Scotland
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Scotland, most northerly of the four parts of theUnited Kingdom, occupying about one-third of the island of Great Britain. The name Scotland derives from the LatinScotia, land of theScots, aCeltic people fromIreland who settled on the west coast of Great Britain about the 5th centuryce. The nameCaledonia has often been applied to Scotland, especially in poetry. It is derived fromCaledonii, the Roman name of a tribe in the northern part of what is now Scotland.
Anaustere land, subject to extremes of weather, Scotland has proved a difficult home for countless generations of its people, who have nonetheless prized it for its beauty and uniqueculture. “I am a Scotsman,” the poet and novelist SirWalter Scott wrote in the 19th century; “therefore I had to fight my way into the world.” Historically one ofEurope’s poorest countries, Scotland has contributed much to political and practical theories of progress: forged in theScottish Enlightenment in the hands of such philosophers asFrancis Hutcheson,Adam Smith, andDavid Hume, who viewed humankind as a product of history and the “pursuit of happiness” as an inalienable right, this progressive ideal contributed substantially to the development of moderndemocracy. Scots have also played a vital role in many of the world’s most important scientific and technologicalinnovations, with inventors, engineers, andentrepreneurs such asAlexander Graham Bell,James Watt,Andrew Carnegie, andJohn McAdam extending Scotland’s reach far beyond the small country’s borders. Few students of English-language literature are unacquainted with historianThomas Carlyle, poetRobert Burns, and novelistMuriel Spark.
- Head Of Government:
- First minister: John Swinney
- Capital:
- Edinburgh
- Population:
- (2011) 5,295,400
- Official Languages:
- English; Scots Gaelic
- National Religion:
- Church of Scotland
- Total Area (Sq Km):
- 77,925
- Total Area (Sq Mi):
- 30,087
- Monetary Unit:
- pound sterling (£)
- Legislature:
- Scottish Parliament (129)
Scotland’s relations with England, with which it was merged in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain, have long been difficult. Although profoundly influenced by the English, Scotland has long refused to consider itself as anything other than a separate country, and it has bound itself to historical fact andlegend alike in an effort to retain national identity, as well as to the distinctdialect of English calledScots; writing defiantly of his country’s status, the nationalist poetHugh MacDiarmid proclaimed: “For we ha’e faith in Scotland’s hidden poo’ers, The present’s theirs, but a’ the past and future’s oors.” That independent spirit bore fruit in 1996, when the highly symbolicStone of Scone was returned toEdinburgh, Scotland’s capital, from London, and in 1999 a new Scottish Parliament—the first since 1707—was elected and given significant powers over Scottish affairs.
Edinburgh is a handsome city of great historical significance and one of Europe’s chief cultural centres. Other significant principal cities includeGlasgow,Dundee,Aberdeen, andPerth, all centres for industry,transportation, andcommerce.
Hardworking, practical, and proud of their traditions, the Scots have a reputation for thrift that verges on miserliness. Travelers to the country, however, often remark on the generosity and friendliness of their hosts, as well as on the vibrancy of contemporary Scottish culture. An ancient Gaelic song, a blessing on cattle and the people who keep them, speaks to that hospitality in a sometimes inhospitable landscape:
Pastures smooth, long, and spreading,
Grassy meads aneath your feet,
The friendship of God the Son to bring you home
To the field of the fountains,
Field of the fountains.
Closed be every pit to you,
Smoothed be every knoll to you,
Cosy every exposure to you,
Beside the cold mountains,
Beside the cold mountains.
Land
Scotland is bounded byEngland to the south, theAtlantic Ocean to the west and north, and theNorth Sea to the east. The west coast isfringed by deep indentations (sea lochs or fjords) and by numerous islands, varying in size from mere rocks to the large landmasses ofLewis and Harris,Skye, andMull. The island clusters ofOrkney andShetland lie to the north. At its greatest length, measured from Cape Wrath to the Mull ofGalloway, the mainland of Scotland extends 274 miles (441 km), while the maximum breadth—measured from Applecross, in the westernHighlands, to Buchan Ness, in the easternGrampian Mountains—is 154 miles (248 km). But, because of the deep penetration of the sea in the sea lochs and firths (estuaries), most places are within 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) of the sea, and only 30 miles (50 km) of land separate the Firth ofClyde and the Firth ofForth, the two great estuarine inlets on the west and east coasts, respectively.