The Scottish Character
Stereotypically, Scotish people are:
Loyalty, patriotism, sentimentality, violence, drunkenness, honorable nature, rugged.
Scottish people used to be, Long-headed, thrifty industry, a sound hatred of waste, imprudence, idleness, extravagance, the feet planted firmly upon the earth, a conscientious sense that the worldly virtues are, nevertheless, very necessary virtues,religious or moral.
Among other good qualities, the Scots have been distinguished for humour, not for venomous wit, but for kindly, genial humour, which half loves what it laughs at, and this alone shows clearly enough that those to whom it belongs have not looked too exclusively on the gloomy side of the world. I should rather say that the Scots had been an unusually happy people. Intelligent industry, the honest doing of daily work, with a sense that it must be done well, under penalties ; the necessaries of life moderately provided for ; and a sensible content with the situation of life in which men are born, this through the week, and at the end of it the "Cotter's Saturday Night"
The Scottish Appearance
People in Scotland have white skin, blonde or red hair, they have blue and green eyes
domingo, 29 de noviembre de 2009
sábado, 28 de noviembre de 2009
5. Official languages
The Language of Scotland
As in the rest of the United Kingdom, English is the official language of Scotland. There are marked regional accents but all are distinctively Scottish.
Gaelic is still spoken in parts of the western Highlands and in the Western Isles, with English as a second language.
The Gaelic Language
Gaelic is the longest-standing language used in Scotland and can boast one of the richest song and oral traditions in Europe. It is part of a family of Celtic languages which today are spoken in six separate areas: Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany in France.
Celtic Roots
Scots Gaelic emerged from the vast pan-European commonwealth of Celtic nations that eventually succumbed to the might of the conquering Roman Empire. The Celts in both Scotland and Ireland remained outwith Rome's influence and it was from Ireland that the Gaels were to come to Scotland.
The first Irish Gaels, the Scots, arrived in Scotland around 450 AD and settled in Argyll, after the homeland they had left. While establishing themselves, they were fiercely resisted by the established Pictish people and it was not until 843 that the Gaelic leader, Kenneth MacAlpin united the Picts and the Gaels and became the first ruler of Alba which comprised most of Scotland north of Forth and Clyde. Alba has since remained the Gaelic name for Scotland. The culture of the Gaels spread throughout the country, and their language became the language of the king, court and most of the common people. James IV was the last Scottish monarch to speak Gaelic.
The Slow Road to Decline
With the growth of urban centres and the emergence of Scots as the language of the royal court in the 15th and 16th centuries, Gaelic began to lose its dominance. This was accelerated by the adoption in turn of English as the official language of the country following the 1707 Act of Union which confirmed what had been the de facto position in the more populous Lowlands for several generations. Gaelic also suffered severely in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the Government attack on all aspects of Highland culture following the defeat of the Jacobites, and from the effects of the Clearances which destroyed many Gaelic-speaking communities throughout the Highlands.
Renaissance
By the middle of the 20th century, the language was at a very low ebb but in the mid 1970s, there began a grass-roots renaissance which aimed to create new generations of Gaelic-speakers. There are now numerous Gaelic playgroups, Gaelic units in primary schools, Sradagan (Gaelic Youth Clubs) and many Gaelic television programmes. Internationally renowned bands like Runrig and Capercaillie make Gaelic language and music interesting to a younger audience.
Yet perhaps the real success of this movement can be seen in the way in which Gaelic is gradually being reincorporated into public life for the first time in over 200 years. Until recently, the naming of official bodies in Gaelic was virtually unknown whereas there are now over a hundred bodies, including national organisations, local authorities, banks and commercial organisations who have adopted Gaelic name. There is also a new Gaelic development agency, Bord na Gaidhlig, and at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, full-time vocational courses are taught through Gaelic in a Gaelic environment.
The Future
Yet there is still much to be done to ensure that Gaelic is seen to belong not to the past but as having a central role to play in Scotland's vibrant cultural future. The 2001 General Census of Scotland recorded 58,650 Gaelic speakers, most of whom live in the Western Isles, the Central belt and the northern Highlands. In 2003, the SNP MSP Michael Russell introduced a private member's bill in the Scottish Parliament which if ultimately successful will grant Gaelic full legal equality with English in public life and see it revitalised as a living entity in Scotland's social, cultural and political life.
As in the rest of the United Kingdom, English is the official language of Scotland. There are marked regional accents but all are distinctively Scottish.
Gaelic is still spoken in parts of the western Highlands and in the Western Isles, with English as a second language.
