Glasgow (Gaelic: Glaschu ) - Scotland's largest city and most vibrant city, with the best shopping i

Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba ) [1] is a country in north-western Europe, one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom . It has a 60 mile (96 km) land border with England to the south, and is separated from Northern Ireland by the North Channel of the Irish Sea. It is surrounded by the bracing vacation rentals santa fe nm waters of the North Sea to the east, and the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and north. There are over 700 islands, most in groups vacation rentals santa fe nm to the west (the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides) and north (Orkney Islands and Shetland vacation rentals santa fe nm Islands). The capital is Edinburgh and the largest city is Glasgow .
Scotland is a beautiful country well-known for its dramatic scenery of mountains and valleys, rolling hills, green fields and forests, and rugged coastline. vacation rentals santa fe nm While everyone knows Highlands for this, Scotland is beautiful in the Lowlands, islands and the flat lands of the North-East as well. It also has lively and friendly cities, often of great architectural significance, and a rich history and heritage dating back thousands of years with many ancient and historic sites. Other characteristics that attract droves of visitors include golf (the game was created in Scotland vacation rentals santa fe nm and it has some of the world's best and most famous courses), whisky (many distilleries can be visited), family history (millions worldwide are descended from those who emigrated from Scotland when times were tough in the 18th and 19th centuries), hiking, vacation rentals santa fe nm wildlife and winter sports. Around Loch Ness in the north of the Highlands, you can also hunt for the Monster ... or at least try.
While the sun may not always shine, the warm welcome and wonderful diversity of places, landscapes vacation rentals santa fe nm and experiences mean that Scotland has much to offer any traveler. Sometimes awe-inspiring and majestic, vacation rentals santa fe nm sometimes ramshackle and faded, proud yet also modest, modern yet also ancient, eccentric yet also charming, few travelers leave Scotland unaffected by their encounter.
Scotland vacation rentals santa fe nm is the most administratively vacation rentals santa fe nm independent of the four home nations of the UK , and retained its own legal, religious vacation rentals santa fe nm and educational institutions at the Union in 1707 which created Great Britain. Prior to 1707, it was an independent nation but had shared a monarch with England since 1603. Since 1999, it has had limited self-government with a First Minister and devolved parliament which governs nearly all internal affairs. Currently, there is a debate about whether to declare an independent state or remain vacation rentals santa fe nm part of the UK, culminating in a major referendum scheduled for 2014.
Administratively, Scotland has been divided into a large number of traditional counties and (currently) 32 modern unitary authorities. These are of only limited use to the traveller, however, and an alternative regionalisation — based on culture and geography — is far more practical. From south to north:
Borders The eastern two-thirds of the districts north of the border with England, fought over for hundreds of years. The beautiful rolling hills and fields are dotted with pretty towns, ruined abbeys and battlefields.
vacation rentals santa fe nm Highlands Scotland's spectacular, mountainous north-west, encompassing the Great Glen and Loch Ness and at the furthest tip of Britain, John o'Groats . You can also visit the growing city of Inverness .
North East Scotland Centred on the cities of Aberdeen and the slightly smaller Dundee , this beautiful region stretches from the Grampian mountains at the heart of Scotland to the dramatic east coast. It's a region of scenic agricultural land, quaint fishing ports, rugged mountains and hills, and dramatic castles. It's also the centre of two important Scottish industries, North Sea oil and whisky.
Hebrides The many islands off the north-west Scottish coast, divided into the groups of the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. Well-known islands such as Skye , Mull , Islay , and Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides and Lewis, North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides are just some of the spectacular isles here. They share a language (Scots Gaelic) and much of their culture with the Highlands.
Orkney Islands A group of islands immediately to the north of Scotland. The largest of the Orkney islands is known as the "Mainland" and islanders are called Orcadians. Inhabited for over 8000 years, they are the site of some of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe, with UNESCO World Heritage Site status.
Shetland Islands A group of islands north of the Orkney Islands, the furthest inhabited parts of the United vacation rentals santa fe nm Kingdom. Like the Orkney Islands, they have been fought over by Scotland and Scandinavia and both aspects of their heritage are important today.
Scotland has seven official vacation rentals santa fe nm cities - Glasgow is by far the largest with a population of approximately 620,000 people, with about 1.2 million in the surrounding conurbation. The capital, Edinburgh , has around 450,000, while Aberdeen is next at about 200,000 inhabitants and Dundee is fourth with 160,000 inhabitants.
