Scotland

Scotland (Scots: Scotland, Scottish Gaelic: Alba [ˈal̪ˠapə] (About this soundlisten)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain,[16][17][18] with a border with England to the southeast, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south, and more than 790 islands,[19] including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the European Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain.[20][21] The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. In 1801, Great Britain itself entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (in 1922, the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).[22] Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland. The legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law.[23] The continued existence of legal, educational, religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the 1707 union with England.[24] In 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy.[25] The head of the Scottish Government is the First Minister of Scotland, who is supported by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland.[26] Scotland is represented in the United Kingdom Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs.[27] Scotland is also a member of the British–Irish Council,[28] and sends five members of the Scottish Parliament to the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly.[29] Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas.[30] Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scottish Government to each subdivision.[30] Contents 1 History 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Early history 1.3 Roman influence 1.4 Middle Ages 1.5 Early modern period 1.6 18th century 1.7 19th century 1.8 Early 20th century 1.9 Modern day 2 Geography and natural history 2.1 Geology and geomorphology 2.2 Climate 2.3 Flora and fauna 3 Demographics 4 Religion 5 Politics and government 5.1 Devolved government relations 5.2 International diplomacy 5.3 Constitutional changes 5.4 Administrative subdivisions 6 Law and criminal justice 7 Health care 8 Economy 8.1 Currency 9 Military 10 Education 11 Culture 11.1 Scottish music 11.2 Literature 11.3 Celtic connections 11.4 National identity 11.5 Cuisine 12 Media 13 Sport 13.1 Football 13.2 Golf 13.3 Other sports 14 Infrastructure 14.1 Energy 14.2 Transport 15 See also 16 References 17 Further reading 18 External links