SCOTLAND
is the country in the north of Great Britain, beyond Hadrian's
Wall, and is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. It is two thirds the size of England.
Scotland is divided into three natural regions: the
Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands and t 525j92f he Highlands and Islands.
A lot of places in Scotland are a natural paradise,
still untouched by man. Scotland's
landscape is very attractive with glens (valleys), wild mountains and deep
lochs. The capital of Scotland
is Edinburgh,
well known for its monuments and for the International Festival which is
held every August.
Glasgow (which
means "Dear Green Place"
in Gaelic) is the industrial capital of Scotland. It lies ion the
River Clyde and is the third largest city in
Great Britain. The other main cities
are Aberdeen and Dundee on the east coast.
SCOTTISH HISTORY
The Roman Emperor
Hadrian (76-138 A.D.) built a wall from Carlisle to Newcastle to keep out the wild Scottish
tribes (the Picts and the Scots). During the 5th-7th centuries the Saxons
crossed the wall and made a new border from Carlisle to the mouth of the Tweed.
In the 9th century the Kingdoms of
Scotland united. After the Norman Conquest (1066) many English families left England
and settled in the Scottish Lowlands. For this reason the Highlanders consider
themselves the true Scots
In the
13th century England tried
to conquer Scotland
and there were many fierce battles. For several centuries the two countries
fought each other and peace and order carne only in the 16th century under the
rule of King James VI. In 1707 Scotland
underwent complete union with the English parliament at Westminster but rebellions continued, led by
popular heroes such as Bonnie Prince Charlie. In the 18th century, to stop
these rebellions, the English decided to destroy Scottish
culture, dress and language and many Scots emigrate, to Canada, America,
Australia and New Zealand.
After 40 years the so called "Disarming Act" was repealed.
SCOTLAND
TODAY
Scotland has always maintained a
certain autonomy; far exam-pIe, Scottish law is different from that of England
and the education system is different, too.
Most Scots vote
Labour and are proud nationalists who resent England's political and cultural
domination. Political attitudes are retlected in today's pop groups like Simple
Minds and Wet Wet Wet.
ECONOMY
Scotland has suffered from the same decline in
its traditional industries (coal-mining, steel and shipbuilding) as England,
but the discovery of gas and oil fields in the North Sea has boosted the Scottish economy and
created a good number of jobs. The electronics industry has also developed in
an area known as Silicon Glen. Typical Scottish products are high quality Tweed cloth and other textiles, and whisky.
Tourism plays an
important role in the economy and includes skiing, salmon fishing and golf, the
national sport.
Some
typical Scottish words and their meanings
Glen valley
burn stream
wee very small
och aye yes
loch lake
EXERCISES
1. Put the correct names by
the dots in the map below
2. Write a sentence about each of the
following giving some useful information for visitors to Scotland:
a) Edinburgh
b) Glasgow
c) Golf
d) Nessie
e) The Highlands
f) Whisky