The Gaelic Language
Gaelic is the longest-standing language used in Scotland and can boast one of the richest song and oral traditions in Europe. It is part of a family of Celtic languages which today are spoken in six separate areas: Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany in France.
Celtic Roots
Scots Gaelic emerged from the vast pan-European commonwealth of Celtic nations that eventually succumbed to the might of the conquering Roman Empire. The Celts in both Scotland and Ireland remained outwith Rome's influence and it was from Ireland that the Gaels were to come to Scotland.
The first Irish Gaels, the Scots, arrived in Scotland around 450 AD and settled in Argyll, after the homeland they had left. While establishing themselves, they were fiercely resisted by the established Pictish people and it was not until 843 that the Gaelic leader, Kenneth MacAlpin united the Picts and the Gaels and became the first ruler of Alba which comprised most of Scotland north of Forth and Clyde. Alba has since remained the Gaelic name for Scotland. The culture of the Gaels spread throughout the country, and their language became the language of the king, court and most of the common people. James IV was the last Scottish monarch to speak Gaelic.
The Slow Road to Decline
With the growth of urban centres and the emergence of Scots as the language of the royal court in the 15th and 16th centuries, Gaelic began to lose its dominance. This was accelerated by the adoption in turn of English as the official language of the country following the 1707 Act of Union which confirmed what had been the de facto position in the more populous Lowlands for several generations. Gaelic also suffered severely in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the Government attack on all aspects of Highland culture following the defeat of the Jacobites, and from the effects of the Clearances which destroyed many Gaelic-speaking communities throughout the Highlands.
Renaissance
By the middle of the 20th century, the language was at a very low ebb but in the mid 1970s, there began a grass-roots renaissance which aimed to create new generations of Gaelic-speakers. There are now numerous Gaelic playgroups, Gaelic units in primary schools, Sradagan (Gaelic Youth Clubs) and many Gaelic television programmes. Internationally renowned bands like Runrig and Capercaillie make Gaelic language and music interesting to a younger audience.
Yet perhaps the real success of this movement can be seen in the way in which Gaelic is gradually being reincorporated into public life for the first time in over 200 years. Until recently, the naming of official bodies in Gaelic was virtually unknown whereas there are now over a hundred bodies, including national organisations, local authorities, banks and commercial organisations who have adopted Gaelic name. There is also a new Gaelic development agency, Bord na Gaidhlig, and at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye, full-time vocational courses are taught through Gaelic in a Gaelic environment.
The Future
Yet there is still much to be done to ensure that Gaelic is seen to belong not to the past but as having a central role to play in Scotland's vibrant cultural future. The 2001 General Census of Scotland recorded 58,650 Gaelic speakers, most of whom live in the Western Isles, the Central belt and the northern Highlands. In 2003, the SNP MSP Michael Russell introduced a private member's bill in the Scottish Parliament which if ultimately successful will grant Gaelic full legal equality with English in public life and see it revitalised as a living entity in Scotland's social, cultural and political life.
miércoles, 25 de noviembre de 2009
4. Capital city
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern 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.
Scotland consists of over 790 islands including the Northern Isles.
Edinburgh is the country's capital and second largest city. Edinburgh was the centre of the Scottish lights century of the 18th, 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.
The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent sovereign state before 1 May 1707 when it entered into a political union with the Kingdom of 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, Wales, and Northern Ireland and Scotland still constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and in private law. The continued independence of Scots law, the Scottish education system, and the Church of Scotland have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish 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 ever pro-independence Scottish Government was elected in 2007 when the Scottish National Party formed a minority administration after talks of a coalition with other parties broke down
3. Population of the country
The population of Scotland in the 2001 census was 5,062,011. This has risen to 5,168,500 according to June 2008 estimates. This would make Scotland the 112th largest country by population if it were a sovereign state. Although Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland it is not the largest city. With a population of just over 584,000 this honour falls to Glasgow. Indeed, the Greater Glasgow conurbation, with a population of over 1.1 million, is home to over a fifth of Scotland's population.
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
1. Location of the country in the world & map
The world is a sphere.It is divided in two parts for a line,the Equator. These parts are called hemispheres, North hemisphere (at the top) and South hemisphere( at the bottom).
There is an other line which divided the sphere in Western and Eastern, is called Greenwich Meridian.
Scotland is situated in Northwestern hemisphere.
There is an other line which divided the sphere in Western and Eastern, is called Greenwich Meridian.
Scotland is situated in Northwestern hemisphere.
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