Scotland
Scotland, or in Gaelic Alba, is the northern part of Great Britain, bordering to the south on England. Scotland consists of the mainland area plus several island groups, including the Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.
Almost all residents speak English although many speak various Scots dialects which are quite different from Standard English and some few, mostly from the Western Isles, still speak Scots Gaelic. The Scots dialect which was spoken in the Scottish Court and Parliament is known as Lallans. It was one of several that developed from the Anglian spoken in the Northumbrian kingdom of Bernicia which in the 6th century conquered the British kingdom of Gododdin and renamed its capital of Dunedin, Edinburgh.
Scotland is divided into two geographic areas - the Lowlands and the Highlands. These caused cultural divisions in the country where the Lowlands were, historically, more influenced by the English to the South due to the greater ease with which they could be attacked by invading armies.
The clan system in Highland Scotland was one of its more distinguishing features. It had many similarities to the American Indian tribal system. Notable clans include MacGregor, Stewart, MacDonald, MacLeod, Robertson, Campbell...
Scotland today is made up of 32 unitary council Regions:
- City of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, City of Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, City of Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Scotland, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, Western Isles.
Scotland originally consisted of the following 33 counties:
- Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyllshire, Ayrshire, Banffshire, Berwick, Buteshire, Caithness, Clackmannanshire, Dumbartonshire, Dumfriesshire, East Lothian, Fife, Inverness-shire, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Morayshire, Nairnshire, Orkney, Peebleshire, Perthshire, Renfrewshire, Ross and Cromarty, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Shetland, Stirlingshire, Sutherlandshire, West Lothian, Wigtownshire.
The five major cities in Scotland in order of size are:
Glasgow; Edinburgh, which is the capital; Aberdeen; Dundee and Stirling
Waterways in Scotland:
- River Don; River Tweed........
- Union Canal
- Falkirk Wheel
Scotland is also known for:
- Bagpipes
- Robert Burns, Burns Night, Burns Supper
- Haggis
- Kilts and Tartans
- Loch Ness, said to contain the Loch Ness monster "Nessie".
- The soft drink called Irn Bru.
- Scotch whisky
- Hills (Cairngorms, Aviemore, Munros) and islands (Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland)
- Hogmanay (New Year's Eve)
- Scottish country dancing
- Shortbread
- Tweed, especially Harris Tweed
- Whisky distilleries
In 1603 the Scottish King James VI inherited the throne of England, and became James I of England. James moved to London and never returned to Scotland. In 1707 a Treaty of Union was signed between the Scottish and English Parliaments. The English and the Scottish Parliaments were dissolved and all their powers transferred to a new Parliament in London which then became the British Parliament. A customs and currency union was also declared. This state of affairs remained until May 1999 when a new Scottish Parliament was created.
For a list of kings of Scotland see the List of British monarchs.
- See also : National parks (Scotland), Wars of Scottish Independence, Historic houses in Scotland, Castles in Scotland, Museums in Scotland, Abbeys and priories in Scotland, Gardens in Scotland
External Links
- General Register Office for Scotland, where you may view census data
Scotland is also the name of some places in the United States: