutional status of Scotland is nonetheless subject to ongoing debate. In 2007 the Scottish Government established a "National Conversation" on constitutional issues proposing a number of options such as increasing the powers of the Scottish Parliament federalism or a referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. In rejecting the last option the three main opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament have proposed a separate Scottish Constitutional Commission to investigate the distribution of powers between devolved Scottish and UK-wide bodies.95 In August 2009 the SNP proposed a referendum bill to hold a referendum on independence in November 2010. Immediate opposition from all other major parties led to an expected defeat.9697 These plans were put on hold by the Scottish National Party until after the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.98 With the outcome of the May 2011 elections allowing an SNP majority in the Scottish Parliament a referendum on Scotland's future within the UK is likely to be held at some point during this term in government.
Law and criminal justice
Main article: Scots law
Parliament House in Edinburgh is the home of the Court of Session.
Scots law has a basis derived from Roman law99 combining features of both uncodified civil law dating back to the Corpus Juris Civilis and common law with medieval sources. The terms of the Treaty of Union with England in 1707 guaranteed the continued existence of a separate legal system in Scotland from that of England and Wales.100 Prior to 1611 there were several regional law systems in Scotland most notably Udal law in Orkney and Shetland based on old Norse law. Various other systems derived from common Celtic or Brehon laws survived in the Highlands until the 1800s.101
Scots law provides for three types of courts responsible for the administration of justice: civil criminal and heraldic. The supreme civil court is the Court of Session although civil appeals can be taken to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (or before 1 October 2009 the House of Lords). The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The Court of Session is housed at Parliament House in Edinburgh which was the home of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland with the High Court of Justiciary and the Supreme Court of Appeal currently located at Lawnmarket. The sheriff court is the main criminal and civil court hearing most of the cases. There are 49 sheriff courts throughout the country.102 District courts were introduced in 1975 for minor offences and small claims. The Court of the Lord Lyon regulates heraldry.
For many decades the Scots legal system was unique for a period in being the only legal system without a parliament. This ended with the advent of the Scottish Parliament which legislates for Scotland. Many features within the system have been preserved. Within criminal law the Scots legal system is unique in having three possible verdicts: "guilty" "not guilty" and "not proven". Both "not guilty" and "not proven" result in an acquittal with no possibility of retrial.103 Many laws differ between Scotland and the rest of Britain whereas many terms differ. Manslaughter in England and Wales becomes culpable homicide in Scotland and arson becomes wilful fireraising. Procedure also differs. Scots juries consist of fifteen not twelve jurors as is more common in English-speaking countries.
The civil legal system has however attracted much recent criticism from a senior Scottish Judge who referred to it as being "Victorian" and antiquated.104
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) manages the prisons in Scotland which collectively house over 8500 prisoners.105 The Cabinet Secretary for Justice is responsible for the Scottish Prison Service within the Scottish Government.
Geography and natural history
Main article: Geography of Scotland
Loch Tummel in Perth and Kinross
The mainland of Scotland comprises the northern third of the land mass of the island of Great Britain which lies off the northwest coast of Continental Europe. The total area is 78772 km2 (30414 sq mi)106 comparable to the size of the Czech Republic. Scotland's only land border is with England and runs for 96 kilometres (60 mi) between the basin of the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east. The island of Ireland lies only 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the southwestern peninsula of Kintyre;107 Norway is 305 kilometres (190 mi) to the east and the Faroes 270 kilometres (168 mi) to the north.
The territorial extent of Scotland is generally that established by the 1237 Treaty of York between Scotland and the Kingdom of England108 and the 1266 Treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway.16 Important exceptions include the Isle of Man which having been lost to England in the 14th century is now a crown dependency outside of the United Kingdom; the island groups Orkney and Shetland which were acquired from Norway in 1472;106 and Berwick-upon-Tweed lost to England in 1482.
The geographical centre of Scotland lies a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch.109 Rising to 1344 metres (4409 ft) above sea level Scotland's highest point is the summit of Ben Nevis in Lochaber while Scotland's longest river the River Tay flows for a distance of 190 kilometres (118 mi).110111
Geology and geomorphology
Main article: Geology of Scotland
Relief map of Scotland
The whole of Scotland was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages and the landscape is much affected by glaciation. From a geological perspective the country has three main sub-divisions.
Highlands and islands
The Highlands and Islands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland largely comprises ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. It is interspersed with igneous intrusions of a more recent age the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and Skye Cuillins.
A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstones found principally along the Moray Firth coast. The Highlands are generally mountainous and the highest elevations in the British Isles are found here. Scotland has over 790 islands which are divided into four main groups: Shetland Orkney and the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. There are numerous bodies of freshwater including Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. Some parts of the coastline consist of machair a low lying dune pasture land.
Central lowlands
The Central Lowlands is a rift valley mainly comprising Paleozoic formations. Many of these sediments have economic significance for it is here that the coal and iron bearing rocks that fuelled Scotland's industrial revolution are to be found. This area has also experienced intense volcanism Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh being the remnant of a once much larger volcano. This area is relatively low-lying although even here hills such as the Ochils and Campsie Fells are rarely far from view.
Southern uplands
The Southern Uplands are a range of hills almost 200 kilometres (124 mi) long interspersed with broad valleys. They lie south of a second fault line (the Southern Uplands fault) that runs from Girvan to Dunbar.112113114115 The geological foundations largely comprise Silurian deposits laid down some 4500 million years ago. The high point of the Southern Uplands is Merrick with an elevation of 843 m (2766 ft).15116117118
The Southern Uplands is home to the UK's highest village Wanlockhead (430 m/1411 ft above sea level).115
Climate
Main article: Climate of Scotland
Tiree one of the sunniest locations in Scotland
The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic and tends to be very changeable. It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic and as such has much milder winters (but cooler wetter summers) than areas on similar latitudes for example Labrador Canada Moscow or the Kamchatka Peninsula on the opposite side of Eurasia. However temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK with the coldest ever UK temperature of 27.2 C (16.96 F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains on 11 February 1895.119 Winter maximums average 6 C (42.8 F) in the lowlands with summer maximums averaging 18 C (64.4 F). The highest temperature recorded was 32.9 C (91.22 F) at Greycrook Scottish Borders on 9 August 2003.120
In general the west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east owing to the influence of Atlantic ocean currents and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea. Tiree in the Inner Hebrides is one of the sunniest places in the country: it had more than 300 hours of sunshine in May of 1975.120 Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest place with annual rainfall exceeding 3000 mm (118.1 in).121 In comparison much of lowland Scotland receives less than 800 mm (31.5 in) annually.122 Heavy snowfall is not common in the lowlands but becomes more common with altitude. Braemar experiences an average of 59 snow days per year123 while many coastal areas average fewer than 10 days of lying snow per annum.122
Flora and fauna
Main articles: Fauna of Scotland and Flora of Scotland
Mountain Hare
Scotland's wildlife is typical of the north west of Europe although several of the larger mammals such as the Lynx Brown Bear Wolf Elk and Walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as Gannets.124 The Golden Eagle is something of a national icon.