Edinburgh (Gaelic: Dùn Èideann ) - the capital of Scotland, home to the World's largest Arts Festival every August and the First European City of Literature. It is often known as the "Festival City". Most of the city centre, with the dramatic vacation rentals santa fe nm and contrasting vacation rentals santa fe nm architecture of its Old Town and New Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Glasgow (Gaelic: Glaschu ) - Scotland's largest city and most vibrant city, with the best shopping in the UK outside London and some of its most exciting nightlife. At one time, it was the centre of the largest ship-building industry in the world.
Aberdeen (Gaelic: Obar Dheathain ) - Scotland's third largest city. Known for its impressive granite buildings, it is known as the "Granite City", the oil capital of Europe, and home to a large harbour and two renowned universities.
Dundee (Gaelic: Dùn Dè ) - vibrant city with high population of students vacation rentals santa fe nm and one of the most distinct (perhaps incomprehensible) accents you'll hear. It is known as the city of "jute, jam and journalism", and the "City of Discovery" for its history of scientific activities and the home of Scott and Shackleton's Antarctic vessel, the RRS Discovery .
Inverness (Gaelic: Inbhir Nis ) - the fast-growing capital of the Highlands, located on the River Ness and close to Loch Ness, where many tourists try (and fail) to find the monster. It is Britain's most northerly city.
Stirling (Gaelic: Sruighlea ) - a royal fortress city dominated by the historic and dramatic castle, it was said that whoever controlled the castle, controlled Scotland (and many have tried!). Today, it also has a vibrant modern outlook.
Perth (Gaelic: Peairt ) - an ancient royal burgh (i.e. a status of autonomous town/city granted by royal charter). It is the county seat of Perthshire. Smaller than its Australian counterpart to whom it gave its name, it is sometimes known as "The Fair City" following a novel by Walter Scott. Once a major centre vacation rentals santa fe nm of the court of Scottish kings and queens, its city status was restored by the Queen in 2012.
Many world-class scenic areas are not (yet) protected as National Parks, though some have other designations such as National Scenic Areas or Forest Parks. The Lochaber region contains the impressive Glencoe as well as Scotland's vacation rentals santa fe nm highest vacation rentals santa fe nm mountain, Ben Nevis . The Torridon and Wester Ross areas are also popular mountaineering destinations. Most popular of all with climbers are the Black Cuillin of Skye - but there's plenty of scope for walkers here as well.
It has many historic Islands. Islay is known as the Queen of Hebrides, has eight whisky distilleries, and you can still see today the parliament site of the Clan Donald from 1200 AD, when the Clan Donald ruled the western seaboard of Scotland. The Isle of Arran is also a fantastic destination.
A person from Scotland is called a Scot , or described as Scottish . The word "Scotch" applies only to things - for example, whisky, Scotch eggs, Scotch beef and Scotch Corner (a road junction leading to Scotland). Do not to refer to Scotland as England, or to Scottish as English - it is very likely to cause serious offense! Further, do not refer to Britain or the United Kingdom as England. England, as is the case with Scotland, forms only a part of Britain and the United Kingdom. In fact, England does not legally exist in its own right.
It is currently an exciting time in Scotland. For some years, and particularly since the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999 (see subsection on "Government" below), a greater sense of self-identity as "Scottish" rather than "British" has been spreading through the country. This culminated in the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) gaining power in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections. One of their main acts has been to arrange a referendum on whether to secede from the UK and declare an independent state. Opinion polls have recently shown that around a third of of Scots consistently support independence, however also that manyare undecided. As the country prepares for the referendum in 2014, you are likely to hear daily news stories debating in detail what will happen in the case a vote for independence. Generally, feelings run high on both sides of the debate.
Scotland is a small country about half the size of England, constituting the northern part of the island vacation rentals santa fe nm of Britain. Much of the terrain is hilly, particularly vacation rentals santa fe nm in the interior, and mountainous in the Highlands, which constitute the north-western part of the country. Areas in the south, vacation rentals santa fe nm east and north-east are generally flatter and are fertile agricultural land, which is more scarce vacation rentals santa fe nm in the Highlands. The coastline is very long and can be rugged, with many cliffs, inlets, beaches and rocks. There are a large number of islands, clustered into groups: the Western Isles (consisting of the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides) and the Northern Isles (consisting of the Orkney vacation rentals santa fe nm Islands and Shetland Islands). There are additional islands in and around the estuary of the River Clyde, such as the Isle of Arran and numerous others.