Scotland
Un article de Vev.
Modèle:About Modèle:Infobox Country Scotland (Gaelic: Alba) is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the four constituent countries<ref>"Welcome to the UK" 10 Downing Street. The website of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, which refers to "Countries within a country", stating "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland". Retrieved on 21 September 2007.</ref> of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.<ref name="Scottish Executive"> Scottish Executive Resources
. Scotland in Short . Scottish Executive (17 February 2007)
. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. </ref>
Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres.<ref> Information for Journalists
. Edinburgh, Inspiring Capital . Edinburghbrand.com
. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
"Edinburgh is Europe's sixth largest fund management centre".</ref> Scotland's largest city is Glasgow, which is the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector<ref> The Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order . The Stationery Office Limited (1999)
. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
</ref> of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.
The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union, despite widespread protest across Scotland,<ref name="1707 protests"> Devine, T.M (1999) The Scottish Nation 1700–2000. Penguin Books. Page 9. ISBN 0-14-023004-1 "From that point on anti-union demonstrations were common in the capital. In November rioting spread to the south west, that stranglehold of strict Calvinism and covenanting tradition. The Glasgow mob rose against union sympathisers in disturbances which lasted intermittently for over a month."</ref><ref> Act of Union 1707 Mob unrest and disorder
. The House of Lords (2007)
. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
</ref> resulted in a union with the Kingdom of England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.<ref name=Keay/><ref name=Mackie/> Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; and Scotland still constitutes a discrete jurisdiction in public and in private law.<ref>Collier, J.G. (2001) Conflict of Laws (Third edition)(pdf) Cambridge University Press. "For the purposes of the English conflict of laws, every country in the world which is not part of England and Wales is a foreign country and its foreign laws. This means that not only totally foreign independent countries such as France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover, the other parts of the United Kingdom – Scotland and Northern Ireland – are foreign countries for present purposes, as are the other British Islands, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey."</ref> The continued independence of Scots law, the Scottish education system, and the Church of Scotland have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union.<ref name="administrative control"> Devine, T.M (1999), The Scottish Nation 1700–2000, P.288–289, ISBN 0-14-023004-1 "created a new and powerful local state run by the Scottish bourgeoisie and reflecting their political and religious values. It was this local state, rather than a distant and usually indifferent Westminster authority, that in effect routinely governed Scotland"</ref> However, Scotland is no longer a separate sovereign state and does not have independent membership of either the United Nations or the European Union.
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Etymology
The word Scotland is derived from the Latin Scoti, the term applied to Gaels. The Late Latin word Scotia (land of the Gaels), although initially used to refer to Ireland, by the 11th century at the latest was being used to refer to (Gaelic-speaking) Scotland north of the river Forth. This name was employed alongside Albania or Albany, from the Gaelic Alba.<ref name="Brewer">Modèle:Cite book</ref> The use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages.<ref name=Keay/>
History
Early history
Repeated glaciations, which covered the entire land-mass of modern Scotland, have destroyed any traces of human habitation before the Mesolithic period. It is believed that the first post-glacial group(s) of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 10,000 years ago, as the ice sheet retreated after the last ice age.<ref>A site near Kinloch, Rùm provides the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. Carbonised hazelnut shells found there have been dated to 7700–7500 BC. See Edwards, Kevin J. and Whittington, Graeme "Vegetation Change" in Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC–AD 1000. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press. Page 70.</ref> Groups of settlers began building the first permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. A site from this period is the well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the Mainland of Orkney. Neolithic habitation, burial and ritual sites are particularly common and well-preserved in the Northern Isles and Western Isles, where lack of trees led to most structures being built of local stone.<ref>Pryor, Francis, Britain BC, (London, 2003), pp. 98–104 & 246–250.</ref>
