Global Study Group

Scotland

Location: Western Europe, northern third of the island of Great Britain.

Area: 78,782 sq km (approximately the size of the Czech Republic or South Carolina).

Terrain: Low rounded mountains in the south, gently rolling hills on the eastern shores, rugged mountains on western and central Scotland (Highlands). Plain areas in the south and north east.

Population: 5.0 million.

Around 75% of the population lives within the triangle Gasgow-Dundee-Edinburgh.

Main 3 cities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen.

Religious affiliation: Christian Protestant Church of Scotland 42%, No religion 28%, Christian Roman Catholic 16%, Others: 14% (2001).

Official languages: English. Spoken and understood by 100% of the Scottish population. Unofficial languages: Scots, Scottish Gaelic and Doric. Scots and Doric languages are very close to English. Scots is widely spoken in Scotland, while Doric is spoken in rural areas of the north east. Because of its similarity with English, Scots and Doric are often considered to be a dialect of English. Scottish Gaelic is close to Irish Gaelic, and it is fluently spoken by about 50,000 speakers in the west of Scotland.

Capital: Edinburgh.

http://www.celtia.info/country/scotland/index.html

Structure of education in Scotland