On the high mountain tops species including Ptarmigan Mountain Hare and Stoat can be seen in their white colour phase during winter months.125 Remnants of the native Scots Pine forest exist126 and within these areas the Scottish Crossbill the UK's only endemic bird species and vertebrate can be found alongside Capercaillie Wildcat Red Squirrel and Pine Marten.127128129 In recent years various animals have been re-introduced including the White-tailed Sea Eagle in 1975 the Red Kite in the 1980s130131 and more recently there have been experimental projects involving the Beaver and Wild Boar.132133
The flora of the country is varied incorporating both deciduous and coniferous woodland and moorland and tundra species. However large scale commercial tree planting and the management of upland moorland habitat for the grazing of sheep and commercial field sport activities impacts upon the distribution of indigenous plants and animals.134 The UK's tallest tree is the Stronardron Douglas Fir located in Argyll and the Fortingall Yew may be 5000 years old and is probably the oldest living thing in Europe.135136137 Although the number of native vascular plants is low by world standards Scotland's substantial bryophyte flora is of global importance.138139
Economy and infrastructure
Main article: Economy of Scotland
A drilling rig located in the North Sea
Scotland has a western style open mixed economy that is closely linked with the rest of Europe and the wider world. Traditionally the Scottish economy has been dominated by heavy industry underpinned by the shipbuilding in Glasgow coal mining and steel industries. Petroleum related industries associated with the extraction of North Sea oil have also been important employers from the 1970s especially in the north east of Scotland.
De-industrialisation during the 1970s and 1980s saw a shift from a manufacturing focus towards a more service-oriented economy. Edinburgh is the financial services centre of Scotland and the sixth largest financial centre in Europe in terms of funds under management behind London Paris Frankfurt Zurich and Amsterdam140 with many large finance firms based there including: Lloyds Banking Group (owners of the Halifax Bank of Scotland); the Government owned Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Life.
Pacific Quay on the River Clyde an example of the regeneration of Glasgow and the diversifying Scottish economy
In 2005 total Scottish exports (excluding intra-UK trade) were provisionally estimated to be 17.5 billion of which 70% (12.2 billion) were attributable to manufacturing.141 Scotland's primary exports include whisky electronics and financial services. The United States Netherlands Germany France and Spain constitute the country's major export markets.141 Scotland's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) including oil and gas produced in Scottish waters was estimated at 124 billion for the calendar year 2006.4
Tourism is widely recognised as a key contributor to the Scottish economy. A briefing published in 2002 by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) for the Scottish Parliament's Enterprise and Life Long Learning Committee stated that tourism accounted for up to 5% of GDP and 7.5% of employment.142
As of May 2009 the unemployment rate in Scotland stood at 6.6% slightly lower than the UK average and lower than that of the majority of EU countries.143
The most recent government figures (for 2006/7) suggest that Scotland would be in budget surplus to the tune of more than 800m if it received its geographical share of North Sea revenues.144 The net fiscal balance which is the budget balance plus capital investment reported a deficit of 2.7 billion (2.1% of GDP) including Scotland's full geographical share of North Sea revenue or a 10.2bn deficit if the North Sea share is excluded.145
Currency
Main article: Banknotes of the pound sterling
Although the Bank of England is the central bank for the UK three Scottish clearing banks still issue their own Sterling banknotes: the Bank of Scotland; the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the Clydesdale Bank. The current value of the Scottish banknotes in circulation is 1.5 billion.146
Transport
Main article: Transport in Scotland
A Loganair Twin Otter at Barra Airport the only airport worldwide using a beach runway for scheduled services147
Scotland has five main international airports (Glasgow International Edinburgh Aberdeen Glasgow Prestwick and Inverness) which together serve 150 international destinations with a wide variety of scheduled and chartered flights.148 BAA operates three airports (Aberdeen Edinburgh and Glasgow International) and Highland and Islands Airports operates 11 regional airports (including Inverness) which serve the more remote locations of Scotland.149 Infratil operates Glasgow Prestwick.
The Scottish motorways and major trunk roads are managed by Transport Scotland. The rest of the road network is managed by the Scottish local authorities in each of their areas.
Regular ferry services operate between the Scottish mainland and island communities. These services are mostly run by Caledonian MacBrayne but some are operated by local councils. Other ferry routes served by multiple companies connect to Northern Ireland Belgium Norway the Faroe Islands and also Iceland.
Forth Bridge
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited owns and operates the fixed infrastructure assets of the railway system in Scotland while the Scottish Government maintains overall responsibility for rail strategy and funding in Scotland.150 Scotlands rail network has around 340 railway stations and 3000 kilometres of track with over 62 million passenger journeys made each year.151
Scotland's rail network is managed by Transport Scotland.152 The East Coast and West Coast Main Railway lines and the Cross Country Line connect the major cities and towns of Scotland with each other and with the rail network in England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by First ScotRail. Furthermore Glasgow has a small integrated subway system since 1896. Currently 15 stations searve a daily ridership of just under 40000. There are plans to extend the subway system in time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The East Coast Main Line includes that section of the network that crosses the Firth of Forth via the Forth Bridge. Completed in 1890 this cantilever bridge has been described as "the one internationally recognised Scottish landmark".153
Demography
Main article: Demography of Scotland
See also: Language in Scotland Religion in Scotland and Scottish people
Edinburgh Scotland's capital and second-largest city
The population of Scotland in the 2001 Census was 5062011. This has risen to 5222100 according to June 2010 estimates.154 This would make Scotland the 113th largest country by population if it were a sovereign state. Although Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland it is not the largest city. With a population of just over 584000 this honour falls to Glasgow. The Greater Glasgow conurbation with a population of almost 1.2 million is home to nearly a quarter of Scotland's population.155
The Central Belt is where most of the main towns and cities are located. Glasgow is to the west while Edinburgh and Dundee lie on the east coast. Scotland's only major city outside the Central Belt is Aberdeen on the east coast to the north. The Highlands are sparsely populated although the city of Inverness has experienced rapid growth in recent years.
In general only the more accessible and larger islands retain human populations and fewer than 90 are currently inhabited. The Southern Uplands are essentially rural in nature and dominated by agriculture and forestry.156157 Because of housing problems in Glasgow and Edinburgh five new towns were created between 1947 and 1966. They are East Kilbride Glenrothes Livingston Cumbernauld and Irvine.158
Map of Scottish clans
Because of immigration since World War II Glasgow Edinburgh and Dundee have small South Asian communities.159 Since the recent Enlargement of the European Union there has been an increased number of people from Central and Eastern Europe moving to Scotland and it is estimated that between 40000 and 50000 Poles are now living in the country.160 As of 2001 there are 16310 ethnic Chinese residing in Scotland.161 The ethnic groups within Scotland are as follows: White 97.99%; South Asian 1.09%; Black 0.16%; Mixed 0.25%; Chinese 0.32% and Other 0.19%.
Scotland has three officially recognised languages: English Scots and Scottish Gaelic. Almost all Scots speak Scottish Standard English and in 1996 the General Register Office for Scotland estimated that 30% of the population are fluent in Scots.162 Gaelic is mostly spoken in the Western Isles where a large number of people still speak it; however nationally its use is confined to just 1% of the population.163 The number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland dropped from 250000 7% of the population in 1881 to 60000 today.164
There are many more people with Scottish ancestry living abroad than the total population of Scotland. In the 2000 Census 9.2 million Americans self-reported some degree of Scottish descent.165 Ulster's Protestant population is mainly of lowland Scottish descent166 and it is estimated that there are more than 27 million descendants of the Scots-Irish migration now living in the U.S.167168 In Canada the Scottish-Canadian community accounts for 4.7 million people.169 About 20% of the original European settler population of New Zealand came from Scotland.170
Education
Main article: Education in Scotland
Gilbert Scott Building University of Glasgow
The Scottish education system has always remained distinct from education in the rest of United Kingdom with a characteristic emphasis on a broad education.171 Scotland was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education.52 Schooling was made compulsory for the first time in Scotland with the Education Act of 1496 then in 1561 the Church of Scotland set out a national programme for spiritual reform including a school in every parish. Education continued to be a matter for the church rather than the state until the Education Act (1872).172
The "Curriculum for Excellence" provides the curricular framework for children and young people from age 3 to 18.173 All 3- and 4-year-old children in Scotland are entitled to a free nursery place. Formal primary education begins at approximately 5 years old and lasts for 7 years (P1P7); Today children in Scotland study Standard Grades or more recently Intermediate qualifications between the ages of 14 and 16. The school leaving age is 16 after which students may choose to remain at school and study for Access Intermediate or Higher Grade and Advanced Higher qualifications. A small number of students at certain private independent schools may follow the English system and study towards GCSEs and A and AS-Levels instead.174
There are 15 Scottish universities some of which are amongst the oldest in the world.175176 These include the University of St Andrews the University of Glasgow the University of Aberdeen the University of Edinburgh the Heriot-Watt University and the University of Dundeemany of which are ranked amongst the best in the UK.177178 The country produces 1% of the world's published research with less than 0.1% of the world's population and higher education institutions account for nine per cent of Scotland's service sector exports.179180 Scotland's University Courts are the only bodies within Scotland where students can be awarded Degrees.