The written protohistory of Scotland began with the arrival of the Roman Empire in southern and central Great Britain, when the Romans occupied what is now England and Wales, administering it as a province called Britannia. Roman invasions and occupations of southern Scotland were a series of brief interludes. In 83–4 AD the general Gnaeus Julius Agricola defeated the Caledonians at the battle of Mons Graupius, and Roman forts were briefly set along the Gask Ridge close to the Highland line (none are known to have ever been constructed beyond that line). Three years after the battle the Roman armies had withdrawn to the Southern Uplands.<ref>Hanson, William S. The Roman Presence: Brief Interludes, in Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B.M. (Eds) (2003) Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archeology and History, 8000 BC - AD 1000. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press</ref> They erected Hadrian's Wall to control tribes on both sides of the wall,<ref name=snyder>« »</ref> and the Limes Britannicus became the northern border of the empire, although the army held the Antonine Wall in the Central Lowlands for two short periods. The last of these was during the time of Emperor Septimius Severus from 208 until 210.<ref>Robertson, Anne S. (1960) The Antonine Wall. Glasgow Archaeological Society.</ref> The extent of Roman military occupation of any significant part of Scotland was limited to a total of about 40 years, although their influence on the southern section of the country occupied by Brythonic tribes such as the Votadini and Damnonii would still have been considerable.<ref name=snyder/>
Medieval period
The Kingdom of the Picts (based in Fortriu by the 6th century) was the state which eventually became known as "Alba" or "Scotland". The development of "Pictland", according to the historical model developed by Peter Heather, was a natural response to Roman imperialism.<ref>Peter Heather, "State Formation in Europe in the First Millennium A.D.", in Barbara Crawford (ed.), Scotland in Dark Ages Europe, (Aberdeen, 1994), pp. 47–63</ref> Another view places emphasis on the Battle of Dunnichen, and the reign of Bridei m. Beli (671–693), with another period of consolidation in the reign of Óengus mac Fergusa (732–761).<ref>For instance, Alex Woolf, "The Verturian Hegemony: a mirror in the North", in M. P. Brown & C. A. Farr, (eds.), Mercia: an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe, (Leicester, 2001), pp. 106–11.</ref> The Kingdom of the Picts as it was in the early 8th century, when Bede was writing, was largely the same as the kingdom of the Scots in the reign of Alexander (1107–1124). However, by the tenth century, the Pictish kingdom was dominated by what we can recognise as Gaelic culture, and had developed an Irish conquest myth around the ancestor of the contemporary royal dynasty, Cináed mac Ailpín (Kenneth MacAlpin).<ref> Dauvit Broun, "Dunkeld and the origin of Scottish identity", in Innes Review, 48 (1997), pp. 112–124, repr. in eds. Dauvit Broun and Thomas Owen Clancy (eds.), Spes Scotorum: Hope of Scots, (1999), pp. 95–111; Dauvit Broun, "Kenneth mac Alpin", in M. Lynch (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Scottish History, (New York, 2001), p.359; Sally Foster, Picts, Gaels and Scots: Early Historic Scotland, (London, 1996); Simon Taylor, "Place-names and the Early Church in Eastern Scotland", in Barbara Crawford (ed.), Scotland in Dark Age Britain, (Aberdeen, 1996), pp. 93–110; David N. Dumville, "St Cathróe of Metz and the Hagiography of Exoticism," in John Carey et al (eds.), Irish Hagiography: Saints and Scholars, (Dublin, 2001), pp. 172–176; Maire, Herbert, "Rí Érenn, Rí Alban, kingship and identity in the ninth and tenth centuries", in Simon Taylor (ed.), Kings, Clerics and Chronicles in Scotland, 500–1297, (Dublin, 2000), pp. 63–72.</ref>
From a base of territory in eastern Scotland north of the River Forth and south of the River Oykel, the kingdom acquired control of the lands lying to the north and south. By the 12th century, the kings of Alba had added to their territories the English-speaking land in south-east and attained overlordship of Galloway and Norse-speaking Caithness; by the end of the 13th century, the kingdom had assumed approximately its modern borders. However, processes of cultural and economic change beginning in the 12th century ensured Scotland looked very different in the later Middle Ages. The stimulus for this was the reign of King David I and the Davidian Revolution. Feudalism, government reorganisation and the first legally defined towns, called burghs, began in this period. These institutions and the immigration of French and Anglo-French knights and churchmen facilitated a process of cultural osmosis, whereby the culture and language of the low-lying and coastal parts of the kingdom's original territory in the east became, like the newly-acquired south-east, English-speaking, while the rest of the country retained the Gaelic language, apart from the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, which remained under Norse rule until 1468.<ref>The only extensive study of this is L. W. Sharp, The Expansion of the English Language in Scotland, (Cambridge University Ph.D. thesis, 1927), pp. 102–325; another more concise and more recent survey can be found in Derick S. Thomson, Gaelic in Scotland, 1698–1981, (Edinburgh, 1984), pp. 16–41; the best place to look for studies of the transformation of Gaelic institutions will be the two collections of essays by G.W.S. Barrow, The Kingdom of the Scots, 2nd Edn, (Edinburgh, 2003) and Scotland and Its Neighbours In the Middle Ages, (London, 1992); see also Dauvit "Broun, Anglo-French acculturation and the Irish element in Scottish Identity", in Brendan Smith (ed.), Insular Responses to Medieval European Change, (Cambridge, 1999), pp. 135–53; Wilson MacLeod, Divided Gaels: Gaelic Cultural Identities in Scotland and Ireland: c.1200–1650, (Oxford, 2004), and Thomas Owen Clancy
. Gaelic Scotland: a brief history . Bòrd na Gàidhlig
. Retrieved on 2007-09-21. .</ref>
