User:Jza84/Sandbox1

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Scotland  (English / Scots)
Alba  (Gaelic)
Flag of Scotland Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland
Flag Royal Coat of Arms
Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit  (Latin)
"No one provokes me with impunity"
"Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh"   (Scottish Gaelic)
'"Wha daur meddle wi me?"'  (Scots)1
Anthem: (Multiple unofficial anthems)
Location of Scotland
Location of  Jza84/Sandbox1  (red)

in the United Kingdom  (light yellow)
Capital Edinburgh
55°57′N 3°12′W / 55.95, -3.2
Largest city Glasgow
Official languages English
Recognised regional languages Gaelic, Scots1
Demonym Scot, Scots and Scottish²
Government Constitutional monarchy
 -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II
 -  Prime Minister (of the United Kingdom) Gordon Brown MP
 -  First Minister Alex Salmond MP MSP
Establishment Early Middle Ages; exact date of establishment unclear or disputed, but traditionally 843, by King Kenneth MacAlpin[1] 
Area
 -  Total 78,772 km² 
30,414 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 1.9
Population
 -  2006 estimate 5,116,900 
 -  2001 census 5,062,011 
 -  Density 65/km² 
168.2/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
 -  Total US$172 billion 
 -  Per capita US$33,680 
HDI (2003) 0.939 (high) 
Currency Pound sterling (GBP)
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 -  Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Internet TLD .uk³
Calling code +44
Patron saint St. Andrew[2]
1 Both Scots and Scottish Gaelic are officially recognised as autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;[3] the Bòrd na Gàidhlig is tasked, under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, with securing Gaelic as an official language of Scotland, commanding "equal respect" with English.[4]
2 Historically, the use of "Scotch" as an adjective comparable to "Scottish" was commonplace, particularly outwith Scotland. However, the modern use of the term describes only products of Scotland, usually food or drink related.
3 Also .eu, as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB, but .gb is unused.

Scotland (Gaelic: Alba) is a country which occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is a constituent country of the United Kingdom,[5] 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. In addition to the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands[6] including Shetland and the Hebrides.

Prior to Scotland's formation as a Kingdom in the Early Middle Ages, the territory was broadly divided between the Picts who occupied land north of the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth, and the Britons who formed a Roman-influenced Brythonic Celtic people to the south. celtic fringe? diaspora? tourism etc?

Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres.[7] It was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which saw Scotland became one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Scotland's largest city is Glasgow, what was once one of the world's leading industrial metropolises, and now lies at the centre of the vast Greater Glasgow conurbation which dominates the Scottish Lowlands. Scottish waters consist of a large sector[8] of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.

Scotland's relationship with England has been long, complex and difficult. The Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England drew increasingly together since the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century[9] and after 1603, when the two countries became linked by a personal union, being ruled by the same Stuart dynasty.[9][10] Following a number of attempts to unite the Kingdoms, on 1 May 1707, the Acts of Union, despite protest across Scotland,[11] resulted in a political union between the states creating the Kingdom of Great Britain.[12][13][9] 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.[14] 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.[15] Scotland's membership of the United Nations, the European Union and other intergovernmental institutions however is through Her Majesty's Government as part of the United Kingdom.

[edit] References

  1. ^ King Kenneth I. Gazeteer for Scotland. Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the University of Edinburgh (17 February 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  2. ^ St Andrew—Quick Facts. Scotland.org—The Official Online Gateway. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  3. ^ "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
  4. ^ Macleod, Angus "Gaelic given official status" (22 April 2005) The Times. London. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  5. ^ Countries within a country. 10 Downing Street. Retrieved on 2007-09-10. “The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”
  6. ^ Scottish Executive Resources. Scotland in Short. Scottish Executive (17 February 2007). Retrieved on September 14, 2006.
  7. ^ Information for Journalists. Edinburgh, Inspiring Capital. Edinburghbrand.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-20. "Edinburgh is Europe's sixth largest fund management centre".
  8. ^ The Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order. The Stationery Office Limited (1999). Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
  9. ^ a b c Colley, Linda [1994] (2005). Britons: Forging the Nation, 1707-1837. Yale University Press, 12. ISBN 978-0300059250. 
  10. ^ Ross, David (2002). Chronology of Scottish History. Geddes & Grosset, 56. ISBN 1-85534-380-0. “1603: James VI becomes James I of England in the Union of the Crowns, and leaves Edinburgh for London” 
  11. ^ 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."
  12. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Keay
  13. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mackie
  14. ^ 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."
  15. ^ 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"