Scotland's Universities are complemented in the provision of Further and Higher Education by 43 Colleges. Colleges offer National Certificates Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas. These Group Awards alongside Scottish Vocational Qualifications help ensure Scotland's population has the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the workplace.
Scotland's regulatory body for qualifications is SQA Accreditation.
Scotland's Qualifications are mapped on the SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework). The SCQF provides a language to help understand the complexity and size of qualifications ranging from Access 1 (SCQF Level 1) to Doctorates (SCQF Level 12).
Religion
Main article: Religion in Scotland
Iona Abbey an early centre of Scottish Christianity
Just over two-thirds (67%) of the Scottish population reported having a religion in 2001 with Christianity representing all but 2% of these.181 28% of the population reported having no religious adherence.
Since the Scottish Reformation of 1560 the national church (the Church of Scotland also known as The Kirk) has been Protestant and Reformed in theology. Since 1689 it has had a Presbyterian system of church government and enjoys independence from the state.15 About 12% of the population are currently members of the Church of Scotland with 40% claiming affinity. The Church operates a territorial parish structure with every community in Scotland having a local congregation.
Scotland also has a significant Roman Catholic population 19% claiming that faith particularly in the west.182 After the Reformation Roman Catholicism in Scotland continued in the Highlands and some western islands like Uist and Barra and was strengthened during the 19th century by immigration from Ireland.
Other Christian denominations in Scotland include the Free Church of Scotland various other Presbyterian offshoots and the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Islam is the largest non-Christian religion (estimated at around 40000 which is less than 0.9% of the population)183 and there are also significant Jewish Hindu and Sikh communities especially in Glasgow.183 The Samy Ling monastery near Eskdalemuir which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007 includes the largest Buddhist temple in western Europe.184
Health care
Main article: Healthcare in Scotland
Healthcare in Scotland is mainly provided by NHS Scotland Scotland's public health care system. The service was founded by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947 (later repealed by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978) that took effect on 5 July 1948 to coincide with the launch of the NHS in England and Wales. However even prior to 1948 half of Scotland's landmass was already covered by state funded health care provided by the Highlands and Islands Medical Service.185
As at September 2009 NHS Scotland employed 168976 staff including 68681 nurses and midwives. In addition there were also 16256 medical staff (including GP's) 5002 dental staff (including dental support) and 11777 allied health profession staff.186 The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well Being is responsible to the Scottish Parliament for the work of NHS Scotland.
Military
Main article: Military of Scotland
Soldiers of the five regular battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland
Although Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Treaty of Union with England its armed forces now form part of the British Armed Forces with the notable exception of the Atholl Highlanders Europe's only legal private army. In 2006 the infantry regiments of the Scottish Division were amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Other distinctively Scottish regiments in the British Army include the Scots Guards the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Scottish Transport Regiment a Territorial Army Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps.
Because of their topography and perceived remoteness parts of Scotland have housed many sensitive defence establishments with mixed public feelings.187188189 Between 1960 and 1991 the Holy Loch was a base for the U.S. fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.190 Today Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow is the base for the four Trident-armed Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines that comprise the UK's nuclear deterrent. Scapa Flow was the major Fleet base for the Royal Navy until 1956.
Two frontline Royal Air Force bases are also located in Scotland. These are RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth the last of which is the most northerly air defence fighter base in the United Kingdom. A third RAF Kinloss will be closed as an RAF unit in 2013-14.
The only open-air live depleted uranium weapons test range in the British Isles is located near Dundrennan.191 As a result over 7000 radioactive munitions lie on the seabed of the Solway Firth.192
Culture
Main article: Culture of Scotland
See also: Scottish People Music in Scotland Scottish literature Scottish art Media in Scotland and Cuisine of Scotland
A Pipe Major playing the Great Highland Bagpipe
Scottish music is a significant aspect of the nation's culture with both traditional and modern influences. A famous traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe a wind instrument consisting of three drones and a melody pipe (called the chanter) which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. Bagpipe bands featuring bagpipes and various types of drums and showcasing Scottish music styles while creating new ones have spread throughout the world. The clrsach (harp) fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments the latter two heavily featured in Scottish country dance bands. Today there are many successful Scottish bands and individual artists in varying styles.193
Scottish literature includes text written in English Scottish Gaelic Scots French and Latin. The poet and songwriter Robert Burns wrote in the Scots language although much of his writing is also in English and in a "light" Scots dialect that is more accessible to a wider audience. Similarly the writings of Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were internationally successful during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.194
J. M. Barrie introduced the movement known as the "Kailyard school" at the end of the 19th century which brought elements of fantasy and folklore back into fashion.195 This tradition has been viewed as a major stumbling block for Scottish literature as it focused on an idealised pastoral picture of Scottish culture.195 Some modern novelists such as Irvine Welsh (of Trainspotting fame) write in a distinctly Scottish English that reflects the harsher realities of contemporary life.196 More recently author J.K. Rowling has become one of the most popular authors in the world (and one of the wealthiest) through her Harry Potter series which she began writing from a coffee-shop in Edinburgh.
Scottish theatre has for many years played an important role in Scottish society from the music hall variety of Sir Harry Lauder and his contemporaries to the more serious plays put on at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow and many other theatres throughout Scotland.
The national broadcaster is BBC Scotland (BBC Alba in Gaelic) a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation the publicly funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It runs two national television stations and the national radio stations BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal amongst others. The main Scottish commercial television station is STV. National newspapers such as the Daily Record The Herald and The Scotsman are all produced in Scotland.197 Important regional dailies include the Evening News in Edinburgh 'The Courier in Dundee in the east and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north.197 Scotland is represented at the Celtic Media Festival which showcases film and television from the Celtic countries. Scottish entrants have won many awards since the festival began in 1980.198
As one of the Celtic nations Scotland and Scottish culture is represented at interceltic events at home and over the world. Scotland hosts several music festivals including Celtic Connections (Glasgow) and the Hebridean Celtic Festival (Stornoway). Festivals celebrating Celtic culture such as Festival Interceltique de Lorient (Brittany) the Pan Celtic Festival (Ireland) and the National Celtic Festival (Portarlington Australia) feature elements of Scottish culture such as language music and dance.199200201202203204205
Sport
Main article: Sport in Scotland
The Old Course at St Andrews
Sport is an important element in Scottish culture with the country hosting many of its own national sporting competitions. It enjoys independent representation at many international sporting events including the FIFA World Cup the Rugby Union World Cup the Rugby League World Cup the Cricket World Cup and the Commonwealth Games but not at the Olympic Games where Scottish athletes are part of the Great Britain team. Scotland has its own national governing bodies such as the Scottish Football Association (the second oldest national football association in the world)206 and the Scottish Rugby Union. Variations of football have been played in Scotland for centuries with the earliest reference dating back to 1424.207 Association football is now the most popular sport and the Scottish Cup is the world's oldest national trophy.208
Scotland contested the first ever international football game in 1872 a 0-0 draw against England. The match took place at Hamilton Crescent Glasgow home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club. Scottish clubs have been successful in European competitions with Celtic winning the European Cup in 1967 Rangers and Aberdeen winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 and 1983 respectively and Aberdeen also winning the UEFA Super Cup in 1983. Dundee United have also made it to a European final reaching the UEFA Cup Final in 1987 but losing on aggregate 2-1 to IFK Gteborg. The Fife town of St. Andrews is known internationally as the Home of golf209 and to many golfers the Old Course an ancient links course dating to before 1574 is considered to be a site of pilgrimage.210 There are many other famous golf courses in Scotland including Carnoustie Gleneagles Muirfield and Royal Troon. Other distinctive features of the national sporting culture include the Highland games curling and Shinty which given its arrival with the Gaelic language and the original Scottish culture from Antrim can claim to be Scotland's national sport. Scotland played host to the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986 and will do so again in 2014 with Glasgow the host city.
