Scotland (Шотландия)

|Scotland, administrative division of the kingdom of Great Britain, occupying | |the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is bounded on the | |north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the North Sea; on the southeast by| |England; on the south by Solway Firth, which partly separates it from England,| |and by the Irish Sea; and on the west by North Channel, which separates it | |from Ireland, and by the Atlantic Ocean. As a geopolitical entity Scotland | |includes 186 nearby islands, a majority of which are contained in three | |groups—namely, the Hebrides, also known as the Western Islands, situated off | |the western coast; the Orkney Islands, situated off the northeastern coast; | |and the Shetland Islands, situated northeast of the Orkney Islands. The | |largest of the other islands is the Island of Arran. The area, including the | |islands, is 78,772 sq km (30,414 sq mi). Edinburgh (population, 1991, 421,213)| |is the capital of Scotland as well as a major industrial area and seaport. | |The Land and Resources | |Scotland has a very irregular coastline. The western coast in particular is | |deeply penetrated by numerous arms of the sea, most of which are narrow | |submerged valleys, known locally as sea lochs, and by a number of broad | |indentations, generally called firths. The principal firths are the Firth of | |Lorne, the Firth of Clyde, and Solway Firth. The major indentations on the | |eastern coast are Dornoch Firth, Moray Firth, the Firth of Tay, and the Firth | |of Forth. Measured around the various firths and lochs, the coastline of | |Scotland is about 3700 km (about 2300 mi) long. | |Physiographic Regions | |The terrain of Scotland is predominantly mountainous but may be divided into | |three distinct regions, from north to south: the Highlands, the Central | |Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. More than one-half of the surface of | |Scotland is occupied by the Highlands, the most rugged region on the island of| |Great Britain. Consisting of parallel mountain chains with a general | |northeastern-southwestern trend and broken by deep ravines and valleys, the | |Highlands are noted for their scenic grandeur. Precipitous cliffs, moorland | |plateaus, mountain lakes, sea lochs, swift-flowing streams, and dense thickets| |are common to the Highlands, the most sparsely inhabited section of Scotland. | |The region is divided in two by a depression, known as the Glen More, or Great| |Glen, which extends from Moray Firth to Loch Linnhe. To the northwest of this | |lie heavily eroded peaks with fairly uniform elevations ranging from 610 to | |915 m (about 2000 to 3000 ft). In the Highlands southeast of the Great Glen | |the topography is highly diversified. This region is traversed by the Grampian| |Mountains, the principal mountain system of Scotland. The highest peak of the | |Grampians is Ben Nevis (1343 m/4406 ft), the highest summit in Great Britain. | |To the south of the Highlands lies the Central Lowlands, a narrow belt | |comprising only about one-tenth of the area of Scotland, but containing the | |majority of the country «p.s population. The Central Lowlands are traversed by | |several chains of hills, including the Ochil and Sidlaw hills, and by several | |important rivers, notably the Clyde, Forth, and Tay. | |The terrain of the Southern Uplands, a region much less elevated and rugged | |than the Highlands, consists largely of a moorland plateau traversed by | |rolling valleys and broken by mountainous outcroppings. Only a few summits in | |the Southern Uplands exceed 762 m (2500 ft) in elevation, the highest being | |Merrick (843 m/2765 ft) in the southwest. Adjoining the Southern Uplands | |region along the boundary with England are the Cheviot Hills. | |Rivers and Lakes | |Scotland is characterized by an abundance of streams and lakes (lochs). | |Notable among the lakes, which are especially numerous in the central and | |northern regions, are Loch Lomond (the largest), Loch Ness, Loch Tay, and Loch| |Katrine. Many of the rivers of Scotland, in particular the rivers in the west,| |are short, torrential streams, generally of little commercial importance. The | |longest river of Scotland is the Tay; the Clyde, however, is the principal | |navigational stream, site of the port of Glasgow. Other chief rivers include | |the Forth, Tweed, Dee, and Spey. | |Climate | |Like the climate of the rest of Great Britain, that of Scotland is subject to | |the moderating influences of the surrounding seas. As a result of these | |influences, extreme seasonal variations are rare, and temperate winters and | |cool summers are the outstanding climatic features. Low temperatures, however,| |are common during the winter season in the mountainous districts of the | |interior. In the western coastal region, which is subject to the moderating | |effects of the Gulf Stream, conditions are somewhat milder than in the east. | |The average January temperature of the eastern coastal region is 3.9њ З (39њ | |F), and the average January temperature of the western coastal region is 3.1њ | |З (37.5њ F); corresponding July averages are 13.8њ З (56.8њ F) and 15њ З (59њ | |F). The average January and July temperatures for the city of Edinburgh are | |3.5њ З (38њ F) and 14.5њ З (58њ F), respectively. Precipitation, which is | |marked by regional variations, ranges from about 3810 mm (about 150 in) | |annually in the western Highlands to about 635 mm (about 25 in) annually in | |certain eastern areas. | |Plant and Animal Life | |The most common species of trees indigenous to Scotland are oak and | |conifers—chiefly fir, pine, and larch. Large forested areas, however, are | |rare, and the