Scotia

SCOTLAND

The national flower of Scotland is thistle

The Isle of Skye, mountain top called The Old Man of Storr

GEOGRAPHYScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and the Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands.

8km walk to the mountain top

View from the top of the Storr mountain, overlooking at Skye, and the Isle of Raasay

MOUNTAINSFrom a geological perspective the country has three main sub-divisions: Highlands and islands, Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands.

1) The Northwest Highlands, 2) The Cuillin, on the Isle of Skye3) The Grampians, the main belt of mountains across the centre of Scotland.4) The Cairngorms form the eastern part of the Grampians.5) The Torridon Hills of Western Ross

The highest point on the British Isles – Ben Nevis 1344m

Rivers: 1. The River Tay (193km), 2. The River Spey (172km), 3.The River Clyde (171km)

LAKES1) Loch Lomond (71 km2)2)Loch Ness(56km2)3)Loch Awe (39km2)

The deepest: 1)Loch Morar (310m); 2)Loch Ness (230m)

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Loch Ness Monster

• Loch Ness is the alleged home of the Loch Ness Monster (also known as "Nessie"), a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence has varied since it was first brought to the world's attention in 1933

BIGGEST TOWNS1) Glasgow – an important industrial

town finding its charm as a town of galleries and museums (581 320)

2) Edinburgh – Scotland’s capital with its famed international festivals attract the world's leading performers, galleries display cutting-edge art, and bars, restaurants and clubs create a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere (454 280 )

3) Aberdeen – the Europe’s capital of oil, “the Granite City” (183 000)

4) Dundee - is a lively commercial, cultural, and artistic centre (142 000)

* Inverness - Known as the Capital of the Highlands ( 44 000)

* Stirling - Scotland's heritage capital, the stage for some of the most significant events in the nation's history. (33 710)

Stirling, William Wallace statue

Aberdeen

Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh

The Scotsman Hotel, Princes Street, Edinburgh

International Film Festival in Edinburgh, an outdoor cinema

Malleig

HISTORY• Scotland was one of the last places in Europe where people

settled. 50000 years ago it was mostly still covered with ice. • Around 9000BC some hunters decided to stay. They lived as

nomads.• Around 4000BC hunters stopped living as nomads, but it

was a slow change• 2000BC a revolutionary new technology reached Scotland.

People learned how to work with a metal mixture called bronze.

• 1200 BC – 200AC Celtic Scotland (a name given to different cultures by ancient Greeks and Romans who fought against Celtic people)

Celtic roundhouse in Scotland

CORACLECORACLE

BROCHCeltic people became powerful by using their new technology – iron-working. Knowledge of how to smelt and forge iron spread from the area now known as Austria to Scotland between 700 – 400 BCFight for farmland and wars made Celtic people build stronger houses – brochs.

ROMAN SCOTLAND80 AD the Romans decided to conquer Scotland. The Roman troops marched northwards, building roads so that they could travel quickly and camps and forts from which they could control the countryside. Celtic chiefs and warriors fought back but they were no match for the Roman army. In just 2 years the Romans conquered most of Scotland south of the River Tray.

SCOTLAND DIVIDED

The Romans left the British Isles in 410AD. For the next 400 years and more Scotland was divided into many separate kingdoms. People living there spoke different languages, obeyed different laws, followed different leaders and were often at war.

In 794 AD and onwards the Vikings started to make surprise raids on churches, monasteries and farming villages. They were looking for excitement, adventure, new lands to settle and rich treasures to carry away. All the Scottish kingdoms now faced crises. Some collapsed completely, others joined together to fight back.

Eilean Donan Castle built in 1220 to fight against the Vikings

BIRTH of a NATION

For thousands of years Scotland was not a united nation. In 842 Kenneth MacAlpin, a warlord from Western Scotland took control of the Pictish kingdom as well as his own lands. For the first time, a large part of east and west Scotland was united under one rule. By 900 this combined kingdom had a new name – ALBA.

For over 500 years, from around 900 – 1469, Scottish kings did not rule all Scotland. The far north, the Orkney and Shetland isles and the Hebredes were ruled by the Vikings and by kings of Norway.

Edinburgh Castle

WARS of INDEPENDENCEEdward I of England was furious about the Scottish alliance with France. In 1296, he sent an army to attack the Scots and soon defeated them at the battle of Dunbar. English knights captured Scottish king and sent him to London as a prisoner. Once again, Scotland had no king. There were many Scots who refused to accept English rule. They all joined together to fight Edward and were led by Andrew Murray and William Wallace. In 1297 , they defeated the English army at Stirling Bridge.

Stirling Bridge

Glenfinnan Monument

The Heart of Midlothian “Spitting Stone”, Edinburgh

Rob Roy –a farmer who faught against English rulers

GREAT SCOTSJames Watt – designed improved steam engines

William Symington – built the first working steamboat (1801)

Adam Smith – the father of modern economy and capitalism

Charles Maclntosh – invented a process to make waterproof cloth (1823)

James Neilson – invented the hot-blast method of iron-making (1828)

Kirkpatrick Macmillan – made the first bicycle (1828)

Lighthouse on the Isle of Skye

SCOTLAND TODAYToday, Scotland is a mixture of old and new. Scottish people still feel proud of their country’s heritage and identity. They admire its magnificent scenery, wear kilts and eat traditional foods such as haggis. Some still speak Scots, the old language of the Lowlands and in the Highlands and Islands children can go to Gaelic-speaking schools.

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