Scotland

General information

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, and Glasgow is the largest city.

Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain in the British Isles. Most of Scotland is mountainous. Its rugged mountains, green valleys, and deep, blue lakes provide some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe.

Most of the Scottish people live in the central part of Scotland, where there is flatter and more fertile land. Many Scots work in the service and manufacturing industries, which form the basis of the Scottish economy.

The Scottish people have long been famous for their close-knit clans (groups of related families), colorful plaid kilts, and skill as fierce warriors. The word clan refers to groups of people in early Scotland and Ireland who had common ancestors and a common name, and were organized under the rule of a chief. These clans were bilateral (related through both men and women), and marriage within the clan was customary. The Scottish clans began about A.D. 1000. They carried on feuds in the Highlands, and clan members were expected to defend one another. Most clans lost power after the rebellion of 1745, but a spirit of clan loyalty remains among Scots. They are distinguished by their names--such as MacDonald and Campbell--and by their tartans, the plaids worn as emblems of clan membership. But the clans have lost much of their importance, kilts are worn mainly for ceremonial occasions, and no war has been fought in Scotland for more than 200 years.

People

Population. Scotland has a population of more than 5 million (5,295,000). About three-fourths of the people live in the lowlands of central Scotland, a region that makes up only about a sixth of Scotland's mainland. The rugged Highlands and the hilly uplands of southern Scotland are more sparsely populated. The Highlands, which cover about two-thirds of the Scottish mainland, have some of the most thinly populated areas in Scotland. Less than 2 percent of the people live in Scotland's three island authority areas of Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles.

One of Scotland's major problems has been emigration. Particularly in the 1960's, thousands of people left Scotland because of limited job opportunities. But new industries, such as the production of oil from the North Sea, have helped provide more jobs.

Ancestry. Most Scottish people are descended from peoples who came to Scotland thousands of years ago. These groups included the Celts, Scandinavians, and a Celtic tribe from Ireland called the Scots. Each group influenced Scottish civilization.

Language. English is the official language throughout the United Kingdom. In Scotland, English is spoken in a variety of dialects.

About 80,000 Scots speak Gaelic, an ancient Celtic language. Most of these people live in the Highlands or on the islands west of the mainland.