| Republic of Scotland Republic o Scotland Timeline: DifferentlyPoblachd na h-Alba | ||||||
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| Motto: "In My Defens God Me Defend" |
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| Anthem: "Flower of Scotland" |
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 Scotland (Green)
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| Capital | Edinburgh | |||||
| Largest city | Glasgow | |||||
| Official languages | English • Scots • Scottish Gaelic | |||||
| Demonym(s) | Scottish | |||||
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic | |||||
| - | President | Wendy Alexander | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Angus Robertson | ||||
| Legislature | Scottish Assembly | |||||
| Independence from the United Kingdom | ||||||
| - | Granted | 1 December 2014 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 80,077 km2 30,918 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | Estimate | 5,295,000 (106th) | ||||
| Currency | Scottish Pound (£) | |||||
| Drives on the | left | |||||
Scotland, officially the Republic of Scotland, is a country covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Previously a constituent country of the United Kingdom, it became a sovereign republic in 2014 after approbation by a national referendum. Mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154 km) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and the Irish Sea to the south. The country also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt – the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands – in the Scottish Lowlands.
Its surface area of 80,077 square kilometers makes Scotland the 18th-largest country in Europe and the 110th-largest in the world. With a population of over 5.2 million inhabitants, it is the 21st-most populous country in Europe and the 106th in the world.
Scotland is known for its centuries-old history and rich culture. Predominantly an English-speaking country, Scotland has also minority speakers of Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language, and Scots, a language closely related to English.
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created the Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. In 1801, the Kingdom of Great Britain entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
While in Britain, there were seven Scottish Prime Ministers: Lord Bute, Lord Aberdeen, William Ewart Gladstone, Keir Hardie, Bonar Law and Ramsay MacDonald. Scotland is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Nordic Council (since 2016) and the European Union (since 2022).
Politics[]
Government[]
Scotland is a Unitary semi-presidential republic. The President of Scotland (President o scotland; Ceann-suidhe na h-Alba) is a purely ceremonial position, elected directly by the people for a nonrenewable 3 year term. The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots Pairlament) is the unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyrood. The Parliament is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected for five-year terms under the additional member system: 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality (first-past-the-post) system, while a further 56 are returned from eight additional member regions, each electing seven MSPs. The leader of Parliament is the Prime Minister of Scotland (Heid Meinister o Scotland; Prìomh Mhinistear na h-Alba).
Political parties[]
There are five major political parties in Scotland.
Ultra Gaelic Party - A conservative party with focus on dismantling British hold of Wales and Cornwall.- Liberal Scots - The liberal party of Scotland leads the left wing parties in popularity but is often criticized for willingness to accept conservatives demands.
- Conservative Party - A mild conservative party mostly interested in bringing on a Conservative Economy.
- Centrist Party - The newest party, which was formed in 2017 and has been running on a platform of maintaining Scotland’s environmental, Immigration and foreign relations laws.
- Scottish Progressives - A party left of the liberals that has been growing in support.
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