Wales (or Cymru in Welsh) is a mountainous country on the western side of

Geography oF SCOTLAND

Overview

Scotland (78,790 sq km) is slightly smaller than Hungary. It is the most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom, covering about one-third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is bounded by England to the south (separated from England by the Tweed River), the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north, and the North Sea to the east. The capital is Edinburgh and the largest city is Glasgow. Scotland is a country with large areas of unspoilt and wild landscape, and many of the UK’s mountains. The western Highland coast is intersected throughout by long, narrow sea lochs, or fjords. Scotland also includes the Outer and Inner Hebrides and other islands off the west coast and the Orkney and Shetland Islands off the north coast; together more than 790 smaller islands. St. Kilda (see: World Heritage Sites in the UK) is the most remote of all the inhabitable Scottish islands, being over 160 km (100 miles) from the mainland.

Scotland may be divided into three main geographical areas: the Southern Uplands; the Central Lowlands, and the Highlands (Northern Highlands + Grampian Mts.). The Southern Uplands is a region of high, rolling moorlands cut by numerous valleys. The Central Lowlands is Scotland's most populous district containing two-thirds of the population. Separated from the Lowlands by the Grampian Mts. are the Highlands of the north, a rough, mountainous area divided by the Great Glen (a series of valleys running 100 kilometers from Inverness to Fort William) and containing Ben Nevis (4,406 ft/1,343 m) the highest peak in the United Kingdom. The island authority areas of the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, and the Western Isles are all north of the Central Lowlands. Because of Scotland's highly irregular outline (its breadth ranges from 154 mi/248 km to only 26 mi/42 km) and the deeply indented arms of the sea - usually called sea lochs when narrow and firths when broad - it has c.2,300 mi (3,700 km) of coastline. Scotland's principal rivers are the Clyde, the Forth and the Tweed. The largest freshwater loch is Loch Lomond.

Scotland's climate is temperate oceanic (mérsékelt óceáni) - warmed by the Gulf Stream. Generally, Scotland is cool, damp and cloudy, but daily weather is unpredictable and extremely changeable. January and February are the coldest months, averaging 5°C to 7°C, and summer has average temperatures of 19°C during its warmest months of July and August. Scottish weather is on average cooler than that of England. The east coast experiences more sunshine, but colder winters, compared to the west. Rainfall varies widely: The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest places, with annual rainfall exceeding 3,000 mm. In comparison, much of lowland Scotland receives less than 800 mm annually.

Just over 5 million people live in Scotland (5,094,800; 2005 est.), three-quarters of them in the central lowlands where two of its largest cities are situated: Edinburgh (the capital) on the east coast and Glasgow on the west. Aberdeen and Dundee are its two other principal cities. Together these four cities and their surrounding regions account for 75% of Scotland’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Scotland’s population has changed relatively little in the last 50 years. In June 2000 the estimated population was 5.1 million, compared with 5.2 million in 1971 and 5.1 million in 1951. The population density is the lowest in the UK, averaging 65 people per sq km (In England it is 383 people per sq km) but on the Highlands it is only 8 people per sq km.

The Economy

In the last 50 years the Scottish economy has moved away from the traditional industries of coal, steel and shipbuilding. Extraction of offshore oil and gas, growth in services and, more recently, developments in hightechnology industries - such as chemicals, electronic engineering and information technology - have taken their place. Manufacturing still remains important producing exports valued more than £18 billion. Key features of the Scottish economy include:

Electronics. Scotland has one of the biggest concentrations of the electronics industry in Western Europe. Electrical and instrument engineering exports are accounting for more than 50% of Scotland’s manufactured exports which is 70% of the total Scottish export.

Oil and gas. Offshore oil and gas production has made a significant contribution to the Scottish economy in the last 30 years. Many of the UK’s 115 offshore oilfields are to the east of the Isles of Shetland and Orkney or off the east coast of the mainland.

Whisky. Whisky production continues to be important to Scotland. The value of drinks exports, dominated by whisky, is valued over £1 billion per year. There are 90 whisky distilleries in Scotland, most of them in the north-east.

Tourism. Tourism is a major industry, supporting about 200,000 jobs. The expenditure by tourists is valued around £4 billion and there are more than 20 million tourist trips per year, including those originating in Scotland.

Forestry. Scotland accounts for just under half of the UK’s timber production. In the last ten years there has been significant international and local investment in wood-based panel production and in pulp and paper processing. 75% of Scotland's land area is under some form of agricultural production.

Fishing. Fishing remains significant, particularly in the north-east and in the Highlands and Islands. In 2000 Scotland accounted for 70% by weight and 60% by value of the fish landed in the UK by British trawlers. Fish farming, particularly of salmon (lazac), has grown in importance; Scotland produces the largest amount of farmed salmon in the EU.

Infrastructure in Scotland is varied in its provision and its quality. The densest network of roads, railways and motorways is concentrated in the Central Lowlands of the country where around 70% of the population live. The rail network is primarily centred also here and is used principally as a means of public transport.

Edinburgh and Glasgow

Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, is situated on the east coast of Scotland's central lowlands on the south shore of the Firth of Forth. Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. The city is the single most important tourist destination in Scotland, and Britain's most popular destination after London. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh are World Heritage Sites. The city has several thousand buildings that are officially protected because of their architectural or historic importance. The dominating place of interest is the Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile connecting the Castle Rock with Holyrood Palace. Two other major attractions in the city are the Royal Botanic Garden and Edinburgh Zoo. Edinburgh is well known for the annual Festival, the associated Festival Fringe the largest performing arts festival in the world.

Glasgow is Scotland largest city on the river Clyde. Glasgow is Scotland's leading seaport and is the centre of the great Clydeside industrial belt. Glasgow has a reputation for being the friendliest city in the world. The city that was designated European City of Culture in 1990 has a full and exciting range of entertainment venues and activities. Since the city’s first university was established in 1451, Glasgow has been hailed as a powerful seat of learning. Lord Kelvin, Adam Smith and James Watt are just some of history’s great thinkers associated with the city’s academic past. 'Glasgow' means "dear green place", recognising the fact that Glasgow has over 70 parks and open spaces, more than any other city its size. Glasgow has over 20 wonderful museums and galleries all with free admission. In 1999, the city was designated UK City of Architecture and Design. Glasgow was founded in the late 6th c. by St. Mungo (St. Kentigern), who is remembered in the city's arms and motto.

sources:

National Statistics, UK 2002, The Official Yearbook of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Wikipedia, Economy of Scotland

Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Plus 2004

Glasgow City Council

BBC Scotland

credits:

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3. Economy of Scotland: Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia under GNU Free Documentation Licence.