National symbols
Main article: National symbols of Scotland
The thistle Scotland's Floral emblem.
The national flag of Scotland known as the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross dates (at least in legend) from the 9th century and is thus the oldest national flag still in use. Since 1606 the Saltire has also formed part of the design of the Union Flag. There are numerous other symbols and symbolic artefacts both official and unofficial including the thistle the nation's floral emblem 6 April 1320 statement of political independence the Declaration of Arbroath the textile pattern tartan that often signifies a particular Scottish clan and the Lion Rampant flag.211212213 Highlanders can thank James Graham 3rd Duke of Montrose for the repeal in 1782 of the Act of 1747 prohibiting the wearing of tartans.214
Although there is no official National anthem of Scotland215 Flower of Scotland is played at events such as football and rugby matches involving the Scotland national teams and as of 2010 is also played at the Commonwealth Games after it was voted the overwhelming favourite by participating Scottish athletes.216 Other less popular candidates for the National Anthem of Scotland include Scotland the Brave Highland Cathedral Scots Wha Hae and A Man's A Man for A' That.
St Andrew's Day 30 November is the national day although Burns' Night tends to be more widely observed particularly outside Scotland. Tartan Day is a recent innovation from Canada. In 2006 the Scottish Parliament passed the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 designating the day to be an official bank holiday.217
Food
Main article: Scottish cuisine
See also
Scotland portal
Main article: Outline of Scotland
References
"Registrar-General's Mid-2005 Population Estimates for Scotland". Gro-scotland.gov.uk. 2010-02-16. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. http://web.archive.org/web/20080215164521/http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/mid-2005-population-estimates/index.html. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
a b Brown Dauvit (2001). "Kenneth mac Alpin". In M. Lynch. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0192116963.
"Population of Scotland at its highest since 1977". STV. 2011-04-27. http://news.stv.tv/scotland/245326-population-of-scotland-at-its-highest-since-1977/. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
a b Scottish Economic Statistics 2008 Edinburgh: Scottish Government 2008 ISBN 978-0-7559-5855-9 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/258934/0076785.pdf retrieved 2011-06-11 p. 15 table A1.8a extra-regio geographical apportionment.
"St AndrewQuick Facts". Scotland.orgThe Official Online Gateway. http://www.scotland.org/about/history-tradition-and-roots/features/culture/st-andrews.html. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
"European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
Macleod Angus "Gaelic given official status" (22 April 2005) The Times. London. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
The Countries of the UK statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
"Countries within a country". 10 Downing Street. http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page823. Retrieved 2008-08-24. "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland"
"ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Date: 2007-11-28 No I-9. "Changes in the list of subdivision names and code elements" (Page 11)" (PDF). International Organization for Standardization codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions Part 2: Country subdivision codes. http://www.iso.org/iso/newsletteri-9.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-31. "SCT Scotland country"
"Scottish Executive Resources" (PDF). Scotland in Short. Scottish Executive. 17 February 2007. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/923/0010669.pdf. Retrieved September 14 2006.
"Global Financial Centres Index". City of London. September 2008. http://issuu.com/pillarofhercules/docs/gfci/11modeap. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
The Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order. London: The Stationery Office Limited. 1999. ISBN 011059052X. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19991126.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
Aberdeen City Council websitedead link "Aberdeen's buoyant modern economy is fuelled by the oil industry earning the city its epithet as 'Oil Capital of Europe'."'.' Retrieved 01 December 2009.
a b c d Keay J. & Keay J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.
a b c Mackie J.D. (1969) A History of Scotland. London. Penguin.
Devine T.M (1999). The Scottish Nation 17002000. Penguin Books. p. 9. ISBN 0140230041. "From that point on anti-union demonstrations were common in the capital. In November rioting spread to the south west that stronghold of strict Calvinism and covenanting tradition. The Glasgow mob rose against union sympathisers in disturbances that lasted intermittently for over a month"
"Act of Union 1707 Mob unrest and disorder". London: The House of Lords. 2007. Archived from the original on January 1 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080101193416/http://www.parliament.uk/actofunion/0603mob.html. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
Collier J.G. (2001) Conflict of Laws (Third edition)(pdf) Cambridge University Press. "For the purposes of the English conflict of laws every country in the world which is not part of England and Wales is a foreign country and its foreign laws. This means that not only totally foreign independent countries such as France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover the other parts of the United Kingdom Scotland and Northern Ireland are foreign countries for present purposes as are the other British Islands the Isle of Man Jersey and Guernsey."
Devine T.M (1999) The Scottish Nation 17002000 P.288289 ISBN 0-14-023004-1 "created a new and powerful local state run by the Scottish bourgeoisie and reflecting their political and religious values. It was this local state rather than a distant and usually indifferent Westminster authority that in effect routinely governed Scotland"
"Scottish election: SNP wins election". BBC Online. 6 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13305522. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
"Q&A: Scottish independence referendum". BBC Online. 8 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13326310. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
Magnusson Magnus (2001). Scotland: The Story of a Nation. Harper & Collins. pp. 2233. ISBN 0006531911.
The History Of Ireland Stephen Gwynn
Ayto John; Ian Crofton. Brewer's Britain & Ireland : The History Culture Folklore and Etymology of 7500 Places in These Islands. WN. ISBN 030435385X.
The earliest known evidence is a flint arrowhead from Islay. See Moffat Alistair (2005) Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History. London. Thames & Hudson. Page 42.
Sites at Cramond dated to 8500 BC and near Kinloch Rm from 7700 BC provide the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. See "The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map: Rubbish dump reveals time-capsule of Scotland's earliest settlements" megalithic.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2008 and Edwards Kevin J. and Whittington Graeme "Vegetation Change" in Edwards Kevin J. & Ralston Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment Archaeology and History 8000 BCAD 1000. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press. Page 70.
Pryor Francis (2003). Britain BC. London: HarperPerennial. pp. 98104 & 246250. ISBN 978-0007126934.
Keys David (14 August 2009). "Ancient royal tomb found in Scotland". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ancient-royal-tomb-found-in-scotland-1771875.html. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
Brophy Kenneth; Noble Gordon; Driscoll Stephen (2010). "The Forteviot dagger burial". History Scotland 10 (1): 1213. ISSN 1475-5270
Koch John. "O'Donnell Lecture 2008 Appendix". University of Wales. http://www.wales.ac.uk/Resources/Documents/Research/ODonnell.pdf. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
Koch John (2009). Tartessian: Celtic from the Southwest at the Dawn of History in Acta Palaeohispanica X Palaeohispanica 9 (2009). Palaeohispanica. pp. 339351. ISSN 1578-5386. http://ifc.dpz.es/recursos/publicaciones/29/54/26koch.pdf. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
Koch John. "New research suggests Welsh Celtic roots lie in Spain and Portugal". The Megalithic Portal. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.phpsid2146413465. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
Cunliffe Barry (2008). A Race Apart: Insularity and Connectivity in Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 75 2009 pp. 5564. The Prehistoric Society. p. 61.
a b "The Romans in Scotland". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/theromans/.
