About Scotland. Geographical situation and the description of its peculiarities.

Scotland is located in the north of Great Britain. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh while the largest city is Glasgow. Other major cities include Aberdeen and Dundee.

The inhabitants of Scotland are the Scots.

The Scottish flag is a white saltire (= a cross in the shape of an X, diagonal cross) on a sky blue field. It is also known as the cross of St. Andrew, who is the patron saint of Scotland. According to legends, he lived in the1st centuryAD and was one of Jesus Christ’s pupils. He was executed on a diagonal cross. This cross, St Andrew’s cross, is on the flag of Scotland. St Andrew’s day, the 30^th of November, is celebrated as the Scottish National Day.

Nowadays, people go to Scotland by plane, by train and so on. We are to go there by force of our imagination, by mind.

Studying a country we usually begin with its geographical situation and the description of its peculiarities. /, pikjuli`æ reti/ (особенность; своеобразие).

With over 11, 000km of coastline, hundreds of islands, majestic mountains and beautiful canals, rivers and lochs, Scotland’s landscape and distinct geography offers a stunning mix of unique and inspiring habitats for you to explore. Scotland’s nature and geography will take your breath away.

Scotland is a part on the United Kingdom, along with England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Scotland shares a border with England.

Scotland includes over 700 islands. These include groups called Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.

The population of Scotland was around 5. 3 million.

Aberdeen has become an important centre for the oil industry after the finding of oil in the North Sea.

The highest mountain in Scotland is Ben Nevis which stands at a height of 1344 meters(4409 feet).

The Scottish Highlands are a mountainous region of Scotland with historical importance and a low population density (плотность).

Most major cities are located in the Scottish Lowlands.

A variety of wildlife can be found in Scotland, including seals (тюлень), mountain hare, ptarmigan /`tά migə n/ (белаякуропатка), stoats /stə ut/ (горностай ) and the golden eagle.

Scotland has over 300 railway stations.

Scottish drivers use the left-hand side of the road.

In 1872, Scotland played England in the first international game of football (soccer). The result was a 0-0 draw.

Although Scotland is rather a small country, its history is very rich and full of tragedy. What names come to your mind when you hear the word “Scotland”? Of course, Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary Stuart. She was the daughter of the Scottish king James V. She became queen when she was only one week old. She dreamed to become Queen of both Scotland and England, but Elizabeth, Queen of England, her cousin, ordered Mary to be killed. After Elizabeth’s death, the son of Mary, the king of Scotland, became also the king of England, James I.

Some more tragedy. This card is called “ the nine of diamond ”. What is it both famous and despised for? Its name is “The Disgrace (позор) or The Damnation (проклятие) of Scotland”. When William III, William of Orange, in 1689 came to Scotland, clan chiefs came to welcome him. But one clan leader, McDonald from Glencow, was late. He was punished very cruelly. When playing cards, William III wrote on the card the order for a captain Campbell to kill all the people from the clan of the McDonalds. It was done so. 128 soldiers came to the clan of McDonalds as guests. And at the dead of night they killed all the men, women and children of the clan, more than 40 people all in all.

And one more object. It is a spider. Once it changed the history of Scotland. How did it happen? The case is connected with Robert the Bruce, who became King of Scotland in 1307. Scotland was recognized independent under his rule in 1328. The story that most people know about Robert the Bruce is that he watched a spider showing determination (решительность) which encouraged him to do the same. 7 times Robert Bruce was defeated by the English army. 7 times the spider reconstructed its web. When the insect began to reconstruct the net for the 8^th time, Robert Bruce gathered his followers for the last battle. He won a victory.

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