SCOTLAND

The national flag of Scotland, known as the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross, dates (at least in legend) from the 9th century, and is thus the oldest national flag still in use. St Andrew's Day, 30 November, is the national day, although Burns' Night tends to be more widely observed. Tartan Day is a recent innovation from Canada. Scotland is a country in northwest Europe that occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is part of the United Kingdom, and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Scotland contains the most mountainous terrain in Great Britain. Located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains, at an altitude of 1344 m, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland and Great Britain. The longest river in Scotland is River Tay, which is 193 km long and the largest lake is Loch Lomond (71.1 km2). However, the most famous lake is Loch Ness, a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 km southwest of Inverness. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, also known as "Nessie". One of the most iconic images of Nessie is known as the 'Surgeon's Photograph', which many formerly considered to be good evidence of the monster. Its importance lies in the fact that it was the only photographic evidence of a head and neck. Compared with the rest of Europe, Scotland has a low population density at 64 people per square kilometre, but is a highly urbanised country. As a result, the majority of the population live in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, surrounding the chief cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Other concentrations of population include the northeast coast of Scotland - principally surrounding the city of Aberdeen and its environs - and around Inverness. Scotland's head of state is the monarch of the United Kingdom, currently Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952). Scotland has limited self-government within the United Kingdom as well as representation in the UK Parliament. Executive and legislative powers have been devolved to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. It has been capital of Scotland since 1437 (replacing Scone) and is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. The city was one of the major centres of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, earning it the nickname Athens of the North.

Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, a collection of official and independent festivals held annually over about four weeks from early August. The most famous of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival in the world), the Edinburgh Comedy Festival (the largest comedy festival in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Scotland's wildlife is typical of the north west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the Lynx, Brown Bear, Wolf, Elk and Walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as Gannets. The Golden Eagle is something of a national icon. Scottish national flower is a thistle. The Scottish education system has always remained distinct from education in the rest of United Kingdom, with a characteristic emphasis on a broad education. Scotland was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education. Pupils remain at primary school for seven years. Then aged eleven or twelve, they start secondary school for a compulsory four years with the following two years being optional. There are 14 Scottish universities, some of which are amongst the oldest in the world. The oldest university in Scotland is the University of St Andrews, established in 1413, while the newest is the Queen Margaret University, converted in 2007. The University of St. Andrews is divided into four academic Faculties: Arts Divinity Medicine Science Each is governed by a Faculty Council and administered by a Dean. Since the Scottish Reformation of 1560, the national church (the Church of Scotland, also known as The Kirk) has been Protestant and Reformed in theology. Since 1689 it has had a Presbyterian system of church government, and enjoys independence from the state. About 12% of the population are currently members of the Church of Scotland. Scottish music is a significant aspect of the nation's culture, with both traditional and modern influences. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe, a wind instrument consisting of three drones and a melody pipe (called the chanter), which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. The clrsach, fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments. The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has been associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic (and more specifically Gaelic) heritage elsewhere. It is most often made of woollen cloth in a tartan pattern.

The modern music: The biggest Scottish pop act of the 1970s however (at least in terms of sales) were undoubtedly the Bay City Rollers. Eurythmics (often incorrectly referred to as The Eurythmics) is a British musical duo, formed in 1980 by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Amy Macdonald is also one of the recognized artists in the past few years. Mogwai are a Scottish rock group from Glasgow, Scotland. Franz Ferdinand is a rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001. Scottish literature: includes text written in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, French, and Latin. The most famous Scottish artist is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's and his character Sherlock Holmes, Robert Louis Stevenson's most famous works are still popular and feature in many plays and films, for example the short novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Scottish cuisine: In most towns, Chinese and Indian take-away restaurants exist along with traditional fish and chip shops. Larger towns and cities offer cuisine ranging from Thai and Japanese to Mexican, Polish or Turkish. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish. There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours.