Scotland

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Alba (Gaelic)

Capital

Edinburgh

Government

Parliamentary Democracy - part of the United Kingdom

Nationality

Scottish

Population

5 116 900 ^[1]

Languages

English, Gaelic

Religions

Christianity (Protestant, Catholic)

Currency

Pound Sterling (GBP) £

Calling Code

+44

Time Zone

GMT (UTC)

Daylight Saving Time

BST (UTC+1)

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Introduction

Sandwood Cottage, Scotland

© All Rights Reserved Naryves

Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland (Gaelic: Alba) is one of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom (the other three are England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The official language of Scotland is English, although Gaelic and the Scots dialect are also spoken.

Scotland's history is as rich and colourful as its people.

Brief History

Geography

Scotland's geography is varied, ranging from barren highlands to rural lowlands and uninhabited islands. It occupies the top third of the island of Great Britain and includes over 790 islands and archipelagoes.

Scotland's only land border is with England to its south. Ireland lies 30 kilometres off the southwest coast, separated by the North Channel. 300 kilometres across the North Sea lies Norway and 270 kilometres to the north are the Faroe Islands.

Scotland occupies a total land area of 78,772 km². The mainland has 9,911 km of coastline.

Regions

The mainland regions given below do not correspond to Local Government boundaries.

• Borders
• South West
• Central Belt is Scotland's most urbanised area, between Glasgow and Edinburg
• Highlands
• North East

Islands

There are also over 790 Scottish Islands.

The main groups are:

• Orkney Islands
• Shetland Islands
• Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
• Inner Hebrides, including Skye, Mull and the Small Islands
• Southern Islands - Arran, Bute and Cumbrae.

Cities

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the Scottish capital and is the country's most popular attraction. Its Old Town and New Town have both been named as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Glasgow

Glasgow is Scotland's largest city. Admire the architecture, enjoy some bar hopping and engage with the friendly locals that make Glasgow such a welcoming place.

Other Cities

• Aberdeen
• Dundee
• Dumfries
• Fort William
• Inverness
• Perth
• Ullapool

Sights and Activities

Ben Nevis

Near summit of Ben Nevis

© All Rights Reserved cstevenson

Ben Nevis, or more commonly called "the Ben," is the highest mountain in the United Kingdom and is located in the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of Scotland. This 1,344 m (4,409 ft) mountain attracts over 100,000 ascents a year, with most using a nice modern walk up trail. Many mountaineers try to climb the more difficult 700 m cliff on the north face of the mountain. During the winter time Ben Nevis offers great ice climbing opportunities.

Skara Brae

Skara Brae is a large stone built neolithic village, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of mainland Orkney. The town is made up of ten houses that were occupied roughly from 3100 to 2500 BC. Skara Brae's claim to fame is that it is Western Europe's most complete neolithic village and it is so intact that it gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney
in December of 1999. The site was not fully excavated until 1930 and people visiting it today can spot stone furniture and little homes.

Iona Abbey

Iona Abbey is the oldest and one of the most important religious sites in Scotland. It is considered the starting point for the spread of Christianity throughout Scotland. Located on the Isle of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull, on the west coast of Scotland, Iona Abbey was founded in 563. It slowly grew over the years and even survived a viking massacre in 806, which everyone died in. After the Protestant Reformation in Scotland the abbey was abandoned but in the 19th century it was made part of the Church of Scotland and was restored. Any visits to Iona Abbey should be followed by a stroll in the graveyard to see the graves of kings from Norway, Scotland, Ireland and France.

Inverness Castle

Inverness Castle, located in the city of Inverness, sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness. The red sand stone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th century defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court. There has been a castle at this site for many centuries.

Other Sights and Activities

• City Chambers viewed from George Square in Glasgow is worth a photo or two.
• Scottish Highlands - Go hiking in some of the most pristine wilderness in all of the United Kingdom.
• Bagpipes - Hear traditional Scottish music with a good old fashion bagpipe concert.
• Shopping - Buy a kilt to enjoy traditional Scottish dress.
• Loch Ness may be Scotland's second largest loch, but it is its most famous thanks to its elusive inhabitant "Nessie", aka the Loch Ness Monster. See if you can spot the monster, or just enjoy the loch for its natural beauty.
• Sterling Castle - A nice daytrip from either Glasgow or Edinburgh is Sterling and it's beautiful castle
• Isle of Skye - For many the Isle of Skye is Scotlands most beautiful island.
• Loch Lomond - Escape from Glasgow to the largest lake of Scotland.
• The Cairngorms - Home to ospreys and golden eagles, the Cairngorms is Britain's arctic zone and one of the wildest parts of the Highlands.

Events and Festivals

Weather

The weather of Scotland is temperate and oceanic although it can change greatly during anytime of the year. The country is warmed by the Gulf Stream flowing up the Atlantic giving the area milder winters and cooler summers when compared to areas with similar latitudes such as Moscow. Scotland tends to be warmer in the east and cooler in the west. Rainfall varies across the country. For example the lowlands receive less than 800 mm (31 in) of rain a year while the highlands have about 3,000 mm (120 in) of rain a year. The highlands tend to have much more snow in the winter than the lowlands.

