Scotland

a country in the United Kingdom, north of England. Population: 5,295,400 (2014). Capital: Edinburgh. Scotland was an independent country until the Scottish and English parliaments were united by the ‘Act of Union’ in 1707, and it still has a different legal system and a different education system from the rest of the UK. Scotland has had its own parliament since 1999. It is still part of the UK, but some groups such as the SNP (the Scottish National Party) want Scotland to become an independent country. Scottish Gaelic is still spoken by some people in the northwest of the country and in the islands off the west coast. Scotland is known for its beautiful countryside and its many lochs (=lakes), islands, and mountains. When people think of Scotland, they often think of men wearing kilts (=a sort of skirt of thick woollen cloth, with a tartan pattern) and playing the bagpipes (=a type of Scottish musical instrument). Products that are thought of as very typical of Scotland include the haggis (=a food in the shape of a ball, made from chopped up sheep’s meat and grains) and Scotch whisky. The national symbol of Scotland is the thistle, and its patron saint is Saint Andrew. People from Scotland are called Scots. They are Scottish. → see also devolution

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