Scotland – “bagpipes, whiskey, kilts, lochs, the highlands, golf, oatmeal and braveheart” – this is sure to be the usual result of a Scotland brainstorming session.
Is Scotland now a country of its own? Does it belong to Great Britain or is it better to speak of the UK? Or can we simplify everything and speak of England?
As part of a brief definition of the terms, it can first be stated that the United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The official name is: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not one of them. Great Britain denotes the largest of the British Isles and includes England, Scotland and Wales.
The Scots received their own national parliaments in 1999 and, like the Welsh and Northern Irish, have their own national football team. Sometimes they have a different history than the English, even if these two nations have always been closely connected.
The Scots, Welsh and Irish partly keep their own languages, in which literature was created, and also differ in their mentality from the English. In economic and social terms, the other nations are still a little worse off than the English and they feel disadvantaged.
Scotland makes up about a third of the total area of Great Britain, but is the most sparsely populated part of the country: only about 10% of the UK’s population live here. Scotland has its own legislation, education and church systems and issues its own banknotes and stamps. After 292 years, Scotland got its own parliament again in 1999. Despite the oil discoveries, the standard of living here is significantly lower than in England.
Scotland was once characterized by heavy industry as well as mechanical engineering and shipbuilding, today almost three quarters of all workers are employed in the service sector. The Scottish capital, Edinburgh, is the largest service hub in Scotland and is second only to London for banking, insurance, wholesale and business advisory services across the UK. Computer and office technology is also produced here in the Central Belt of Scotland: The “Silicon Glen”, a 100 km narrow stretch of land between Edinburgh and Glasgow, has around 50,000 employees. Biotechnology is also based here, as is communication technology and of course whiskey production. The oil industry and the extraction of natural gas have also played a role since the 1970s. Tourism is also becoming increasingly important for Scotland’s economy. The main travel destinations are Edinburgh and the highlands with their picturesque coastlines, castles and lochs.
The quest for complete independence gained significantly in importance in 2007. If this should actually happen, the Scottish nationalists want to introduce the euro and not send soldiers to Iraq.
Rock music fans are sure to know the rock band “Franz-Ferdinand” from Glasgow, which stylistically belongs to the “Britpop” group.
Worth mentioning is the local “Scottish Tiger”, a particularly large wild cat, with a large black stripe on the head and a black ringed tail. There are only about 400 animals left, most of them in the Highlands.
The greatest threat to their existence comes from the approximately 100,000 domestic cats living in the wild, with which they mate and thus gradually disappear as a separate breed.
The Scottish Tiger is a symbol of an independent Scotland.
Independence
On September 18, 2014 around 4.2 million Scots who are eligible to vote and people who have lived in Scotland for a long time will vote on whether their country should become independent from Great Britain.
55.3% of voters voted against independence – Scotland will remain with Great Britain and will not become an independent country. The turnout was 84.5%.
| Name of the country | Scotla |
| Form of government | Parliamentary/Constitutional Monarchy as part of Great Britain |
| Head of state | Queen Elizabeth II (since February 6, 1952) |
| Geographical location | Scotland is a nation in northwestern Europe and comprises the northern third of Great Britain and several archipelagos. To the south, Scotland borders England between the Solway Firth to the west and the River Tweed on the east coast. |
| National anthem | “God Save the Queen” (from Great Britain) On certain occasions, “Scots Wha Hae” or “Scotland the Brave” or Highland Cathedral (www.highlandcathedral.de ) are played. |
| Population | approx. 5.3 million (Great Britain: approx. 62.6 million) |
| Ethnicities | Great Britain: Whites (of which 83.7% British, 8.5% Scots, 4.9% Welsh, 2.9% Northern Irish), Blacks, Indians, Pakistani, mixed, others |
| Religions | Great Britain: 71.6% Christians (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 2.7% Muslims, 1% Hindus, 1.6% others, 23% without confession Scotland: Church of Scotland: 42%, 28% without Confession, 16% Roman Catholic, 7% other Christians Others: Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Hinduism, others |
| Languages | English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) Both English and Scottish are recognized as official languages by the Scottish Parliament. |
| Capital | The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. However, Scotland is a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the capital of Great Britain is London. |
| Surface | 78,772 km² |
| Highest mountain | The Ben Nevis near Fort William with a height of 1,344 m, it belongs to the Scottish Munros. However, the mountain cannot be seen from here. Although the mountain is only 1,344 m high, fatal accidents occur again and again, for example as a result of sudden weather changes or fog. It is therefore advisable to take a local guide or join a guided group. An ascent in summer clothing and with children is almost irresponsible. |
| Longest river | The Tay with a length of 193 km |
| Largest lake in area | Loch Lomond with an area of around 71 km² |
| International license plate | GB |
| National currency | Pound sterling, £, GBP; with own Scottish notes of the Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland (both Edinburgh) and Clydesdale Bank (Glasgow); Coins like in Engla |
| Time difference to CET | Scotland is in the time zone GMT or UTC, which corresponds to CET – 1 hour in winter. In summer it is also 1 hour earlier than in Germany, for example, because of the local and local summer time (CEST) |
| International phone code | 0044 |
| Mains voltage, frequency | 230 volts, 50 hertz. Flat three-pin plug, an adapter is required |
| Internet Top Level Domain (TLD) | .gb and.uk |
