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Scotland

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Scotland is a country that covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It also has more than 790 islands! The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, which is a part of the central Belt (the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands). This area is the place where the majority of the Scottish population is concentrated. 

Scotland is divided into 32 council areas that form the local government areas of the country. Such subdivision has been in use since 1996. Before that, Scotland was divided into regions. There were 9 of them and each had a number of districts. The regions included: Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, Borders, Lothian, Central, Fife, Tayside, Grampian, Highland and also three Island Councils: Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney. Even though such region-subdivision is not used officially any more, it is still in use among people.

The country is also traditionally divided into 3 topographic areas: the Highlands in the north, the Midland Valley (Central Lowlands), and the Southern Uplands.

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Some basic information

RELIGION

The national church of Scotland is very often called The Kirk (Kirk in Scottish means church). Most of the Scottish population is believed to be Christian (just a bit more than a half - 54%), while 37% claim not to have any religion at all. The Church of Scotland has been  Protestant since the Scottish Reformation of 1560. Roman Catholic population is about 19% and is concentrated mostly in Greater Glasgow and the north-west.

EDUCATION

The Scottish education system differs from the rest of the country, mainly because it puts emphasis on the liberal arts (liberalism). There are 15 Scottish universities, 4 of them are known as the ancient universities of Scotland -  University of St Andrews, University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen and University of Edinburgh. All of them were founded before the end of the 16th century.

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University of Glasgow

CULTURE

Scotland is one of the Celtic nations. There are quite a lot of symbols that represent the country. St Andrew is one of them. Martyred while bound to an X-shaped cross, St Andrew is said to be a Scottish symbol since the late 14th century. St Andrew's Cross on  a blue background represents the Flag of Scotland. 

The thistle is considered to be the nation's floral emblem.

The national day of Scotland, St Andrew's Day (the Feast of St Andrew or Andermas) takes place each year on 30 November.

The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland!

And of course another very important part of Scottish culture is its national music and a traditional Scottish instrument, a bagpipe, which is known worldwide!

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Unicorn,

Scotland's national animal

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Bagpipe,

traditional Scottish instrument

HISTORY

The history  of Scotland is very rich and interesting! First mentioned in 320 BC by Greek sailor Pytheas and called "Orcas" (the Orkney Islands), the territory of Scotland was never under Roman political control.

In the 6th century the area of Scotland was divided into 3 parts: Pictland, the Kingdom of Northumbria (in the southeastern Scotland), and Dál Riata (a Gaelic kingdom from Ireland that brought the Gaelic language and culture with them).

Until the 12th-13th centuries, the majority of Scotland was using the Gaelic language, but during the reign of David I (1124-53) many English colonists settled there bringing the English language. England tried to invade Scotland many times but without success. In 1603, James VI of Scotland became King of England and Ireland which helped him unite the three kingdoms. In 1707 Scotland lost its independency after the new kingdom of Great Britain was created.

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