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Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom. Since 1999, when legislative powers were devolved to a reconstituted Scottish Parliament, it has enjoyed a high degree of independence. There are three distinct regions: the Highlands and Islands, a densely populated Central Belt, which includes the main cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the Southern Uplands bordering England. The Outer Hebrides and the Inner Hebrides island groups lie to the west, with the Orkney Islands and Shetland Isles to the north. Once part of Norway, Shetland is nearer to that country than to Edinburgh, and retains a Norse character.
Overview
English is spoken everywhere, and Gaelic speakers make up around 1.3% of the population, mainly in the northwest and the Hebrides. The old language of the south, Scots, often described as a dialect of English, still heavily influences the usage of Scottish everyday speech
Edinburgh Castle hosts the annual Military Tattoo
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During the 19th century, Scotland became an industrial powerhouse, with mining, shipbuilding, heavy engineering and manufacturing supplying the needs of the expanding British Empire. These industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, and the modern Scottish economy was transformed with the discovery of North Sea oil deposits in 1966, and a rapid development of the service sector. Devolution and national identity Pressure for increased autonomy during the 1970s and 1990s led to the passing of the Scotland Act in 1999 by the Labour government of Tony Blair, with Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar as the architect of the legislation. Following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament elected by a system of proportional representation was re-established in Edinburgh, with primary lawmaking and limited tax-raising powers. The Scottish National Party (SNP), the largest party in the current Scottish Parliament, advocates a "national conversation" on full independence. Scots are proud of their national identity and despite a relatively small population of around five million, a very large diaspora exists not only in England but also worldwide, especially in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The relatively high degree of Scottish autonomy is reflected in other areas: Scotland competes as a separate team in international football, rugby and other sports. A distinct Scottish identity is ensured by a Scottish Premier League in football, and leading clubs such as Glasgow's Rangers and Celtic regularly qualify for the European Champions League. Celtic were the first UK club to win this competition's predecessor, the European Cup, in 1967.
Facts
- Status: Semi-autonomous part of the United Kingdom
- Population: 5 million (2001 census)
- Capital: Edinburgh
- Languages: English, Gaelic
- Major religion: Christianity
- Monetary unit: 1 pound sterling = 100 pence
- Main exports: Food/drink, chemicals/petroleum products
Leaders
Head of State of UK: Queen Elizabeth II Prime Minister: Gordon Brown Secretary of State for Scotland: Jim Murphy First Minister: Alex Salmond Scotland's first government under the new devolved system was a Labour-Liberal coalition, but following a closely fought Scottish parliament election in 2007, the SNP, under the leadership of Alex Salmond, assumed control of the parliament, leading many observers to believe that the eventual dissolution of the union with the rest of the UK was inevitable.
First Minister Alex Salmond addresses the Scottish Parliament
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But support for full political independence has never reached levels that would enable the SNP to declare independence unilaterally, and the stance of the SNP is to hold a referendum that would settle the issue by letting the people, who in Scotland embody the sovereignty of the nation, decide. The key to the Scottish devolution settlement of 1999 was the separation of areas of control and legislative powers into reserved and devolved categories. Among the areas that would be reserved to the House of Commons in London were the Crown and Constitution, foreign affairs, including Europe, the civil service, defence, most tax and budgetary matters, social security, immigration, nuclear energy and broadcasting. Those areas that were devolved to the Scottish Parliament included education, health, criminal, justice, home affairs, local government, economic development, the environment, agriculture, sport and the arts.
Media
In a fiercely-contested newspaper market, long-established Scottish dailies battle it out with tailored editions of UK titles. Scottish broadcasting has become part of a wider debate about independence, with the SNP administration seeking the devolution of powers over regulation. A commission set up to examine the state of the industry in Scotland has identified a marked decline in TV production. The BBC has announced a 9% target for network commissions from Scotland. The UK's national radio and TV networks broadcast across the country alongside Scotland-based services from the BBC and commercial operators. In September 2008, BBC Scotland and the Scottish government-funded MG Alba launched a tri-media Gaelic service, comprising digital TV channel BBC Alba, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal and BBC Alba Online. The press Television Radio
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