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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 withEngland; otherwise it 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. 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 asovereign state in the 9th century.Independence from England was maintained partly through analliance with France. 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, whileTiree andColl are flatter.
Tartan (Scottish Gaelic:breacan[ˈpɾʲɛxkən]), also known, especially inAmerican English, asplaid (/plæd/), is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known assetts. Tartan patterns vary in complexity, from simple two-colour designs to intricate motifs with over twenty hues. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated withScotland, where it has been used for centuries in traditional clothing such as thekilt. Specific tartans are linked toScottish clans, families, or regions, with patterns and colours derived historically from local natural dyes (now supplanted by artificial ones). Tartans also serve institutional roles, includingmilitary uniforms and organisational branding.
Tartan became a symbol ofScottish identity, especially from the 17th century onward, despite a ban under theDress Act 1746 lasting about two generations following theJacobite rising of 1745. The 19th-centuryHighland Revival popularized tartan globally by associating it withHighland dress and theScottish diaspora. Today, tartan is used worldwide in clothing, accessories, and design, transcending its traditional roots. Modern tartans are registered for organisations, individuals, and commemorative purposes, with thousands of designs in theScottish Register of Tartans.
While often linked to Scottish heritage, tartans exist in other cultures, such as Africa, East and South Asia, and Eastern Europe. The earliest surviving samples of tartan-style cloth are around 3,000 years old and were discovered inXinjiang, China. (... Read the full article)
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Christopher Murray Grieve (11 August 1892 – 9 September 1978), best known by his pen nameHugh MacDiarmid (/məkˈdɜːrmɪd/mək-DUR-mid;Scots:[ˈhjuməkˈdjɑrmɪd]), was a Scottish poet, journalist, essayist and political figure. He is considered one of the principal forces behind theScottish Renaissance and has had a lasting impact on Scottish culture and politics. He was a founding member of theNational Party of Scotland in 1928 but left in 1933 due to hisMarxist–Leninist views. He joined theCommunist Party of Great Britain the following year only to be expelled in 1938 for hisnationalist sympathies. He subsequently stood as a parliamentary candidate for both theScottish National Party (1945) andCommunist Party of Great Britain (1964).
Grieve's earliest work, includingAnnals of the Five Senses, was written in English, but he is best known for his use of "synthetic Scots", a literary version of theScots language that he himself developed. From the early 1930s onwards MacDiarmid made greater use of English, sometimes a "synthetic English" that was supplemented by scientific and technical vocabularies.
The son of a postman, MacDiarmid was born in the Scottish border town ofLangholm,Dumfriesshire. He was educated at Langholm Academy before becoming a teacher for a brief time at Broughton Higher Grade School inEdinburgh. He began his writing career as a journalist in Wales, contributing to the socialist newspaperThe Merthyr Pioneer run byLabour party founderKeir Hardie before joining theRoyal Army Medical Corps at the outbreak of theFirst World War. He served in Salonica, Greece and France before developing cerebral malaria and subsequently returning to Scotland in 1918. MacDiarmid's time in the army was influential in his political and artistic development.
After the war he continued to work as a journalist, living in Montrose where he became editor and reporter of theMontrose Review as well as a justice of the peace and a member of the county council. In 1923 his first book,Annals of the Five Senses, was published at his own expense, followed bySangschaw in 1925, andPenny Wheep.A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle, published in 1926, is generally regarded as MacDiarmid's most famous and influential work. (... Read the full article)
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