only important woodlands are in the southern and eastern | |Highlands. Except in these wooded areas, vegetation in the elevated regions | |consists largely of heather, ferns, mosses, and grasses. Saxifrage, mountain | |willow, and other types of alpine and arctic flora occur at elevations above | |610 m (2000 ft). Practically all of the cultivated plants of Scotland were | |imported from America and the European continent. | |The only large indigenous mammal in Scotland is the deer. Both the red deer | |and the roe deer are found, but the red deer, whose habitat is the Highlands, | |is by far the more abundant of the two species. Other indigenous mammals are | |the hare, rabbit, otter, ermine, pine marten, and wildcat. Game birds include | |grouse, blackcock, ptarmigan, and waterfowl. The few predatory birds include | |the kite, osprey, and golden eagle. Scotland is famous for the salmon and | |trout that abound in its streams and lakes. Many species of fish, including | |cod, haddock, herring, and various types of shellfish, are found in the | |coastal waters. | |Natural Resources | |Scotland, like the rest of the island of Great Britain, has significant | |reserves of coal. It also possesses large deposits of zinc, chiefly in the | |south. The soil is generally rocky and infertile, except for that of the | |Central Lowlands. Northern Scotland has great hydroelectric power potential | |and contains Great Britain «p.s largest hydroelectric generating stations. | |Beginning in the late 1970s, offshore оіл deposits in the North Sea became an | |important part of the Scottish economy. | |Population | |The people of Scotland, like those of Great Britain in general, are | |descendants of various racial stocks, including the Picts, Celts, | |Scandinavians, and Romans. Scotland is a mixed rural-industrial society. Scots| |divide themselves into Highlanders, who consider themselves of purer Celtic | |blood and retain a stronger feeling of the clan, and Lowlanders, who are | |largely of Teutonic blood. | |Population Characteristics | |The population of Scotland was (1991 preliminary) 4,957,289. The population | |density was about 64 persons per sq km (167 per sq mi). The highest density is| |in the Central Lowlands, where nearly three-quarters of the Scots live, and | |the lowest is in the Highlands. About two-thirds of the population are urban | |dwellers. | |Principal Cities | |The most populous city in Scotland (654,542) is Glasgow. The conurbation of | |Clydeside, which includes the cities of Glasgow and Clydebank, is the largest | |shipbuilding and marine engineering center in Great Britain. Other important | |industrial cities are Dundee (165,548) and Aberdeen (201,099). | |Religion and Language | |The Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian denomination, is the official state | |church. The Roman Catholic church is second in importance. Other leading | |denominations are the Episcopal Church in Scotland, Congregationalist, | |Baptist, Methodist, and Unitarian. Jews are a small minority. | |English is generally spoken; fewer than 100,000 Scots (mainly inhabitants of | |the Highlands and island groups) also speak the Scottish form of Gaelic. | |Education | |Schools in Scotland are administered by the Scottish Education Department and | |by local education authorities. | |Elementary and Secondary Schools | |In the mid-1980s some 879,000 pupils were attending publicly maintained | |schools and about 31,900 were in private schools. The transfer from elementary| |to secondary schools generally takes place at the age of 12. For a discussion | |on specialized schools. | |Universities and Colleges | |Scotland has about 66 institutions providing programs of study beyond the | |secondary level for those students who do not go on to the universities. These| |include colleges of agriculture, art, commerce, and science, and in the | |mid-1980s the total enrollment was more than 81,000. Teacher-training colleges| |numbered seven, with approximately 3000 students. Of the eight universities in| |Scotland, the oldest (University of Aberdeen, University of Edinburgh, | |University of Glasgow, and University of St. Andrews) were founded in the 15th| |and 16th centuries. Four universities have received their charters since 1960.| |Total university enrollment was about 43,100 in the early 1980s. | |Culture | |Clans, the traditional keystone of Scottish society, are no longer powerful. | |Originally, the clan, a grouping of an entire family with one head, or laird, | |was also important as a fighting unit. The solidarity associated with clan | |membership has been expanded into a strong national pride. The Puritan zeal of| |Scottish Presbyterianism, which is traceable to John Knox, the 16th-century | |religious reformer and statesman, is also strong. Popular sports of Scottish | |origin include curling and golf. | |Bagpipes, usually associated with Scottish music, were probably introduced by | |the Romans, who acquired them in the Middle East. Scottish music is noted for | |the wide use of a five-tone, or pentatonic, scale. Folk tunes are not | |standardized, and a single song may have hundreds of variations in lyrics and | |music. | |Government | |Scotland is governed as an integral part of Great Britain. It is represented | |by 72 members in the House of Commons and by 16 Scottish peers in the House of| |Lords. | |Central Government | |Scottish affairs are administered by a British cabinet ministry, headed by the| |secretary of state for Scotland. | |The statutory functions of the secretary of state are discharged by five main | |departments of equal status: the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for | |Scotland, the Scottish Development