Scotland
Scotland (Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.[6][7][8] 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 consists of over 790 islands[9] including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres.[10][11] 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 sector[12] of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.
The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent sovereign state before 1 May 1707 when it entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England to create the united Kingdom of Great Britain.[13][14] 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.[15][16] Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and Scotland still constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and in private law.[17] The continued independence of Scots law, the Scottish education system, and the Church of Scotland have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union.[18] Although Scotland is no longer a separate sovereign state, issues surrounding devolution and independence continue to be debated. After the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, the first ever pro-independence Scottish Government was elected in 2007 when the Scottish National Party formed a minority administration after talks of a coalition with other parties broke down.
Location of Scotland (inset — orange) in the United Kingdom (camel) in the European continent (white) | ||
| Capital | Edinburgh 55°57′N 3°12′W / 55.95°N 3.2°W | |
| Largest city | Glasgow | |
|---|---|---|
| Official languages | English (de facto)1 | |
| Recognised regional languages | Scottish Gaelic, Scots | |
| Ethnic groups | 88% Scottish, 8% English, Irish, Welsh, 4% other[1] | |
| Demonym | Scots, Scottish | |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | |
| - | Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| - | First Minister (Head of Scottish Government) | Alex Salmond MP MSP |
| - | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | Gordon Brown MP |
| Legislature | Scottish Parliament | |
| Establishment | Early Middle Ages; exact date of establishment unclear or disputed; traditional 843, by King Kenneth MacAlpin[2] | |
| Area | ||
| - | Total | 78,772 km2 30,414 sq mi |
| - | Water (%) | 1.9 |
| Population | ||
| - | 2008 estimate | 5,168,500 |
| - | 2001 census | 5,062,011 |
| - | Density | 65/km2 168.2/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) | 2006 estimate | |
| - | Total | US$194 billion[citation needed] |
| - | Per capita | US$39,680[citation needed] |
| Currency | Pound sterling (GBP) | |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | |
| - | Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| Internet TLD | .uk4 | |
| Calling code | 44 | |
| Patron saint | St. Andrew[3] | |
| 1 | Both Scots and Scottish Gaelic are officially recognised as autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;[4] the Bòrd na Gàidhlig is tasked, under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, with securing Gaelic as an official language of Scotland, commanding "equal respect" with English.[5] | |
| 2 | 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. | |
| 3 | 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. | |
| 4 | Also .eu, as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB, but .gb is unused. | |
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