Hanson William S. The Roman Presence: Brief Interludes in Edwards Kevin J. & Ralston Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment Archeology and History 8000 BC AD 1000. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press
a b Snyder Christopher A. (2003). The Britons. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0-631-22260-X
Robertson Anne S. (1960) The Antonine Wall. Glasgow Archaeological Society.
"Dalriada: The Land of the First Scots". BBC Legacies.
"Scot (ancient people)". Encyclopdia Britannica.
Peter Heather "State Formation in Europe in the First Millennium A.D." in Barbara Crawford (ed.) Scotland in Dark Ages Europe (Aberdeen 1994) pp. 4763
For instance Alex Woolf "The Verturian Hegemony: a mirror in the North" in M. P. Brown & C. A. Farr (eds.) Mercia: an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe (Leicester 2001) pp. 10611.
Brown Dauvit (1997). "Dunkeld and the origin of Scottish identity". Innes Review (Glasgow: Scottish Catholic Historical Association) (48): 112124. reprinted in Dauvit Broun and Thomas Owen Clancy (eds.) (1999)Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots Edinburgh: T.& T.Clark pp. 95111. ISBN 978-0567086822
Foster Sally (1996). Picts Gaels and Scots (Historic Scotland). London: Batsford. ISBN 978-0713474855.
Withers Charles W.J. (1984). Gaelic in Scotland 16981981. Edinburgh: John Donald. pp. 1641;. ISBN 9780859760973.
a b Barrow Geoffrey W.S. (2005) 1965. Robert Bruce & the Community of the Realm of Scotland (4th ed.). Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0748620222.
Thomas Owen Clancy. "Gaelic Scotland: a brief history". Brd na Gidhlig. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070911232223/http://www.bord-na-gaidhlig.org.uk/about-gaelic/history.html. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
>"Scotland Conquered 11741296". National Archives. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/scotland/conquered.htm.
"Scotland Regained 12971328". National Archives of the United Kingdom. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/scotland/regained.htm.
"Dumfries Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland". Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dumfries/dumfries/. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
a b Grant Alexander (6 June 1991) 1984. Independence and Nationhood: Scotland 13061469 (New ed.). Edinburgh University Press. pp. 357. ISBN 978-0748602735.
a b "Intro to Scottish Education". The Scottish Education Act of 1696 heralded the first National system of education in the World since ancient Sparta. www.siliconglen.com. http://www.siliconglen.com/Scotland/171.html. Retrieved 7 March 2007.
Wormald Jenny (6 June 1991) 1981. Court Kirk and Community: Scotland (New ed.). Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0748602766.
"Medieval life Garde Ecossaise". Learning Scotland. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/medievallife/gardeecossaise/index.asp/.
"Histoire du Monde ->Moyen-Age ->Personnages et Peuples ->Garde cossaise". http://www.histoiredumonde.net/article.php3idarticle1875.
"James IV King of Scots 14881513". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/jamesiv/.
"Battle of Flodden (Sept. 9 1513)". Encyclopdia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/210431/Battle-of-Flodden.
"The Scottish Reformation". BBC Scotland. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/scottishreformation/.
"Religion Marriage and Power in Scotland 15031603". The National Archives of the United Kingdom. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/utk/scotland/religion.htm. .
Ross David (2002). Chronology of Scottish History. Geddes & Grosset. p. 56. ISBN 1-85534-380-0. "1603: James VI becomes James I of England in the Union of the Crowns and leaves Edinburgh for London"
"Famine in Scotland: The 'Ill Years' of the 1690s". Karen CullenKaren J. Cullen (2010). Edinburgh University Press. p.2. ISBN 0748638873
http://www.scottishaffairs.org/backiss/pdfs/sa52/Sa52Scott.pdf
"Popular Opposition to the Ratification of the Treaty of Anglo-Scottish Union in 1706-7". University of St Andrews. http://www.scottishhistorysociety.org/departments/scottishhistorysociety/resources/popularoppositiontotheratificationofthetreatyofanglo-scottishunionin1706-7/backgroundtotheissues/.
"The Tobacco Lords: A study of the Tobacco Merchants of Glasgow and their Activities". Virginia Historical Society. http://www.jstor.org/pss/4248011.
"Some Dates in Scottish History from 1745 to 1914" The University of Iowa.
"Enlightenment Scotland". Learning and Teaching Scotland. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishenlightenment/scotland/index.asp.
Neil Davidson(2000). The Origins of Scottish Nationhood. London: Pluto Press. pp. 9495.
"Scotland and the Industrial Revolution". Transport Scotland. http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/projects/m74-completion/m74-dig/Industrial-Revolution.
"John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic". University of Notre Dame Press. http://undpress.nd.edu/book/P01005.
"http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfmPgNmTCE&ParamsA1ARTA0007222 Ethnic Groups > Scots". The Canadian Encyclopedia
"http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2008/2300002.htm The Scots in Australia". Australian Broadcasting Corporation
"New Zealand: Scots Education An influential group". Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatu Taonga. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/scots/9.
Richard J. Finlay Modern Scotland 1914-2000 (2006) pp 1-33
R. A. Houston and W.W. J. Knox eds. The New Penguin History of Scotland (2001) p 426
Iain McLean The Legend of Red Clydeside (1983)
Finlay Modern Scotland 1914-2000 (2006) pp 34-72
Richard J. Finlay "National identity in Crisis: Politicians Intellectuals and the 'End of Scotland' 1920-1939" History June 1994 Vol. 79 Issue 256 pp 242-59
Finlay Modern Scotland 1914-2000 (2006) pp 162-197
Harvie Christopher No Gods and Precious Few Heroes (Edward Arnold 1989) pp 5463.
See Stewart Heather "Celtic Tiger Burns Brighter at Holyrood The Guardian Unlimited 6 May 2007 for an account of Scotland's economic challenges especially after the dotcom downturn as it competes with the emerging Eastern European economies.
"National Planning Framework for Scotland" Scottish Government publication (web-page last updated 6 April 2006) which states "Since the 1970s the development of North Sea oil and gas fields has made an important contribution to the Scottish economy and underpinned prosperity in the North-East." Retrieved on 7 November 2007.
"The poll tax in Scotland 20 years on" British Broadcasting Corporation
"The Scotland Act 1998" Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved on 22 April 2008.
"Devolution > Scottish responsibilities" Scottish Government publication (web-page last updated Nov 2010)
Winston Churchill House of Commons Official Report cols 199201 15 April 1953
"Government of Scotland Facts" Scotland.org The Official Online Gateway. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
"Brown opens door to Holyrood tax powers". Sunday Herald. 10 July 2009. http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2050686.0.0.php. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
BBC Scotland News Online "Scotland begins pub smoking ban" BBC Scotland News 26 March 2006. Retrieved on 17 July 2006.
"About Scottish Ministers"dead link Scottish Government. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
"Scotland Office Charter". Scotland Office website. 9 August 2004. Archived from the original on October 30 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071030185025/http://www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/our-communications/doc.phpid11. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
"Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994" Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
"City status" Department for Constitutional Affairs. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
"UK Cities" Department for Constitutional Affairs. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
Cavanagh Michael (2001) The Campaigns for a Scottish Parliament. University of Strathclyde. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
Party people confront new realities. BBC News. Retrieved on 18 January 2008.
"Referendum Bill". Official website About > Programme for Government > 200910 > Summaries of Bills > Referendum Bill. Scottish Government. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5jggEjHoR. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
MacLeod Angus (3 September 2009). "Salmond to push ahead with referendum Bill". London: The Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5jgoTKBiL. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
"Scottish independence plan 'an election issue'". BBC News. 6 September 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11196967.
