 | Portal maintenance status:(July 2018)
|
_P-SCO_Panorama.jpg)
The BlackCuillins,Isle of Skye
Whisky casks,Dallas Dhu distillery| Main Page | Selected articles 1 | Selected articles 2 | Selected biographies | Selected quotes | Selected pictures | Featured Content | Categories & Topics |
 |  | |
 | ||
Scotland is acountry that is part of theUnited Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island ofGreat Britain and more than 790 adjacentislands, principally in the archipelagos of theHebrides and theNorthern Isles. In 2022, the country's population was about 5.4 million. Its capital city isEdinburgh, whilstGlasgow is the largest city and the most populous of thecities of Scotland. To the south-east, Scotland has itsonly land border, which is 96 miles (154 km) long and shared withEngland; the country is surrounded by theAtlantic Ocean to the north and west, theNorth Sea to the north-east and east, and theIrish Sea to the south. The legislature, theScottish Parliament, elects 129members to represent 73constituencies across the country. TheScottish Government is theexecutive arm of the devolved government, headed by thefirst minister, who chairs thecabinet and is responsible for government policy andinternational engagement.
TheKingdom of Scotland emerged as an independentsovereign state in the 9th century. In 1603,James VI succeeded to the thrones ofEngland andIreland, forming apersonal union of thethree kingdoms. On 1 May 1707, Scotland and England combined to create the newKingdom of Great Britain, with theParliament of Scotland subsumed into theParliament of Great Britain. In 1999, aScottish Parliament was re-established, and hasdevolved authority over many areas ofdomestic policy. The country has its own distinctlegal system,education system andreligious history, which have all contributed to the continuation ofScottish culture andnational identity.Scottish English andScots are the most widely spokenlanguages in the country, existing on adialect continuum with each other.Scottish Gaelic speakers can be found all over Scotland, but the language is largely spoken natively by communities within theHebrides; Gaelic speakers now constitute less than 2% of the total population, although state-sponsoredrevitalisation attempts have led to a growing community ofsecond language speakers.
The mainland of Scotland is broadly divided into three regions: theHighlands, a mountainous region in the north and north-west; theLowlands, a flatter plain across the centre of the country; and theSouthern Uplands, a hilly region along the southern border. The Highlands are the most mountainous region of the British Isles and contain its highest peak,Ben Nevis, at 4,413 feet (1,345 m). The region also contains many lakes, calledlochs; the term is also applied to the many saltwater inlets along the country's deeply indented western coastline. The geography of the many islands is varied. Some, such asMull andSkye, are noted for their mountainous terrain, while the likes ofTiree andColl are much flatter.
.jpg)
Skara Brae/ˈskærəˈbreɪ/ is a stone-builtNeolithic settlement, located on theBay of Skaill in the parish ofSandwick, on the west coast ofMainland, the largest island in theOrkney archipelago of Scotland. It consisted of ten clustered houses, made offlagstones, in earthen dams that provided support for the walls; the houses included stonehearths, beds, and cupboards. A primitive sewer system, with "toilets" and drains in each house, included water used to flush waste into a drain and out to the ocean.
The site was occupied from roughly 3180 BC to around 2500 BC and is Europe's most complete Neolithic village. Skara Brae gainedUNESCOWorld Heritage Site status as one of four sites making up "TheHeart of Neolithic Orkney". Older thanStonehenge and theGreat Pyramids of Giza, it has been called the "ScottishPompeii" because of its excellent preservation.
Care of the site is the responsibility ofHistoric Environment Scotland which works with partners in managing the site:Orkney Islands Council,NatureScot (Scottish Natural Heritage), and theRoyal Society for the Protection of Birds. Visitors to the site are welcome during much of the year.
Uncovered by a storm in 1850, the coastal site may now be at risk from natural erosion. (... Read the full article)
Sir James Young Simpson, 1st BaronetFRSE FRCPE FSA Scot (7 June 1811 – 6 May 1870) was a Scottishobstetrician and a significant figure in thehistory of medicine. He was the firstphysician to demonstrate theanaesthetic properties ofchloroform in humans and helped to popularize its use in medicine.
Simpson's intellectual interests ranged from archaeology to an almost taboo subject at the time:hermaphroditism. He was an early advocate of the use ofmidwives in the hospital environment. Many prominent women also consulted him for their gynaecological problems. Simpson wroteHomœopathy, its Tenets and Tendencies, refuting the ideas put forward byHahnemann.
His services as an early founder of gynaecology and proponent of hospital reform were rewarded with a knighthood, and by 1847 he had been appointed as physician to the Queen in Scotland. Queen Victoria also used anaesthesia for her childbirth, resulting in a significant increase of popularity in anaesthesia.
Simpson was a close friend ofSir David Brewster, and was present at his deathbed. His contribution to the understanding of the anaesthetic properties of chloroform had a major impact on surgery. (... Read the full article)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Scotland-related articles, seeWikiProject Scotland.
To get involved in helping to improve Wikipedia's Scotland related content, please consider doing some of the following tasks or joining one or more of the associated Wikiprojects:
Do you have a question about The Scotland Portal that you can't find the answer to?
Post a question on the Talk Page or consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
The followingWikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
.jpg)