Getting There

By Plane

The main airports in Scotland are:

• Edinburgh Airport (IATA: EDI, ICAO: EGPH)
• Glasgow International Airport (IATA: GLA, ICAO: EGPF)
• Aberdeen Airport (IATA: ABZ, ICAO: EGPD)
• Glasgow Prestwick Airport (IATA: PIK, ICAO: EGPK)

Airlines flying into Scotland are mainly from regional destinations. There are also seasonal flights from North America. Major airlines include British Airways, easyJet, First Choice Airways, Flybe, Flyglobespan, MyTravel Airways, Ryanair, Thompsonfly, Thomas Cook Airlines.

By Train

• National Express East Coast between London and Edinburgh via York.
• Virgin Trains between London and Glasgow via Birmingham.
• Cross Country Trains between Birmingham and Glasgow/Aberdeen/Edinburgh via Leeds and Sheffield.
• Transpennine Express between Manchester and Glasgow/Edinburgh.
• First Scot Rail Caledonian Sleeper between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh.

By Car

There is an excellent system of motorways connecting England to with Scotland directly and rental cars can easily be taken here. Of course there are no border crossings and just have your driver's licence and insurance in order.

By Bus

Megabus offers connections between the major Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh to English destinations like Manchester and Liverpool. Eurolines and National Express have connections as well, mainly to England and sometimes Wales.

By Boat

From Northern Ireland

• Stenaline between the Port of Belfast to Stanraer in Scotland
• P&O Ferries between Larne and Scotland (Troon and Cairnryan).

From Belgium

• Superfast Ferries has overnight ferries service 3 times a week from Rosyth (Scotland) to Zeebrugge (arrive 11:30 next day).

Getting Around

Plan A Journey offers information about transport in Scotland and some other parts of the UK.

By Plane

Logan Air operates on behalf of British Airways and FlyBe and mainly flies from Glasgow and sometimes Aberdeen to the north of Scotland. Destinations include Barra, Benbecula, Kirkwall (Orkney Islands), Sumburgh (Shetland Islands), Stornoway and Tiree.

By Train

First Scot Rail operates the rail lines in Scotland. Main routes include Glasgow to Edinburg and Aberdeen as well as beautiful routes crossing the Scottish Highlands. These routes include Perth-Inverness, Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh and Glasgow - Fort William - Mallaig. On the latter route (from Fort William to Mallaig) part of the journey goes by special transport on the Jacobite Steam Train.

By Car

Scotland is a great place to travel around by road and most roads are in excellent conditions and most are paved. The main motorways within Scotland are:

• M8: Edinburgh - Glasgow
• M9: Edinburgh - Perth
• M90: Edinburgh (near Forth Road Bridge) - Perth

Traffic Scotland provides real-time and future traffic information, live-eye-views and journey time for Scotland.

Although travelling around the southern part of Scotland is fairly easy, once you get more north or into the interior highlands, be aware that roads are often narrow and winding and can get slippery after rain. Drive carefully and on the left side of the road. International and local car rental firms have offices on international airports and in most bigger cities. A national driving licence or for some countries an international permit will do.

By Bus

Citylink is the main operator between Glasgow and Edinburgh, with several departures every hour, taking just over an hour but costing less than the trains.

Megabus serves Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth and Inverness, among several other smaller places.

By Boat

Caledonian MacBrayne is one of the largest ferry operators in Scotland with services on the west coast and Clyde estuary. Many islands, including the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides, are served by them.

Northlink Ferries operates boats between Orkney and Shetland Islands. Ferries leave from Aberdeen for Lerwick, or from Scrabster to Stromness.

Red Tape

For visa-related information, refer to the United Kingdom article.

Money

See also: Money Matters
Further information: United Kingdom

Being part of the United Kingdom, Scotland uses the same pound sterling as its currency with the international currency code GBP (Great Britain Pound). The currency sign for pound is £ (the symbol is derived from the letter L).

The Bank of England (BoE), the central bank of the UK, issues pound sterling banknotes and coins for the whole of the United Kingdom. At the same time, three private banks in Scotland (Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank) also issue sterling banknotes of their own designs. These banknotes have the same value as the ones issued by BoE and are usually found only in Scotland. The notes can also be used outside Scotland within the UK although some merchants may be reluctant to accept them. Outside the UK, usually only BoE-issued sterling banknotes are recognised as the country's legal tender.

Work

Study

Language

The official language of Scotland is English, although Gaelic and the Scots dialect are also spoken.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

In case of emergency, dial 999 or 112 for Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade and Coast Guard. It's free of charge.

Although tourist areas are generally safe, travellers should still practise some common sense safety precautions just as they do anywhere in the world.

Keep Connected

Internet

Two excellent guides to the whole of Scotland:
* The Internet Guide to Scotland http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/
* Undiscovered Scotland http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/index.html

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post