"Tradition and Environment in a time of change" J. A. Lillie (1970). "The law of Scotland has many roots in and affinities with the law of the Romans the 'Civil Law' ":"History of the Faculty of Law.". The University of Edinburgh School of Law. http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/history/chpt4.aspx. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
The Articles: legal and miscellaneous UK Parliament House of Lords (2007). "Article 19: The Scottish legal system and its courts was to remain unchanged":"Act of Union 1707". House of Lords. Archived from the original on November 14 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071114022831/http://www.parliament.uk/actofunion/0405legal.html. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
"Law and institutions Gaelic" & "Law and lawyers" in M. Lynch (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford 2001) pp. 381382 & 382386. Udal Law remains relevant to land law in Orkney and Shetland: "A General History of Scots Law (20th century)" (PDF). Law Society of Scotland. Archived from the original on 25 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070925220347/http://www.lawscot.org.uk/uploads/Ad-Hoc/AGeneralHistoryofScotsLaw20thCentury.pdf. Retrieved 20 September 2007.
"Court Information" www.scotcourts.gov.uk. Retrieved on 26 September 207.
The case for keeping 'not proven' verdict www.timesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
Forsyth John. "Senior judge hits out at 'Victorian' Scots courts The Scotsman". Thescotsman.scotsman.com. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Senior-judge-hits-out-at.5250755.jp. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
"Prisoner Population". Sps.gov.uk. http://www.sps.gov.uk/default.aspxdocumentid7811a7f1-6c61-4667-a12c-f102bbf5b808. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
a b Whitaker's Almanack (1991) London. J. Whitaker and Sons.
Munro D (1999). Scotland Atlas and Gazetteer. Harper Collins. pp. 12.
"Uniting the Kingdoms" National Archives. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
See "The 'Where Are We' page" highlandhostel.co.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
Keay J. & Keay J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins. Pages 734 and 930.
"Tay"dead link Encarta. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
"Scotfax: Geography of Scotland on Undiscovered Scotland". Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 18 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080618144418/http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usscotfax/geo/index.html. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
"Southern Uplands". Tiscali.co.uk. 16 November 1990. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0029160.html. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
"Education Scotland Standard Grade Bitesize Revision Ask a Teacher Geography Physical Question From PN". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/other/sos/geography/physical/answerphysical59.shtml. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
a b "Scotland Today ITKT". Intheknowtraveler.com. 28 December 2006. Archived from the original on January 6 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070106204251/http://www.intheknowtraveler.com/1144. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
Murray W.H. (1973) The Islands of Western Scotland. London. Eyre Methuen ISBN 978-0413303806
Murray W.H. (1968) The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland. London. Collins. ISBN 0002111357
Johnstone Scott et al. (1990) The Corbetts and Other Scottish Hills. Edinburgh. Scottish Mountaineering Trust. Page 9.
BBC Weather: UK Records BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on 21 September 2007. The same temperature was also recorded In Braemar on 10 January 1982 and at Altnaharra Highland on 30 December 1995.
a b "Weather extremes" Met Office. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
"Western Scotland: climate" Met Office. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
a b "Eastern Scotland: climate" Met Office. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
Scottish Weather Part One BBC.co.uk Retrieved on 21 September 2007
Fraser Darling F. & Boyd J.M. (1969) Natural History in the Highlands and Islands. London. Bloomsbury.
"State of the Park Report. Chapter 2: Natural Resources"(pdf) (2006) Cairngorms National Park Authority. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
Preston C.D. Pearman D.A. & Dines T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press.
Gooders J. (1994) Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland. London. Kingfisher.
Matthews L.H. (1968) British Mammals. London. Bloomsbury.
WM Adams (2003). Future nature:a vision for conservation. p. 30. ISBN 9781853839986. http://books.google.com/idkxlN8YJQWQsC&printsecfrontcover&dqfuture+nature:+a+vision+for+conservation#vonepage&q&ffalse. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
"East Scotland Sea Eagles" RSPB. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
Ross John (29 December 2006). "Mass slaughter of the red kites". The Scotsman (Edinburgh).
Ross David (26 November 2009) "Wild Boar: our new eco warriors" The Herald. Glasgow.
"Beavers return after 400-year gap". BBC News. 29 May 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgowandwest/8072443.stm. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
Integrated Upland Management for Wildlife Field Sports Agriculture & Public Enjoyment (pdf) (September 1999) Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
"The Fortingall Yew" Forestry Commission. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
"Scotland remains home to Britain's tallest tree as Dughall Mor reaches new heights" Forestry Commission. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
"How long will Argylls Stronardron Douglas Fir hold on to the UKs Tallest Tree title" (24 February 2009). For Argyll.com. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
"Why Scotland has so many mosses and liverworts" SNH. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
"Bryology (mosses liverworts and hornworts)" Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
Milner M. and Treanor J. (2 June 1999). "Devolution may broaden financial sector's view". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/Scotland/Story/020557300.html. Retrieved 8 August 2006.
a b "Global Connections Survey" (PDF). Scottish Executive. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/933/0020661.pdf. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
"The Economics of Tourism" (PDF). SPICe. 2002. http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/pdfresbrief/sb02-97.pdf. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
"Unemployment March 2009" (PDF). http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/research/briefings-09/SB09-45.pdf. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
Oil 'would create budget surplus' BBC News 20 June 2008
General Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 20062007
"Banknote History". Scottish Clearing Banks. http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotehistory.php. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
"Barra Airport Today". Barra Airport. Highlands and Islands Airports. http://hial.rippleffect.com/barra-airport/about-us/barra-airport-today/. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
The Scotsman 27 March 2007. "Special ReportBusiness Class"
"Highlands and Islands Airports Airport Information" Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
"Disaggregating Network Rail's expenditure and revenue allowance and future price control framework: a consultation (June 2005)" Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.
Transport Scotland Rail www.transportscotland.gov.uk accessed 10 July 2008
"Rail" Transport Scotland. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
Keay J. & Keay J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.ISBN 0-00-255082-2
"Scotland's Population 2009". General Register Office for Scotland. 6 August 2010. p. 9. http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/annual-review-09/rgar2009.pdf. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
"Did You KnowScotland's Cities" rampantscotland.com Retrieved 26 September 2007.
Clapperton C.M. (ed) (1983) Scotland: A New Study. London. David & Charles.
Miller J. (2004) Inverness. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 9781841582962
"New Towns" BBC Scotland. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
"Scotland speaks Urdu" (2004)Urdustan.net. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
The Pole Position (6 August 2005). Glasgow. Sunday Herald newspaper.
Statistics Analysis of Ethnicity in the 2001 Census Summary Report Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
"Scotland's Census 2001 Part 1: Census User Needs and Legislation". General Register Office for Scotland. http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/tscrep.pdf. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
Dr. Kenneth MacKinnon. "A Century on the CensusGaelic in Twentieth Century Focus". University of Glasgow. Archived from the original on September 5 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070905013846/http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/SESLL/STELLA/STARN/lang/GAELIC/focus.htm. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
"Can TV's evolution ignite a Gaelic revolution". Scotsman.com. 16 September 2008.
The US Census 2000. The 1 American Community Survey 2004 by the US Census Bureau estimates 5752571 people claiming Scottish ancestry and 5323888 people claiming Scotch-Irish ancestry.
"The Scotch-Irish". American Heritage Magazine. December 1970. Volume 22 Issue 1.
"Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America". Powells.com. 12 August 2009. http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780767916899-1. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
"Scots-Irish By Alister McReynolds writer and lecturer in Ulster-Scots studies". Nitakeacloserlook.gov.uk. http://www.nitakeacloserlook.gov.uk/index/american-connections/scots-irish.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
2006 Canadian Census gives a total of 4719850 respondents stating their ethnic origin as Scottish.
Linguistic Archaeology: The Scottish Input to New Zealand English Phonology Trudgill et al. Journal of English Linguistics.2003; 31: 103124
"A Guide to Education and Training in Scotland "the broad education long regarded as characteristic of Scotland"". Scottish Government. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/03/16743/19914. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
"Schools and schooling" in M. Lynch (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford 2001) pp. 561563.
