2. Area of the country.

The main land of Scotland comprises the northern third of the land mass of the island of Great Britain which lies off the northwest coast of Continental Europe. The total area is 78,772 km² . Scotland is 117 th largest country in the world. Scotland's only land border is with England. The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North sea is to the east. The island of Ireland lies only 30 kilometres from the southwestern peninsula ofKyntre;Norway is 305 kilometres to the east and the Faroes, 270 kilometres to the north.

The geographical centre of Scotland lies a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch. Rising to 1,344 metres above sea level, Scotland's highest point is the summit of Ben Nevis, in Lochaber, while Scotland's longest river, the River Tay, flows for a distance of 190 kilometres