General info History

1. Scotland

2. Contents:

General info
History
Places of interest
National costume
Famous Scotsmen
Interesting facts
Resources

3. General info:

Scotland is the second largest country in the UK
which is bordered by England in the north, the
North Sea in the east, the North Channel and the
Irish Sea in the southwest.
The country is famous for its castles, beautiful lakes,
mountains and historical monuments.
The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, the largest city
is Glasgow. Other big cities are Aberdeen and
Dundee.
The official currency is Pound Sterling.
English and Gaelic are the main languages of
Scotland.
The official animal is Unicorn
The highest mountain is Ben Nevis which is 1344
metres tall.
The thistle is a national symbol of Scotland

4.

The motto of Scotland is ‘No one
provokes me with impunity’.
Scottish surnames are in two main
categories - Gaelic names (typically
starting with Mac) and Germanic
names (Barclay, Howard, Hamilton,
Park)
Scotland is very well known in the
world for its whisky, popularly known
as Scotich whisky
As Scotland is part of the UK, the
head of state in Scotland is the
monarch of the UK, that is Queen
Elizabeth II

5. History:

The first written records of Scottish history date back to
the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD
In the 5th century, the north-west of Scotland was settled
by Gaels
From the beginning of the 12th century a single king
started to rule Scotland. The 13th century was the
time of Wars of Independence between Scotland and
England.
It formally ended in 1707 when the parliaments of both
nations agreed to the Act of Union.
The end of the 18th century is Scotland's most creative
period – Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Adam Smith
etc.

6. Places of interest:

Edinburgh Castle is one of
Scotland's most popular –
and most expensive –
tourist attractions. It last
saw military action in 1745;
from then until the 1920s it
served as the British
army's main base in
Scotland.

7.

the Glasgow Cathedral
The Handa Island is a
small island off the
northwest of Scotland
with unique flora and
fauna.
The National Museum
of Scotland

8. National costume:

Of course, the main
component of men’s Scottish
national costume is a skirt kilt
- a special piece of tartan
fabric. They also have a linen
shirt and a black jacket,
stockings, a sporran and big
shoes.
Women wear white blouse and
skirts as men's kilts, made of
the famous tartan, in clan
colors.

9. Famous Scotsmen:

Television, telephone
(Alexander Bell), video
cassette recorder, finger
printing, penicillin (A.
Fleming) were all Scottish
inventions.
Famous Scottish actors
are – Sean Connery,
Gerard Butler and Ewan
McGregor.

10.

Scottish literature includes
such names as – Walter
Scott , Robert Burns, JK
Rowling, Conan Doyle.

11. Interesting facts:

The Bank of Scotland is in the oldest
surviving bank in the UK.
Edinburgh was the first city in the world
with its own fire brigade in 1824.
Scotland is reputed for its whisky, but it
was invented in China, in the 16-th
century appeared in Scotland
Scotland has 790 islands, 130 are
inhabited.
The flag of Scotland has the Cross of
St. Andrew on a blue background. St.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland

12.

Scotland has over 300 railway
stations.
Scotland’s is the 112th largest
country in the world by size.
The longest river in Scotland is the
River Tay, it flows for a distance of
190 kilometers
Haggis is a traditional Scottish meal
that is well known around the world. It
is made from the organs of the sheep
and is boiled in the stomach for an
hour prior to serving

13. Resources:

www.eupedia.com/scotland/trivia.shtml
www.fun.yukozimo.com/facts-aboutscotland/
www.scotland.org/about-scotland/factsabout-scotland
www.wanttoknowit.com/interesting-factsabout-scotland
www.visitscotland.com/about/history