The death of Alexander III in 1286, followed by the death of his granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway, broke the succession line of Scotland's kings. This led to the intervention of Edward I of England. Edward established John Balliol as a sub-king, but this relationship broke down, leading to an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at total takeover by the English crown. This was famously opposed by William Wallace and others in the Wars of Scottish Independence, and in the divided country Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick, became king (as Robert I). War with England continued for several decades, and a civil war between the Bruce dynasty and the English-backed Balliols lasted until the middle of the 14th century. Although the Bruce dynasty was successful, David II's lack of an heir allowed his nephew Robert II to come to the throne and establish the Stewart Dynasty.<ref>For accounts of these events, see Alexander Grant, Independence and Nationhood: Scotland, 1306–1469, (Edinburgh, 1984), pp. 3–57; Michael Brown, The Wars of Scotland, 1214–1371, (Edinburgh, 2004), pp. 157–254; G. W. S. Barrow, Robert Bruce & the Community of the Realm of Scotland, 4th Edition, (Edinburgh, 2005)</ref> The Stewarts ruled Scotland for the remainder of the Middle Ages. The country they ruled experienced greater prosperity from the end of the 14th century through the Scottish Renaissance to the Reformation. This was despite continual warfare with England, the increasing division between Highlands and Lowlands, and a large number of royal minorities.<ref>See Alexander Grant, Independence and Nationhood: Scotland, 1306–1469, (Edinburgh, 1984) and Jenny Wormald, Court, Kirk and Community, New Edition, (Edinburgh, 1991).</ref>
Modern history
In 1603, James VI King of Scots inherited the throne of the Kingdom of England, and became also King James I of England. With the exception of a short period under The Protectorate, Scotland remained a separate state, but there was considerable conflict between the crown and the Covenanters over the form of church government. After the Glorious Revolution and the overthrow of the Roman Catholic James VII by William and Mary, Scotland briefly threatened to select a different Protestant monarch from England.<ref>TM Devine (1999) op cit "…Stated that the Scots Parliament had the right to decide on Queen Anne's successor, and that England and Scotland could not have the same sovereign in the future unless the London Parliament granted Scots 'Free Communication of trade'…"</ref> In 1707, however, following English action against cross-border trade and free movement, through the Alien Act, the Scots Parliament and the Parliament of England enacted the twin Acts of Union, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain.<ref name=Mackie/>
The deposed Jacobite Stuart claimants had remained popular in the Highlands and north-east, particularly amongst non-Presbyterians. However, two major Jacobite risings launched from the Highlands in 1715 and 1745 failed to remove the House of Hanover from the British throne. This paved the way for large scale removals of the indigenous populations of the Highlands and Islands, known as the Highland Clearances.<ref name=Mackie/>
The Scottish Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution made Scotland into an intellectual, commercial and industrial powerhouse. After World War II, Scotland experienced an industrial decline which was particularly severe.<ref>Harvie, Christopher (1981) No Gods and Precious Few Heroes: Scotland 1914–80. London. Edward Arnold.</ref> Only in recent decades has the country enjoyed something of a cultural and economic renaissance. Economic factors which have contributed to this recovery include a resurgent financial services industry, electronics manufacturing, (see Silicon Glen),<ref>See Stewart, Heather, "Celtic Tiger Burns Brighter at Holyrood, The Guardian Unlimited, 6 May 2007 for an account of Scotland's economic challenges, especially after the dotcom downturn, as it competes with the emerging Eastern European economies.</ref> and the North Sea oil and gas industry.<ref>"National Planning Framework for Scotland" Scottish Government publication, (web-page last updated 6 April 2006), which states "Since the 1970s, the development of North Sea oil and gas fields has made an important contribution to the Scottish economy, and underpinned prosperity in the North-East." Retrieved on 07 November 2007.</ref> The Scottish Parliament was established by the United Kingdom Parliament, by the Scotland Act 1998.
Politics
Scotland was granted limited self-government after a referendum on devolution proposals in 1997. Executive and legislative powers have been constitutionally delegated to, respectively, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. The United Kingdom Parliament retains power over a set list of areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998 as reserved matters, for example, Scotland's taxes, social security system, the military, international relations and broadcasting.<ref name=Gate/>
The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland, and has limited power to vary income tax, a power it has yet to exercise. The Scottish Parliament can refer devolved matters back to Westminster to be considered as part of United Kingdom-wide legislation by passing a Legislative Consent Motion if United Kingdom-wide legislation is considered to be more appropriate for certain issues. The programmes of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament have seen a divergence in the provision of public services compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance, the costs of a university education, and care services for the elderly are free at point of use in Scotland, while fees are paid in the rest of the UK. Scotland was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public places.<ref>BBC Scotland News Online "Scotland begins pub smoking ban", BBC Scotland News, 2006-03-26. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.</ref>
In the 2007 election, the Scottish National Party (SNP), which campaigns for Scottish independence, won the largest number of seats of any single party. The leader of the SNP, Alex Salmond, was elected as First Minister, heading a minority government, on May 16 2007. In addition to the SNP, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party are also represented in the Parliament. Margo MacDonald is the only independent MSP sitting in Parliament.<ref> Somewhere over the Rainbow Coalition...
