Scotland
Scotland. § is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. § Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and 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 constitutes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.
Capital § Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres § Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18 th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe.
The biggest city § Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation
The best-known lake § Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. § Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich.
The highest mountain § Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the. Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William.
National Dress § One of the most famous national costumes in the world is that worn in Scotland, the kilt, however some people say that the kilt is not as traditional as some would have it. Be that as it may it is certainly what people associate with Scotland, along with whisky and haggis that is. § Some people consider it very bad luck to wear a kilt in a tartan that does not belong to your family. § Just to remind you should you visit Scotland any time - the men do not wear skirts - they wear kilts - and don't you forget it!
Gentlemen § Today traditional dress for men in Scotland is a kilt with shirt, waistcoat and tweed jacket, stockings with garter flashes, brogue shoes and a sporran. A bonnet is often worn displaying the clan crest.
Ladies § Traditionally ladies don't wear kilts, they do however wear dresses or pleated skirts in a tartan material. More often though they wear a light plaid or shawl of tartan material
Music of Scotland § The most common bagpipe heard in modern Scottish music is the Great Highland Bagpipe, which was spread by the Highland regiments of the British Army. Historically, numerous other bagpipes existed, and many of them have been recreated in the last half-century.
Symbol § There are numerous symbols and symbolic artefacts, both official and unofficial, including thethistle, the nation's floral emblem (celebrated in the song, The Thistle o' Scotland), 6 April 1320 statement of political independence the Declaration of Arbroath, the textile pattern tartan that often signifies a particular Scottish clan, and the Lion Rampant flag.
Holidays § St Andrew's Day, 30 November, is the national day, although Burns' Night tends to be more widely observed, particularly outside Scotland. 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.
Famous People § Walter Scott § Scott was the first English-language author to have a truly international career in his lifetime, with many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both Englishlanguage literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.
Robert Burns § He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism andsocialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland among the Scottish Diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a nationalcharismatic cult during the 19 th and 20 th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the 'Greatest Scot' by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.
Lord Byron § was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Among Byron's bestknown works are the brief poems She Walks in Beauty, When We Two Parted, and So, we'll go no more a roving, in addition to the narrative poems Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan. He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential.