Facts about Scotland

The Union of the Crowns in 1707 finalized the transition to the United Kingdom, and the existence of modern Scotland.

The first meetings of the Parliament of Scotland were convened during this period.

Islam is the largest non-Christian religion in Scotland with an estimated population of fifty thousand, despite accounting for less than one percent of the population of Scotland.

Scotland has a large and expanding rail network, which, following the Railways Act of 2005, is managed independently from the rest of the UK.

Scotland's only land border is with England, running for 60 miles between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west.

War ensued and King John was deposed by Edward who took personal control of Scotland.

Highland and Islands Airports operate ten regional airports serving the more remote locations of Scotland.

Scots law, the Scottish education system, the Church of Scotland, and Scottish banknotes have been four cornerstones contributing to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union.

The Church had a significant influence on the cultural development of Scotland in early modern times, famously exemplified in Eric Liddell's refusal to race at the Olympic Games on Sunday—the Sabbath.

Two major Jacobite risings launched from the Highlands of Scotland in 1715 and 1745 failed to remove the House of Hanover from the British throne.

In 2005, it was estimated that between forty thousand and fifty thousand Poles lived in Scotland.

Scotland was united under Kenneth MacAlpin in 843, and continued as a kingdom throughout the Middle Ages.

Scotland has its own unique arts scene with both music and literature.

The proposal that Jerusalem should be a city under international administration is still considered the best possible solution by many with an interest in a future of peace and prosperity for the region.

Scotland and France signed a treaty on October 23, 1295 that came to be known as the Auld Alliance (1295–1560).

Heavy industry declined, however, in the latter part of the twentieth century, leading to a shift in the economy of Scotland towards a technology and service sector-based economy.

Scotland is not, however, a sovereign state and does not enjoy direct membership of either the United Nations or the European Union.

Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in public places.

Much of Scotland (particularly the West Central Belt around Glasgow) has experienced problems caused by sectarianism, particularly football rivalry between the traditionally Roman Catholic team, Celtic, and the traditionally Protestant team, Rangers.

Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.

The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest, with annual rainfall exceeding 3,000 millimeters (120 in).

The largest export products for Scotland are niche products such as whisky, electronics, and financial services.

Scotland has four main international airports (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, and Aberdeen) that serve a wide variety of European and intercontinental routes.

Glasgow is Scotland's leading seaport and is the fourth largest manufacturing center in the UK, accounting for well over sixty percent of Scotland's manufactured exports.

Her influence, which stemmed from a lifelong dedication to personal piety, was essential to the revivification of Roman Catholicism in Scotland, a fact that led to her canonization in 1250.

Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads of any country worldwide, with around thirteen percent of the population having naturally red hair.

Scotland (Scottish Gaelic Alba) is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom.

Roman Catholicism in Scotland survived the Reformation, especially on islands such as Uist and Barra, despite the suppression of the sixteenth to the late eighteenth centuries.

The 1980s saw an economic boom in the "Silicon Glen" corridor between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with many large technology firms relocating to Scotland.

Scotland is the "Home of Golf," and is well-known for its many golf courses, including the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Roman Catholicism was strengthened in the west of Scotland during the nineteenth century by immigration from Ireland.

Scotland was an integral component of the British Empire which allowed the Scottish economy to export its output throughout the world.

The Monymusk Reliquary, a relic of medieval Scotland.

From this people came Cinбed mac Ailpнn (anglicized Kenneth MacAlpin), who united the kingdom of Scotland in 843, when he became King of the Picts and Gaels.

Scotland has over 790 islands divided into four main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Hebrides, divided into the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides.

After World War II, Scotland experienced an industrial decline which was particularly acute.

The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable.

Christianity came to Scotland around the second century, and was firmly established by the sixth and seventh centuries.

Sueno's Stone, Forres, monument of Scotland's Pictish past.

The culture of Scotland, although heavily influenced by that of neighboring England to the extent that Scots have felt inferior, leading to the phenomenon of "Scottish cringe," is distinct and internationally recognized.

The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland, and has limited power to vary income tax.

The education system in Scotland is distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom.

The highest concentration of population in Scotland is in the areas surrounding Glasgow with approximately 2.2 million people living in west central Scotland centered on the Greater Glasgow urban conurbation.

Almost all the islands surrounding Scotland, no matter how small or remote, were formerly inhabited, as is shown by archaeological and documentary evidence.

Scotland continues the struggle to enjoy true relationships not only with England but also with an increasingly globalized world community.

The population of Scotland in the 2001 census was 5,062,011, and has risen to 5,194,000 according to June 2009 estimates.

The United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster in London retains active power over Scotland's taxes, social security system, the military, international relations, broadcasting, and some other areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998.

Scotland has 13 universities, including the four ancient universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrews founded during the medieval period.

The written history of Scotland began with the arrival of the Romans, who occupied England and Wales, leaving most of modern Scotland as unconquered Caledonia.

Scotland has its own national governing bodies, such as the Scottish Football Association (the second oldest national football association in the world) and the Scottish Rugby Union, and its own national sporting competitions.

Edinburgh is the financial services center of Scotland and the sixth largest financial center in Europe, with many large finance firms based there, including the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Loch Ness Monster, familiarly known as "Nessie," a mysterious and unidentified legendary creature claimed to inhabit Scotland's Loch Ness, is well known throughout the United Kingdom and the world.

Political debate in Scotland in the latter half of the twentieth century revolved around the constitution, and this dominated the Scottish political scene.

The Church of Scotland, also known as The Kirk, is the national church and has a Presbyterian system of church government.

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 initiated a chain of events which started to move the kingdom of Scotland away from its originally Gaelic cultural orientation.

After the Glorious Revolution and the overthrow of the Roman Catholic James VII by William and Mary, Scotland briefly threatened to select a separate Protestant monarch.

The history of Scotland began in prehistoric times, when modern humans first began to inhabit the land after the end of the last ice age.

In 1603, when Elizabeth I died, James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of the Kingdom of England, becoming also James I of England.

Almost all the islands surrounding Scotland, no matter how small or remote, were formerly inhabited, as is shown by archaeological and documentary evidence.

At twenty-eight percent of the population, Scotland has a relatively high proportion of persons who regard themselves as belonging to "no religion."

Scotland comprises the northern third of the island of Great Britain, off the coast of northwestern Europe.

Due to their topography and perceived remoteness, parts of Scotland have housed many sensitive defense establishments, with mixed public feelings.

The General Register Office for Scotland estimates that thirty percent of the population are fluent in Scots, a West Germanic sister language to English.

Early Pictish religion in Scotland is presumed to have resembled Celtic polytheism (Druidism).