(2005-05-12)
. Retrieved on 2007-05-07. </ref>
Scotland is represented in the British House of Commons by 59 MPs elected from territory-based Scottish constituencies. The Scotland Office, led by The Secretary of State for Scotland, represents the UK government in Scotland on reserved matters and represents Scottish interests within the UK government.<ref> Scotland Office Charter
. Scotland Office website (2004-08-09)
. Retrieved on 2007-12-22. </ref> The Secretary of State for Scotland sits in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, the current incumbent being Des Browne.<ref name= Gate>"Government of Scotland Facts" Scotland.org - The Official Online Gateway. Retrieved September 26 2007.</ref>
Law
. The University of Edinburgh School of Law
. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. </ref> combining features of both uncodified civil law, dating back to the Corpus Juris Civilis, and common law with mediaeval sources. The terms of the Treaty of Union with England in 1707 guaranteed the continued existence of a separate legal system in Scotland from that of England and Wales.<ref>The Articles: legal and miscellaneous, UK Parliament House of Lords (2007). "Article 19: The Scottish legal system and its courts was to remain unchanged": Act of Union 1707
. House of Lords
. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. </ref> Prior to 1611, there were several regional law systems in Scotland, most notably Udal law in Orkney and Shetland, based on old Norse law. Various other systems derived from common Celtic or Brehon laws survived in the Highlands until the 1800s.<ref>"Law and institutions, Gaelic" & "Law and lawyers" in M. Lynch (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Scottish History, (Oxford, 2001), pp. 381–382 & 382–386. Udal Law remains relevant to land law in Orkney and Shetland: A General History of Scots Law (20th century)
. Law Society of Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-09-20. </ref>
Scots law provides for three types of courts responsible for the administration of justice: civil, criminal and heraldic. The supreme civil court is the Court of Session, although civil appeals can be taken to the House of Lords. The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court. Both courts are housed at Parliament House, in Edinburgh, which was the home of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. The sheriff court is the main criminal and civil court. There are 49 sheriff courts throughout the country.<ref>"Court Information" www.scotcourts.gov.uk. Retrieved on 26 September 207.</ref> District courts were introduced in 1975 for minor offences. The Court of the Lord Lyon regulates heraldry.
Scots law is also unique in that it allows three verdicts in criminal cases including the controversial 'not proven' verdict.<ref name="Parliament of Victoria, Australia"> Jury Service in Victoria, Chapter 6
. This three verdict system is unique to Scotland and has existed there for around 300 years . Parliament of Victoria
. Retrieved on 2006-09-13. </ref><ref name="The Journal Online"> England may adopt "Not Proven" Verdict
. The Journal online . Law Society of Scotland
. Retrieved on 2006-09-13. </ref>
Administrative subdivisions
Modern Scotland is subdivided in various ways depending on the purpose. For local government, 32 council areas were set up in 1996,<ref>"Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994" Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.</ref> which are administered by unitary authorities responsible for the provision of all local government services. Community councils are informal organisations that represent specific sub-divisions of a council area.
For the Scottish Parliament, there are 73 constituencies and eight regions. For the Parliament of the United Kingdom there are 59 constituencies. The Scottish fire brigades and police forces are still based on the system of regions introduced in 1975. For health-care and postal districts, and a number of other governmental and non-governmental organisations such as the churches, there are other long-standing methods of subdividing Scotland for the purposes of administration.
City status in the United Kingdom is determined by letters patent.<ref>"City status" Department for Constitutional Affairs. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.</ref> There are six cities in Scotland: Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and more recently Inverness, and Stirling.<ref>"UK Cities" Department for Constitutional Affairs. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.</ref>
Geography and natural history
Scotland comprises the northern third of the island of Great Britain, which lies off the coast of north west Europe. The total land mass is 78,772 km² (30,414 mi²).<ref name=Whitaker>Whitaker's Almanack (1991) London. J. Whitaker and Sons.</ref> Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96 kilometres (60 mi) between the basin of the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east. The island of Ireland lies only 30 kilometres (20 mi) from the southwestern peninsula of Kintyre;<ref name="Atlas">Modèle:Cite book</ref> Norway is 305 kilometres (190 mi) to the east and the Faroes, 270 kilometres (168 mi) to the north. The geographical centre of Scotland lies a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch.<ref>See "The 'Where Are We' page" highlandhostel.co.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2007.</ref>
The territorial extent of Scotland is generally that established by the 1237 Treaty of York between Scotland and England<ref>"Uniting the Kingdoms?" National Archives. Retrieved 2006-11-21</ref> and the 1266 Treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway.<ref name=Mackie> Mackie, J.D. (1969) A History of Scotland. London. Penguin.</ref> Important exceptions include the Isle of Man, which having been lost to England in the 14th century is now a crown dependency outside of the United Kingdom and the acquisition of Orkney and Shetland from Norway in 1472.<ref name=Whitaker/>
Geology and geomorphology
The Central Lowlands is a rift valley mainly comprising Paleozoic formations. Many of these sediments have economic significance for it is here that the coal and iron bearing rocks that fuelled Scotland's industrial revolution are to be found. This area has also experienced intense volcanism, Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh being the remnant of a once much larger volcano. This area is relatively low-lying, although even here hills such as the Ochils and Campsie Fells are rarely far from view.
