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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, 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 responsible for government policy andinternational engagement.
TheKingdom of Scotland emerged as an independentsovereign state in the 9th century. In 1603James 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.
Curling is asport in which players slidestones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into fourconcentric circles. It is related tobowls,boules, andshuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polishedgranite stones, also calledrocks, across the icecurling sheet toward thehouse, a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. The goal is to accumulate the highest score for agame; points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of eachend, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones once. A game usually consists of eight or ten ends.
The player throwing the stone creates a curvedtrajectory, known as "curl", by gently rotating the stone as they release it. The stone’s path can also be influenced by two sweepers using brooms or brushes, who move alongside it and sweep the ice in its path. Sweeping reduces friction, allowing the stone to travel further and in a straighter line, with less curl. Strategy and teamwork play a crucial role in selecting the optimal path and final placement of the stone, and the skill of the players determines how accurately the stone follows the intended course. (... Read the full article)
Sir John Young Stewart (born 11 June 1939) is a British formerracing driver,broadcaster andmotorsport executive from Scotland who competed inFormula One from1965 to1973. Nicknamed "the Flying Scot", Stewart won threeFormula One World Drivers' Championship titles withTyrrell, and—at the time of his retirement—held therecords for mostwins (27) andpodium finishes (43).
Amongst his three titles, Stewart twice finished as runner-up over his nine seasons in Formula One. He was the only British driver with three championships untilLewis Hamilton equalled him in2015. Outside of Formula One, he narrowly missed out on a win at his first attempt at theIndianapolis 500 in 1966 and competed in theCan-Am series in 1970 and 1971. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son,Paul, he was team principal of theStewart Grand Prix F1 racing team. After retiring from racing, Stewart was anABC network television sports commentator for both auto racing, covering the Indianapolis 500 for over a decade, and for several summer Olympics covering many events, being a distinctive presence with his pronounced Scottish accent. Stewart also served as a television commercial spokesman for both theFord Motor Company andHeineken beer.
Stewart was instrumental in improving the safety of motor racing, campaigning for better medical facilities and track improvements at motor racing circuits. AfterJohn Surtees's death in 2017, he is the last surviving Formula One World Champion from the 1960s. He is also the oldest living Grand Prix winner. (... Read the full article)
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