Scotland
may be most famous for the bagpipe, the kilt and whisky, but the country has a
lot more to it. Scotland is an independent country located in Northern Europe. The
country is one of 4 which make up The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. (www.wikipedia.com)
Scotland
has three main geographical areas; they are called the Southern Uplands, the
Central Lowlands and the Highlands. In the North we find the islands, the
Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetlands. Scotland has a total of 790 islands,
which is quite a lot. The Scottish climate is very temperate and oceanic, and
it is usually very changeable. Scotland had generally a lower temperature than
the rest of the United Kingdom. (www.ndla.no)
There are 5.1 million habitants in Scotland, and most of them are located
in the Central Lowlands. In the north we find mountains and beautiful surroundings,
but fewer people live here, in fact the region is one of the least habited
areas in Europe. The capital of the country is called Edinburgh; this town is
probably most famous for its castle and it’s amazing New Year’s celebration. Even
though Edinburg is the capital; the largest city is called Glasgow. The city
used to be famous for its shipbuilding industry, but today the main industries
are software and financial. (www.ndla.no)
The people of Scotland mainly speak Scottish Standard English, but there
are a few that speaks languages called Scots and Gaelic. In the southern part
of Scotland agriculture is very important. Like Norway, oil, hydroelectric power
and tourism are very important industries, but they also find sheep farming,
forestry, salmon, and high technology important. Most of these are located in
the Central Lowlands.
The most
famous lake in Scotland is called Loch Ness. It is a deep freshwater lake which
is as deep as 700ft at its deepest. The reason this lake is so famous is the
Loch Ness monster, or Nessie, which is said to live in the lake. Several people
have claimed to have seen the monster in the past 200 years, but no one has
ever managed to prove the monsters existence. However, the lake attracts tons
of tourists hoping to get a glimpse of Nessie. (www.ndla.no)
The Scottish
education system separates from the UK. In 1872 it became mandatory for all
children to go to school. As a result of this, Scotland has had a higher
percentage of the population who are educated in primary school, secondary
school, colleges and universities than any other country in Europe. When they
reach the age of 15/16 pupils take a “Standard Grade” exam, and after this they
can choose to drop out of school, or to stay and get higher education. (www.wikiepedia.com)
Since
Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom, their head of state is Queen
Elizabeth ll. All of the countries in the UK have a common monarch and
government. In the 1990s the countries
within the UK, was granted limited power, but the British Parliament in
Westminster can at any time modify, extend or abolish these national self-government.
The Scottish parliament has 129 members. The queen appoints one of the members
of the parliament to be the “First Minister” or “Minister premiere” that acts
as a “prime minister”. Scotland is also represented with 59 members in the
House of Commons. (www.wikipedia.com)
Bibliography:
http://ndla.no/en/node/63403
20.01.13
http://ndla.no/en/node/4135 20.01.12
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