The Southern Uplands are a range of hills almost 200 kilometres (125 mi) long, interspersed with broad valleys. They lie south of a second fault line running from Stranraer towards Dunbar. The geological foundations largely comprise Silurian deposits laid down some 4–500 million years ago.<ref name=Keay>Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.</ref><ref>Murray, W.H. (1973) The Islands of Western Scotland. London. Eyre Methuen ISBN 978-0413303806</ref><ref>Murray, W.H. (196Image:Cool.gif The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland. London. Collins. ISBN 0002111357</ref>
Climate
. Met Office
. Retrieved on 2006-09-14. </ref>
In general, the west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east, due to the influence of the Atlantic ocean currents, and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea. Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, is one of the sunniest places in the country: it had 300 days of sunshine in 1975. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest place, with annual rainfall exceeding 3,000 mm (120 in).<ref name="Met Office UK"/> In comparison, much of lowland Scotland receives less than 800 mm (31 in) annually.<ref name="Met Office UK"/> Heavy snowfall is not common in the lowlands, but becomes more common with altitude. Braemar experiences an average of 59 snow days per year,<ref>Scottish Weather Part One BBC.co.uk Retrieved on 21 September 2007</ref> while coastal areas have an average of fewer than 10 days.<ref name="Met Office UK"/>
Flora and fauna
Scotland's wildlife is typical of the north west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the Brown Bear, Wolf and Walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as Northern Gannets.<ref> Fraser Darling, F. & Boyd, J.M. (1969) Natural History in the Highlands and Islands. London. Bloomsbury.</ref> The Golden Eagle is something of a national icon.
On the high mountain tops species including Ptarmigan, Mountain Hare and Stoat can be seen in their white colour phase during winter months.<ref>"State of the Park Report. Chapter 2: Natural Resources"(pdf) (2006) Cairngorms National Park Authority. Retrieved 14 October 2007.</ref> Remnants of native Scots Pine forest exist<ref>Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A., & Dines, T.D. (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford University Press.</ref> and within these areas the Scottish Crossbill, Britain's only endemic bird, can be found alongside Capercaillie, Wildcat, Red Squirrel and Pine Marten.<ref>Gooders, J. (1994) Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Ireland. London. Kingfisher.</ref><ref>Matthews, L.H. (196Image:Cool.gif British Mammals. London. Bloomsbury.</ref>
The flora of the country is varied incorporating both deciduous and coniferous woodland and moorland and tundra species. However, large scale commercial tree planting and the management of upland moorland habitat for the grazing of sheep and commercial field sport activities impacts upon the distribution of indigenous plants and animals.<ref>Integrated Upland Management for Wildlife, Field Sports, Agriculture & Public Enjoyment (pdf) (September 1999) Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 14 October 2007</ref> The Fortingall Yew may be 5,000 years old and is probably the oldest living thing in Europe.<ref>"The Fortingall Yew" Forestry Commission. Retrieved 24 June 2007.</ref>
Economy
. " Devolution may broaden financial sector's view " , The Guardian , 1999-06-02 . Retrieved on 2006-08-08 . </ref> with many large finance firms based there, including: the Royal Bank of Scotland (the second largest bank in Europe); HBOS (owners of the Bank of Scotland); and Standard Life.