Department, the Scottish Education | |Department, the Scottish Home and Health Department, and the Industry | |Department for Scotland. Each is administered by a secretary who is | |responsible to the secretary of state. The routine administration of the | |departments proceeds from Edinburgh, but each department has representatives | |in London, where they perform liaison and parliamentary duties. | |Legislature | |Before the union of Scotland and England in 1707, Scotland had developed its | |own system of law, which continued after the union. The Scottish law system is| |based on civil law, which is derived from ancient Roman law, whereas the other| |parts of Great Britain follow the common law, which originated in England with| |the evolution of case law and precedents. Because of the different systems of | |law, separate statutes or statutory provisions often are enacted by Parliament| |for application in Scotland. Any statute must state expressly or imply that it| |is applicable to Scotland in order to become enforceable. | |Judiciary | |The Scottish judiciary is organized separately from that of the rest of Great | |Britain. | |The two higher courts of Scotland are the High Court of Justiciary (criminal) | |and the Court of Session (civil). A panel of 21 judges is provided for both | |courts together. Major criminal trials are held before 1 or 2 judges of the | |High Court of Justiciary and a 15-member jury; criminal appeals may be heard | |by a bench of at least 3 judges. The Court of Session is divided into an Outer| |House, which holds all divorce trials and the more important civil trials, and| |an Inner House, which functions chiefly as an appellate court in civil cases. | |Appeals to the British House of Lords may be made from the Court of Session; | |appellate judgments of the High Court of Justiciary are final. | |Each of the six sheriffdoms, into which Scotland is divided, has a sheriff | |court for less important civil and criminal cases. Petty cases are tried by | |police courts and justices of the peace. | |Local Government and Political Parties | |The Scottish Development Department is responsible for general policy in | |regard to local government. A reorganization of local government in Scotland | |was made effective in 1975, when the counties and burghs were abolished and | |replaced by nine regions and three island areas. The regions (but not the | |island areas) are divided into districts. Each of these units is administered | |by a council, whose members are elected to 4-year terms. The island areas, | |numbering some 700 islands and islets to the north and west, the regions, and | |the former counties, all of which are described in separate articles, are | |listed in the accompanying table. | |Two leading British parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, have| |shared Scottish seats in Parliament about equally since the 1920s. The | |Scottish Nationalist Party, which was founded in 1927 in order to press for | |complete self-government, has played a minor role in the politics of the | |country. | |Economy | |Many aspects of the economy of Scotland are covered in the article on Great | |Britain. The currency of Great Britain is the legal tender of Scotland. Both | |agriculture and industry are important in the economy of Scotland. The chief | |exports are petroleum and natural gas and manufactured goods, especially | |burlap, clothing, machinery, textiles, and whiskey. The chief imports are food| |and iron. The center of Scottish trade unionism is the Scottish Trades Union | |Congress, with an affiliated membership of more than 980,000. | |Agriculture | |More than three-fourths of the land is used for agriculture; approximately | |equal areas are devoted to farming and grazing. The most important crops are | |wheat, oats, and potatoes. Other crops include barley, turnips, and fruit. | |Livestock and livestock products are also of major importance. Sheep are | |raised in both the Highlands and island groups and the Southern Uplands. | |Scotland is also known for its beef and dairy cattle and for its dairy | |products. | |Forestry and Fishing | |About 607,000 hectares (about 1.5 million acres) of Scotland is forested, 60 | |percent of which is publicly owned. In Scotland fishing is more important than| |forestry. The principal fishing ports are Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, | |and Lerwick. The catch consists mainly of whitefish, herring, crabs, and | |lobsters. | |Mining and Manufacturing | |Coal is the chief mineral wealth, and the industry is nationalized. Nearly all| |the major coal deposits are found in the Central Lowlands. Limestone, clay, | |and silica are also mined. Iron ores and other metals have been virtually | |exhausted. North Sea petroleum and natural gas are sent by pipeline to points | |in the Orkney and Shetland islands and to the mainland. Major оіл refineries | |are located at Grangemouth and Dundee. | |About 36 percent of the labor force is employed in manufacturing. | |Shipbuilding, steelmaking, and the manufacture of electronic items are major | |industries and are concentrated in the region surrounding Glasgow. Other | |important manufactures include woolen textiles and yarn, chemicals, machinery | |of many varieties, vehicles, and whiskey. | |Transportation and Communications | |About 48,000 km (about 30,000 mi) of highways and about 6400 km (about 4000 | |mi) of railroads serve Scotland. Public buses provide transportation | |throughout most of the country, and many transatlantic flights use Prestwick | |Airport near Glasgow. Most radio and television programs originate in England.| |About 17 daily newspapers and 120 weeklies are published in the country. |.