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Scotland

General information
Common nameScotland
NameScotland  
Alba  
MottoIn My Defens God Me Defend (Scots)
(often shown abbreviated as 'IN DEFENS')
AnthemNone (de jure)
Various de facto - see note 1
CapitalEdinburgh
Largest cityGlasgow
Official languagesEnglish
Regional languagesGaelic, Scots2
Ethnic groups89% Scottish, 7% English, Irish, Welsh, 4% other
DemonymScots, Scottish3
Government
GovernmentDevolved Government within a Constitutional monarchy4
MonarchElizabeth II
First Minister (Head of Scottish Government)Alex Salmond MSP
Prime Minister of the United KingdomDavid Cameron, MP
LegislatureScottish Parliament
EstablishmentEstablishment (Early Middle Ages; exact date of establishment unclear or disputed; traditional 843, by King Kenneth MacAlpin)
Geography
Total Area30414 sq mi (78772.3 km2)
Water %1.9
Demography
Population Est.5194000
Population census5062011 (2001)
Density (pop.)65.9/km2 (170.8/sq mi)
Economy
GDP PPPUS$194 billion  (2006)
GDP (PPP) per capitaUS$39,680 
Other information
CurrencyPound sterling (GBP)
Time zoneGMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST)BST (UTC+1)
Drives on theleft
Internet TLD.uk5
Calling code44
Patron saintSt Andrew
St Margaret
St Columba

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Scotland ( , -gdˈalˠ̪apə) 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 Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Edinburgh was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Europe. Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, was once one of the world's leading industrial cities and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third largest city in Scotland, the title of Europe's oil capital.

The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent sovereign state until 1707, although it had been in a personal union with the kingdoms of England and Ireland since James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English and Irish thrones in 1603. On 1 May 1707, Scotland entered into an incorporating political union with England to create the united Kingdom of Great Britain. This union resulted from the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706 and enacted by the twin Acts of Union passed by the Parliaments of both countries, despite widespread protest across Scotland. Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland still constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and in private law.

The continued existence of legal, educational and religious institutions distinct from those in the remainder of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the Union. Although Scotland is no longer a separate sovereign state, issues surrounding devolution and independence continue to be debated. After the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, the first pro-independence Scottish Government was elected in 2007 when the Scottish National Party formed a minority administration.


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