In 2005, total Scottish exports (excluding intra-UK trade) were provisionally estimated to be £17.5 billion, of which 70% (£12.2 billion) were attributable to manufacturing.<ref name="Trade"> Global Connections Survey
. Scottish Executive
. Retrieved on 2006-12-03. </ref> Scotland's primary exports include whisky, electronics and financial services. The United States, The Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain constitute the country's major export markets.<ref name="Trade"/> In 2006, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Scotland was just over £86 billion, giving a per capita GDP of £16,900.<ref name=GDP> The Scottish Executive
(2006) . Scottish Economic Statistics . The Scottish Executive
. Retrieved on 2007-04-12. </ref><ref> Office of National Statistics
(2006-12-15) . Regional, sub-regional and local gross value added 2005 . Office of National Statistics
. Retrieved on 2007-04-12. </ref>
Tourism is widely recognised as a key contributor to the Scottish economy. A briefing published in 2002 by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, (SPICe), for the Scottish Parliament's Enterprise and Life Long Learning Committee, stated that tourism accounted for up to 5% of GDP and 7.5% of employment.<ref> The Economics of Tourism
. SPICe
(2002)
. Retrieved on 2007-10-22. </ref>
As of November 2007 the unemployment rate in Scotland stood at 4.9%—lower than the UK average and that of the majority of EU countries.<ref name="Unemployment"> November Labour Market statistics for Scotland
. Scotland Office
. Retrieved on 2007-11-14. </ref>
Currency
Although the Bank of England is the central bank for the UK, three Scottish clearing banks still issue their own Sterling banknotes: the Bank of Scotland; the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the Clydesdale Bank. The current value of the Scottish banknotes in circulation is £1.5 billion.<ref name="Banknotes"> Banknote History
. Scottish Clearing Banks
. Retrieved on 2007-10-26. </ref>
Demography
. General Register Office for Scotland (2007-04-26)
. Retrieved on 2007-04-26. </ref> This would make Scotland the 112th largest country by population if it were a sovereign state. Although Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland it is not the largest city. With a population of just over 600,000 this honour falls to Glasgow. Indeed, the Greater Glasgow conurbation, with a population of over 1.1 million, is home to over a fifth of Scotland's population.<ref>"Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Scotland. All settlements (urban areas) in Scotland of more than 20,000 inhabitants." citypopulation.de. Retrieved 26 September 2007.</ref><ref>"Did You Know?—Scotland's Cities" rampantscotland.com Retrieved 26 September 2007.</ref>
The Central Belt is where most of the main towns and cities are located. Glasgow is to the west whilst the other three main cities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee lie on the east coast. The Highlands are sparsely populated although the city of Inverness has experienced rapid growth in recent years. In general only the more accessible and larger islands retain human populations and fewer than 90 are currently inhabited. The Southern Uplands are essentially rural in nature and dominated by agriculture and forestry.<ref>Clapperton, C.M. (ed) (1983) Scotland: A New Study. London. David & Charles.</ref><ref>Miller, J. (2004) Inverness. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN: 9781841582962</ref> Because of housing problems in Glasgow and Edinburgh, five new towns were created between 1947 and 1966. They are East Kilbride, Glenrothes, Livingston, Cumbernauld, and Irvine.<ref>"New Towns" BBC Scotland. Retrieved 24 July 2007.</ref>
Due to immigration since World War II, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee have significant ethnically Asian populations.<ref>"Scotland speaks Urdu" (2004)Urdustan.net. Retrieved 26 September 2007.</ref> Since the recent Enlargement of the European Union there has been an increased number of people from Central and Eastern Europe moving to Scotland, and it is estimated that between 40,000 and 50,000 Poles are now in living in the country.<ref>The Pole Position (August 6, 2005). Glasgow. Sunday Herald newspaper.</ref> As of 2001, there are 16,310 ethnic Chinese residents in Scotland.<ref>Statistics Analysis of Ethnicity in the 2001 Census - Summary Report Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 September 2007.</ref>
Scotland has three officially recognised languages: English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. Almost all Scots speak Scottish Standard English, and in 1996 the General Register Office for Scotland estimated that 30% of the population are fluent in Scots.<ref> Scotland's Census 2001, Part 1: Census User Needs and Legislation
. General Register Office for Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. </ref> Gaelic is mostly spoken in the Western Isles, where a majority of people still speak it, however nationally its use is confined to just 1% of the population.<ref> Dr. Kenneth MacKinnon
. A Century on the Census—Gaelic in Twentieth Century Focus . University of Glasgow
. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. </ref>
Religion
. General Register Office for Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. </ref> and there are also significant Jewish, Hindu and Sikh communities, especially in Glasgow.<ref name="GROSCOT"/> The Samyé Ling monastery near Eskdalemuir, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007, includes the largest Buddhist temple in western Europe.<ref>"In the Scottish Lowlands, Europe's first Buddhist monastery turns 40" The Buddhist Channel. Retrieved 24 June 2007.</ref> In the 2001 census, 28% of the population professed 'no religion' whatsoever.
Military
Due to their topography and perceived remoteness, parts of Scotland have housed many sensitive defence establishments, with mixed public feelings.<ref>The large number of military bases in Scotland has led some to use the euphemism "Fortress Scotland". See Spaven, Malcolm (1983) Fortress Scotland. London. Pluto Press in association with Scottish CND.</ref><ref>"Pensioner, 94, in nuclear protest" BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2007.</ref><ref>"Reprieve for RAF Lossiemouth base" BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 29 July 2007.</ref> Between 1960 and 1991, the Holy Loch was a base for the U.S. fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.<ref>"Dunoon and the US Navy" Argyll online. Retrieved 29 July 2007.</ref> Today, Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow, is the base for the four Trident-armed Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines that comprise the UK's nuclear deterrent.