"Curriculum for Excellence Aims Purposes and Principles". Scottish Government. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp.
"The Scottish Exam System" Scottish Council of Independent Schools. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.
"Welcome to the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland". Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. http://www.carnegie-trust.org/whatwedo.htm. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
"Understanding Scottish Qualifications". Scottish Agricultural College. http://www.sac.ac.uk/learning/prospective/international/ireland/IrelandScotsqual. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
"RAE 2008: results for UK universities Education guardian.co.uk". Guardian (London). 18 December 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-results-uk-universities. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
Foster Patrick. "The Times Good University Guide 2009 league table". London: Extras.timesonline.co.uk. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tolgug/gooduniversityguide.php. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
"A Framework for Higher Education in Scotland: Higher Education Review Phase 2". Scottish Government. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/03/16786/20354. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
"What is higher education" (PDF). Universities Scotland. Archived from the original on September 30 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060930111131/http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/Facts+and+Figures/HigherEducation.pdf. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
Analysis of Religion in the 2001 Census: Summary Report scotland.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
Andrew Collier "Scotland's Confident Catholics" The Tablet 10 January 2009 16.
a b "Analysis of Religion in the 2001 Census". General Register Office for Scotland. http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/news2005/analysis-of-religion-in-the-2001-census.html. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
"In the Scottish Lowlands Europe's first Buddhist monastery turns 40" The Buddhist Channel. Retrieved 24 June 2007.
Highlands and Islands Medical Service (HIMS) www.60yearsofnhsscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
Latest Statistics NHS Scotland
The large number of military bases in Scotland has led some to use the euphemism "Fortress Scotland". See Spaven Malcolm (1983) Fortress Scotland. London. Pluto Press in association with Scottish CND.
"Pensioner 94 in nuclear protest" BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
"Reprieve for RAF Lossiemouth base" BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
"Dunoon and the US Navy" Argyll online. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
"DU shell test-firing resumes" BBC Scotland News 21 February 2001. Retrieved 13 September 2006.
Depleted Uranium (Shelling) Parliament of the United Kingdom: Science and Technology CommitteeDebates 7 February 2001. Hansard. Retrieved on 26 September 2007
"Best Scottish Band of All Time". The List. http://www.list.co.uk/article/2658-belle-sebastian-revealed-as-best-scottish-band-of-all-time/. Retrieved 2 August 2006.
Barbara Buchenau. "'Wizards of the West' How Americans respond to Sir Walter Scott the 'Wizard of the North'". Goettingen University. http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper/articles/suny/1997suny-buchenau.html. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
a b "Scottish Literature". University of Glasgow Faculty of Arts. Archived from the original on September 25 2003. http://web.archive.org/web/20030925021233/http://www2.arts.gla.ac.uk/sesll/ScotLit/bibliography/4thsection.html. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
"Contemporary Writers". British Council. http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/pauth120. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
a b "Newspapers and National Identity in Scotland" (PDF). IFLA University of Stirling. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla68/papers/051-127e.pdf. Retrieved 12 December 2006.
"About Us::Celtic Media Festival". Celtic Media Festival website. Celtic Media Festival. 2009. http://www.celticmediafestival.co.uk/4/aboutus/. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
Harvey (2002). Celtic geographies: old culture new times. Stroud Gloucestershire: Routledge. p. 142. ISBN 9780415223966. http://books.google.com/id02kVSmK8EwMC&pgPA142&dqScotland+Celtic+nation&cd4#vonepage&qScotland%20Celtic%20nation.
Pittock (1999). Celtic identity and the British image. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 15. ISBN 0719058260. http://books.google.com/idDv0yf-tgCocC&printsecfrontcover&dqinauthor:%22Murray+Pittock%22&cd1#vonepage&q.
"Celtic connections:Scotland's premier winter music festival". Celtic connections website. Celtic Connections. 2010. http://www.celticconnections.com/. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
"'Hebridean Celtic Festival 2010 the biggest homecoming party of the year". Hebridean Celtic Festival website. Hebridean Celtic Festival. 2009. http://www.hebceltfest.com/. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
"Site Officiel du Festival Interceltique de Lorient". Festival Interceltique de Lorient website. Festival Interceltique de Lorient. 2009. http://www.festival-interceltique.com/le-monde-des-celtes-et-de-la-celtie.php. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
"Welcome to the Pan Celtic 2010 Home Page". Pan Celtic Festival 2010 website. Filte Ireland. 2010. http://www.panceltic.ie/. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
"About the Festival". National Celtic Festival website. National Celtic Festival. 2009. http://www.nationalcelticfestival.com/index.phpoptioncomcontent&viewarticle&id24&Itemid26. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
Soccer in South Asia: Empire Nation Diaspora. By James Mills Paul Dimeo: Page 18 Oldest Football Association is England's FA then Scotland and third oldest is the Indian FA.
Gerhardt W.. "The colourful history of a fascinating game. More than 2000 Years of Football". FIFA. Archived from the original on August 10 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060810202927/http://www.fifa.com/en/history/history/01283100.html. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
"Official Site of the Tennents Scottish Cup". The Tennents Scottish Cup. http://www.scottishcup.org/museum.html. Retrieved 10 December 2006.
Keay (1994) op cit page 839. "In 1834 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club declared St. Andrews 'the Alma Mater of golf'".
Cochrane Alistair (ed) Science and Golf IV: proceedings of the World Scientific Congress of Golf. Page 849. Routledge.
"National identity" in M. Lynch (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford 2001) pp. 437444.
Keay J. & Keay J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins. Page 936.
"Symbols of ScotlandIndex" Rampant Scotland. Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
Bain Robert (1959). Margaret O. MacDougall (ed.). ed. Clans & Tartans of Scotland (revised). P.E. Stewart-Blacker (heralidic advisor) forward by The R. Hon. Countess of Erroll. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.. p. 108.
BBC News Action call over national anthem
"Games team picks new Scots anthem". BBC. 9 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8449939.stm.
"Explanatory Notes to St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007" Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
Further reading
Brown Dauvit (1999) Anglo-French acculturation and the Irish element in Scottish Identity in Smith Brendan (ed.) Insular Responses to Medieval European Change Cambridge University Press pp. 13553
Brown Michael (2004) The Wars of Scotland 12141371 Edinburgh University Press. pp. 157254
Devine T.M 1999 (2000). The Scottish Nation 17002000 (New Ed. edition). London:Penguin. ISBN 0-14-023004-1
Dumville David N. (2001). "St Cathre of Metz and the Hagiography of Exoticism". Irish Hagiography: Saints and Scholars. Dublin: Four Courts Press. pp. 172176. ISBN 978-1851824861.
Flom George Tobias. Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch. A Contribution to the Study of the Linguistic Relations of English and Scandinavian (Columbia University Press New York. 1900)
Herbert Maire (2000). "R renn R Alban kingship and identity in the ninth and tenth centuries". In Simon Taylor (ed.). Kings Clerics and Chronicles in Scotland 5001297. Dublin: Four Courts Press. pp. 6372. ISBN 1851825169.
MacLeod Wilson (2004) Divided Gaels: Gaelic Cultural Identities in Scotland and Ireland: c.12001650. Oxford University Press.
