Scotland is a former kingdom and is part of the United Kingdom, along with Northern Ireland, Wales and England. Scotland occupies the most northerly part of the island of Great Britain and has no borders except England. Despite the fact that Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, Scotland still has many things that are typically Scottish. Scotland, for example, has its own images on the pound sterling, it has its own internal administration and a large part of the country speaks its own language, Scots-Gealic.
According to wholevehicles, Scotland has been inhabited for many thousands of years, but you can only speak of Scotland during the Middle Ages when the Kingdom of Scotland formed here. This kingdom was created after several clans came together after the Normans attempted to conquer Scotland. Because the kingdom of Scotland consisted of several merged clans and kingdoms, it has never been a stable kingdom. There were always insurgents and renegade provinces that caused riots. England and Scotland have been ruled by the same monarch since the early seventeenth century. However, they remained two separate kingdoms that were connected by a personal union.
In the early eighteenth century, the two kingdoms were united to form the United Kingdom of England and Scotland. This would turn out to be the forerunner of the current United Kingdom. After 300 years, Scotland has had its own parliament again since 1999. This parliament has mainly local powers.
Scotland attracts many tens of thousands of tourists every year, most of whom come to the country to enjoy the beautiful Scottish culture and the special Scottish landscapes. Scots are quite a proud people who still attach great importance to old customs and habits. This explains the well-known Scottish bagpipes, the kilt and the tartan.
Sights
There are many places to visit in Scotland, from beautiful castles to beautiful small villages and from large cities to beautiful nature parks you will find it all here. the country is mainly known for its beautiful botanical gardens and the many castles and castle ruins that can be found there. The most famous castles in the country are Edinburgh Castle, Eilean Donan Castle, Striling Castle, Scone palace and Culzean Castle. Most of these castles are open to the public and can be visited for a small entrance fee. There are two national parks in Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park and the Trossachs National Park. The Cairngorms National Park is located in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest nature reserve in Great Britain. The most famous museums in the country can be found in Edinburgh,
Scotland is known for its many myths and legends. One of the most famous myths is about the Loch Ness Monster also known as “Nessie”. According to some eyewitnesses, a prehistoric monster lives in this lake. However, no evidence of this has ever been found except for some blurry photos. This has made the lake one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland. Another popular attraction in Scotland is Ben Nevis, this mountain is climbed by tens of thousands of walkers every year.
UNESCO
There are three inscriptions on the World Heritage List in Scotland. The archipelago Saint Lida was the first to be added to the list in 1986. This archipelago is part of the Outer Hebrides. The islands were added to the list because they are an important breeding ground for various seabirds such as guillemots, puffins and fulmars.
In 1995 the Old and New Town of Edinburgh was added and four years later the Heart of Neolithic Orkney was added. The Neolithic heart of Orkney consists of four remains of ancient settlements scattered across the Orkney Islands.
Climate
Scotland has a moderate maritime climate with extremely high rainfall for this climate type throughout the year. however, the average rainfall in Scotland can vary greatly per region or island. For example, there are islands where the total annual precipitation is particularly low. So low that this amount of precipitation can fall in other parts of Scotland per month. On average, there is about two thousand millimeters on an annual basis, but there are places in Scotland where this is almost twice as high. On average, it rains two hundred and fifty days a year in Scotland. The high rainfall also has an impact on temperatures in Scotland. These are generally on the low side and barely rise above twenty degrees Celsius in the summer months. The winter months are cold, but due to the influence of the sea, long periods of frost rarely occur. However, this does not apply to the Scottish Highlands. Due to its higher location, this area has snow for a large part of the year. Long periods of heavy frost are no exception here.
Geography
Scotland forms the northern part of the island of Great Britain and only has a land border with England. This boundary is partly formed by the River Tweed. The River Tay, which rises at Ben Lui and eventually flows into the Firth of Tay, is the longest river in the country. other important rivers are the Clyde, the Spey, the Dee and the Forth. In addition to the mainland, the country consists of almost eight hundred islands that can be divided into four groups, the Inner Hebrides, the Outer Hebrides, the Orkney Eilenden and the Shetland Islands. Most of the Scottish islands are uninhabited and are only used as bird nesting sites. A number of these islands can only be reached via a ferry service, others are connected by bridges, so that they are technically no longer islands.
Geologically, Scotland is divided into three parts, in the north the Scottish Highlands, in the center the low yellow Central Belt and in the south the Southern uplands. The highest mountain in Scotland and the United Kingdom is Ben Nevis at 1,344 metres. There are about three hundred mountains in Scotland that are higher than 900 meters.
Scotland is of course known for its many Lochs. The largest and best known of these are Loch Lomond, Loch Ness, Loch Awe and Loch Maree. Scotland’s largest cities are Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Stirling.
Travel advice
There are no special travel advices for Scotland. It is forbidden to possess and trade drugs here. There are severe penalties for smuggling drugs and sexual acts with children. When walking in nature, it is wise to check for tick bites afterwards. These insects are carriers of Lyme disease.
Travel documents
All travelers must be in possession of a valid passport or identity card, only British citizens are an exception. For travelers from the European Union and most other western countries, no visa is required. Travelers from all other countries must apply for a visa at the consulate.
Info table
| Capital city | Edinburgh |
| Phone (country code) | 44 |
| Internetdomein | .uk |
| Language(s) (official) | English, Scots and Scots-Gealian |
| Language(s) (colloquial) | English, Scots and Scots-Gealian |
| Religion(s) | Protestant and Roman Catholic |
| Time zone(s) | UTC+0 |
| Time difference summer | In Scotland it is 1 hour earlier than in the Netherlands |
| Time difference winter | In Scotland it is 1 hour earlier than in the Netherlands |
| Daylight Saving Time Control | and |
| Currency | pond sterling |