Three frontline Royal Air Force bases are also located in Scotland. These are RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Kinloss and RAF Leuchars, the last of which is the most northerly air defence fighter base in the United Kingdom.
The only open air live depleted uranium weapons test range in the British Isles is located near Dundrennan.<ref>"DU shell test-firing resumes" BBC Scotland News, 2001-02-21. Retrieved 2006-09-13.</ref> As a result, over 7000 radioactive munitions lie on the seabed of the Solway Firth.<ref>Depleted Uranium (Shelling) Parliament of the United Kingdom: Science and Technology Committee—Debates 7 February 2001. Hansard. Retrieved on 26 September 2007</ref>
Education
. Scottish Government
. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref> Scotland was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education.<ref> Intro to Scottish Education
. The Scottish Education Act of 1696 heralded the first National system of education in the World since ancient Sparta . www.siliconglen.com
. Retrieved on 2007-03-07. </ref> Schooling was made compulsory for the first time in Scotland with the Education Act of 1496, then, in 1561, the Church of Scotland set out a national programme for spiritual reform, including a school in every parish. Education continued to be a matter for the church rather than the state until the Education Act of 1872.<ref>"Schools and schooling" in M. Lynch (ed.), The Oxford Companion to Scottish History, (Oxford, 2001), pp. 561–563.</ref>
All 3 and 4 year old children in Scotland are entitled to a free nursery place with "a curriculum framework for children 3–5"<ref> A Curriculum Framework for Children 3–5
(pdf) . Scottish Executive
. Retrieved on 2007-05-06. </ref> providing the curricular guidelines. Formal primary education begins at approximately 5 years old and lasts for 7 years (P1–P7); The "5–14 guidelines" provides the curricular framework.<ref> 5–14 Curriculum: Guidelines
. Learning and Teaching Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-05-06. </ref> Today, children in Scotland sit Standard Grade exams at approximately 15 or 16. The school leaving age is 16, after which students may choose to remain at school and study for Access, Intermediate or Higher Grade and Advanced Higher exams. A small number of students at certain private, independent schools may follow the English system and study towards GCSEs instead of Standard Grades, and towards A and AS-Levels instead of Higher Grade and Advanced Higher exams.<ref>"The Scottish Exam System" Scottish Council of Independent Schools. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.</ref>;
There are 14 Scottish universities, some of which are amongst the oldest in the world.<ref> Welcome to the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
. Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref><ref> Understanding Scottish Qualifications
. Scottish Agricultural College
. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref> The country produces 1% of the world's published research with less than 0.1% of the world's population, and higher education institutions account for nine per cent of Scotland's service sector exports.<ref> A Framework for Higher Education in Scotland: Higher Education Review Phase 2
. Scottish Government
. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref><ref> What is higher education?
. Universities Scotland
. Retrieved on 2007-10-18. </ref>
Culture
The Scottish music scene is a significant aspect of Scottish culture, with both traditional and modern influences. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe, a wind instrument consisting of one or more musical pipes which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. The Clàrsach, fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments, the latter two heavily featured in Scottish country dance bands. Scottish emigrants took traditional Scottish music with them and it influenced early local styles such as country music in North America. Today, there are many successful Scottish bands and individual artists in varying styles.<ref> Best Scottish Band of All Time
. The List
. Retrieved on 2006-08-02. </ref>
Scottish literature includes text written in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, French, and Latin. The poet and songwriter Robert Burns wrote in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and in a "light" Scots dialect which is more accessible to a wider audience. Similarly, the writings of Sir Walter Scott and Arthur Conan Doyle were internationally successful during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.<ref name="Scotti"> Barbara Buchenau
. 'Wizards of the West'? How Americans respond to Sir Walter Scott, the 'Wizard of the North' . Goettingen University
. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. </ref> J. M. Barrie introduced the movement known as the "kailyard tradition" at the end of the 19th century, which brought elements of fantasy and folklore back into fashion.<ref name="Kailyard"> Scottish Literature
. University of Glasgow Faculty of Arts
. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. </ref> This tradition has been viewed as a major stumbling block for Scottish literature, as it focused on an idealised, pastoral picture of Scottish culture.<ref name="Kailyard"/> Some modern novelists, such as Irvine Welsh (of Trainspotting fame), write in a distinctly Scottish English that reflects the harsher realities of contemporary life.<ref name="Dialect"> Contemporary Writers
. British Council
. Retrieved on 2006-12-12. </ref>
The national broadcaster is BBC Scotland (BBC Alba in Gaelic), a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It runs two national television stations and the national radio stations, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal amongst others. The main Scottish commercial television stations are STV and Border Television. National newspapers such as the Daily Record, The Herald, and The Scotsman are all produced in Scotland.<ref name="Newspapers"> Newspapers and National Identity in Scotland
. IFLA University of Stirling
. Retrieved on 2006-12-12. </ref> Important regional dailies include The Courier in Dundee in the east, and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north.<ref name="Newspapers"/>
Sport is an important element in Scottish culture, with the country hosting many of its own national sporting competitions, and enjoying independent representation at many international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games (although not the Olympic Games). Scotland has its own national governing bodies, such as the Scottish Football Association (the second oldest national football association in the world)<ref>Soccer in South Asia: Empire, Nation, Diaspora. By James Mills, Paul Dimeo: Page 18 - Oldest Football Association is England's FA, then Scotland and third oldest is the Indian FA.</ref> and the Scottish Rugby Union. Variations of football have been played in Scotland for centuries with the earliest reference being in 1424.<ref name=FIFA> Gerhardt, W.
