Scotland
Scotland (Scots: Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjacent islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. To the south-east, Scotland has its only land border, which is 96 miles (154 km) long and shared with England; the country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the north-east and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. The population in 2022 was 5,436,600 and accounts for 8% of the population of the UK.[10] Edinburgh is the capital and Glasgow is the largest of the cities of Scotland.
This article is about the country. For other uses, see Scotland (disambiguation).
Scotland
-
- 53.8% Christianity
- 32.4% Church of Scotland
- 15.9% Roman Catholic
- 5.5% other Christian
- 53.8% Christianity
- 36.7% no religion
- 1.4% Islam
- 0.3% Hinduism
- 0.2% Sikhism
- 0.2% Buddhism
- 0.1% Judaism
- 0.3% other
- 7.0% not stated
59 MPs (of 650)
9th century (traditionally 843)
17 March 1328
3 October 1357[3]
1 May 1707
19 November 1998
80,231 km2 (30,977 sq mi)[4]
77,901 km2 (30,078 sq mi)[4]
5,436,600
70/km2 (181.3/sq mi)[5]
2021 estimate
£149.9 billion
£27,361[6]
2022 estimate
£211.7 billion
31[8]
medium
0.921[9]
very high
Pound sterling (GBP; £)
dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
left
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged in the 9th century. In 1603, James VI inherited England and Ireland, forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. On 1 May 1707 Scotland and England combined to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain,[11][12] with the Parliament of Scotland subsumed into the Parliament of Great Britain. In 1999 a Scottish Parliament was re-established, and has devolved authority over many areas of domestic policy.[13] The country has a distinct legal system, educational system, and religious history from the rest of the UK, which have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity.[14] Scottish English and Scots are the most widely spoken languages in the country, existing on a dialect continuum with each other.[15] Scottish Gaelic speakers can be found all over Scotland, however the language is largely spoken natively by communities within the Hebrides.[16] The number of Gaelic speakers numbers less than 2% of the total population, though state-sponsored revitalisation attempts have led to a growing community of second language speakers.[17]
The mainland of Scotland is broadly divided into three regions: the Highlands, a mountainous region in the north and north-west; the Lowlands, a flatter plain across the centre of the country; and the Southern 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).[10] The region also contains many lakes, called lochs; 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 as Mull and Skye, are noted for their mountainous terrain, while the likes of Tiree and Coll are much flatter.