Pope Robert (ed.) Religion and National Identity: Wales and Scotland c.17002000 (University of Wales Press 2001)
Sharp L. W. The Expansion of the English Language in Scotland (Cambridge University Ph.D. thesis 1927) pp. 102325;
Trevor-Roper Hugh The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History Yale 2008 ISBN 0-300-13686-2
External links
Find more about Scotland on Wikipedia's sister projects:
Definitions from Wiktionary
Images and media from Commons
Learning resources from Wikiversity
News stories from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Scotland.org the official online gateway to Scotland managed by the Scottish Government
Scottish Government official site of the Scottish Government
Scottish Parliament official site of the Scottish Parliament
National Archives of Scotland official site of the National Archives of Scotland
Homecoming Scotland 2009
Maps and digital collections at the National Library of Scotland
Scottish economic statistics 2005 (pdf) from the Scottish Executive
Scottish Census Results On Line official government site for Scotland's census results
Visit Scotland official site of Scotland's national tourist board
ScotlandsPeople official government resource for Scottish genealogy
Scotland at the Open Directory Project
Scotland travel guide from Wikitravel
Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics Scottish Government's programme of small area statistics in Scotland
Gazetteer for Scotland Extensive guide to the places and people of Scotland by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and University of Edinburgh
v d e Scotland topics
History
Timeline Prehistoric Roman times Kingdom High Middle Ages Davidian Revolution Wars of Independence Late Middle Ages Reformation Colonisation of the Americas Acts of Union 1707 Jacobitism Enlightenment Highland Clearances Lowland Clearances Modern
Geography
Geology Climate Demographics Mountains and hills Islands Lochs Waterfalls Fauna Flora Highlands Lowlands Central Belt Anglo-Scottish border
Economy
Companies Bank of Scotland Royal Bank of Scotland North Sea oil Whisky Tourism Harris Tweed Renewable energy Transport Saltire Foundation
Law
Courts Lord President Crown Office Lord Advocate Solicitor General Procurator Fiscal Udal law
People
List of Scots (Actors Inventors Musicians Scientists Writers)
Politics
Political parties Elections Parliament Government First Minister Scotland Office Secretary of State Local government Monarchs Military Independence Unionism
Religion
Church of Scotland General Assembly Roman Catholicism Judaism Scottish Episcopal Church Islam Hinduism
Languages
Scottish Gaelic Scots Scottish English Highland English Royal National Mod
Culture
Clans Cuisine Education Flags Coat of arms Anthem Hogmanay Innovations Literature Music Sport World Heritage Sites Nationalism Scottish surnames
Category Portal WikiProject
v d eUnited Kingdom topics
Administrative
geography
Terminology Countries of the United Kingdom Crown dependencies Overseas territories
Geography
Great Britain Northern Ireland Geology of Great Britain Geology of Northern Ireland Mountains Lakes and Lochs Rivers Volcanoes
History
Timeline Military history Maritime history Economic history British Empire
UK Government
Courts Parliament House of Commons House of Lords Monarchy Prime Minister Cabinet Departments Constitution Law Nationality Legislation Foreign relations Law enforcement
UK Politics
Elections Parties
Economy
Pound sterling London Stock Exchange Banks (Bank of England) Taxation Transport Communications Economic geography Mining Energy United Kingdom budget
Military
Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force Weapons of mass destruction
Society
Crime Poverty Social structure
Demography
Ethnic groups Immigration Languages Cities Towns
Culture
Art Cinema Cuisine Identity Literature Media Music Sport Television Theatre Public holidays
England
History English Society Politics Education Health care Religion Tourism
Northern Ireland
History Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland Assembly First Minister and deputy First Minister Politics Education Health care Religion Tourism
Scotland
History Scottish Government Scottish Parliament First Minister Politics Education Health care Religion Tourism
Wales
History Welsh Assembly Government Welsh Assembly First Minister Politics Education Health care Religion Tourism
Category Portal WikiProject
v d eConstituent countries and affiliations of the United Kingdom
Countries of the United Kingdom
England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland
Overseas territories
Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown Dependencies
Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey
Sovereign Base Areas
Akrotiri and Dhekelia
v d eBritish Isles
Terminology (Britain ire) Naming dispute
Politics
Sovereign states
Ireland United Kingdom (England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales)
British Crown
dependencies
Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man
Political cooperation
BritishIrish Council BritishIrish Parliamentary Assembly Common Travel Area North/South Ministerial Council British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference
Geography
Island groups
Channel Islands Islands of the Clyde Great Britain Hebrides (Inner Outer) Ireland Isle of Man Isles of Scilly Northern Isles (Orkney Shetland)
Lists of islands of
Ireland Isle of Man United Kingdom (England Scotland Wales)
History
Current states and
dependencies
Ireland United Kingdom (England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales)
Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man
Former states
Kingdom of England Kingdom of Scotland Kingdom of Ireland Principality of Wales Kingdom of Great Britain United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Irish Free State
Society
Modern languages
Auregnais BSL Cornish English French Guernsiais Irish ISL Jrriais Manx NISL Scots Scottish Gaelic Sercquiais Shelta Welsh
People
British Cornish English English Gypsies Irish Irish Traveller Kale Manx Scottish Ulster-Scots Welsh
v d eBritish people
English language Anglosphere
Anguillans Ascension Islanders Bermudians British Virgin Islanders Caymanians Chagossians (lois) Channel Islanders Cornish English Falkland Islanders Gibraltarians Hongkongers (BN(O)s) Manx Montserratians Northern Irish Orcadians Pitcairn Islanders Saint Helenians Scots Shetlanders Tristan Islanders Turks and Caicos Islanders Welsh
British diaspora
v d eCeltic nations and their cultures
Nations
Celtic League definition
Brittany Cornwall Ireland Isle of Man Scotland Wales
Other claimants
Asturias Galicia
Languages
Brythonic Breton Cornish Welsh
Goidelic Irish Manx Scottish Gaelic
Mixed Shelta Bungee
Peoples
Breton Cornish Irish Irish Traveller Manx Scottish Ulster-Scots Welsh
Culture
Brittany Cornwall Ireland Isle of Man Scotland Wales Celtic art
Music
Brittany Cornwall Ireland Isle of Man Scotland Wales Festival Interceltique de Lorient
Sport
Bando Cammag Cnapan Cornish hurling Cornish wrestling Curling Gaelic football Gaelic handball Golf Gouren Rounders Highland games Hurling Road bowls Shinty
v d eCouncil areas of Scotland
Aberdeen Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll and Bute Clackmannanshire Dumfries and Galloway Dundee East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Lothian East Renfrewshire Edinburgh Falkirk Fife Glasgow Highland Inverclyde Midlothian Moray Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Orkney Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire Scottish Borders Shetland South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian
v d eEnglish-speaking world
Anglosphere
Dark blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language and spoken natively by a significant population.
Light blue: Countries and territories where English is an official language but less widely spoken.
Click on the coloured regions to view the related article.
Regions where English is an official language and spoken by a significant population
Africa
Mauritius Saint Helena
Americas
(Anglo-America)
Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Dominica Falkland Islands Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat Puerto Rico Saba Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United States United States Virgin Islands
Asia
Hong Kong Philippines Singapore
Europe
Gibraltar Guernsey Ireland Isle of Man Jersey Malta United Kingdom
Oceania
American Samoa Australia Christmas Island Guam Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Palau Vanuatu
Regions where English is an official language but not as widely spoken
Africa
Botswana Cameroon Gambia Ghana Kenya Lesotho Liberia Malawi Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone Somaliland South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Asia
India Pakistan
Oceania
Cook Islands Fiji Niue Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Islands Solomon Islands Tokelau Tuvalu
Rugby: Graham Marshall is new coach at Heriot's
Heriot's have filled a rugby coaching vacancy by announcing former Scotland back row Graham Marshall will take charge of their forwards next season.
Heriot's have filled a rugby coaching vacancy by announcing former Scotland back row Graham Marshall will take charge of their forwards next season.




