. The colourful history of a fascinating game. More than 2000 Years of Football . FIFA
. Retrieved on 2006-08-11. </ref> Association football is now the national sport and the Scottish Cup is the world's oldest national trophy.<ref name="Trophy"> Official Site of the Tennents Scottish Cup
. The Tennents Scottish Cup
. Retrieved on 2006-12-10. </ref> The Fife town of St. Andrews is known internationally as the Home of Golf<ref>Keay (1994) op cit page 839. "In 1834 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club declared St. Andrews 'the Alma Mater of golf' ".</ref>and to many golfers the Old Course, an ancient links course dating to before 1574, is considered to be a site of pilgrimage.<ref>Cochrane, Alistair (ed) Science and Golf IV: proceedings of the World Scientific Congress of Golf. Page 849. Routledge.</ref> There are many other famous golf courses in Scotland, including Carnoustie, Gleneagles, Muirfield and Royal Troon. Other distinctive features of the national sporting culture include the Highland games, curling and shinty. Scotland played host to the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and 1986, and will do so again in 2014.
Transport
The Scottish motorways and major trunk roads are managed by Transport Scotland. The rest of the road network is managed by the Scottish local authorities in each of their areas.
Regular ferry services operate between the Scottish mainland and island communities. These services are mostly run by Caledonian MacBrayne, but some are operated by local councils. Other ferry routes, served by multiple companies, connect to Northern Ireland, Belgium, Norway, the Faroe Islands and also Iceland.
Scotland's rail network is managed by Transport Scotland.<ref name="TRANSSCOT">"Rail" Transport Scotland. Retrieved on 26 September 2007.</ref> The East Coast and West Coast Main Railway lines and the Cross Country Line connect the major cities and towns of Scotland with each other and with the rail network in England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by First Scotrail.The East Coast Main Line includes that section of the network which crosses the Firth of Forth via the Forth Bridge. Completed in 1890, this cantilever bridge has been described as "the one internationally recognised Scottish landmark".<ref>Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.ISBN 0-00-255082-2</ref>
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited owns and operates the fixed infrastructure assets of the railway system in Scotland, while the Scottish Government maintains overall responsibility for rail strategy and funding in Scotland.<ref name="Office of Rail Regulation">"Disaggregating Network Rail's expenditure and revenue allowance and future price control framework: a consultation (June 2005)" Office of Rail Regulation. Retrieved on 02 November 2007.</ref>
National symbols
Flower of Scotland is popularly held to be the National Anthem of Scotland, and is played at international events such as football or rugby matches involving the Scotland national team. However, since devolution, more serious discussion of a national anthem has led to this being disputed. Other candidates include Scots Wha Hae, Scotland the Brave and A Man's A Man for A' That.<ref>"
Anthem demand falls on deaf ears " , BBC Scotland News , 2004-11-24 . Retrieved on 2006-09-13 . </ref>
St Andrew's Day, 30 November, is the national day, although Burns' Night tends to be more widely observed. Tartan Day is a recent innovation from Canada. In 2006, the Scottish Parliament passed the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, designating the day to be an official bank holiday.<ref>"Explanatory Notes to St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007" Office of Public Sector Information. Retrieved 22 September 2007</ref>
See also
Modèle:Scottish topics Modèle:Portalpar
References
External links
- Scotland.org - the official online gateway to Scotland, managed by the Scottish Government
- Scottish Government - official site of the Scottish Government
- Scottish Parliament - official site of the Scottish Parliament
- National Archives of Scotland - official site of the National Archives of Scotland
- Maps and digital collections at the National Library of Scotland
- Gazetteer for Scotland - Extensive guide to the places and people of Scotland, by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and University of Edinburgh
- (PDF file) Scottish economic statistics 2005 - from the Scottish Executive
- Scottish Census Results On Line - official government site for Scotland's census results
- Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics - Scottish Executive's programme of small area statistics in Scotland
- Scottish Tourist Board - official site of Scotland's national tourist board, VisitScotland
- Modèle:Wikitravel
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