SCOTLAND TODAY

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh and the largest city is Glasgow. Edinburgh is a cultural center of paper production and publishing, while Glasgow is Scotland's leading seaport and center of shipbuilding. The high technology area know as the "Silicon Glen" is between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Scotland's main exports are textiles, beer, and whiskey.

Scotland has nine regions: Highland, Grampian, Tayside, Fife, Lothian, Central, Borders, Strathclyde, Dumfries, and Galloway. They are divided into three island authorities (Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and the Western Isles).

Scotland is a political division of Great Britain with a population of 4,957,000 as of 1991. It covers 30,414 square miles or 78,772 square kilometers, being composed of the northern portion of the island of Great Britain with the many surrounding islands.

Scotland is separated from England by the Tweed River, the Cheviot Hills, the Liddell River, and Solway Firth. It has the Atlantic Ocean on the north and west sides and the north sea on the east. Scotland has 2,300 miles or 3,700 kilometers of coastline.

Ben Nevis is the highest peak in Great Britain which is 4,406 feet high.

The Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) is the established church, but there are no restrictions on religion.

Fewer than 1000 people, mainly in the north, speak only Gaelic. Fewer than 80,000 speak Gaelic and English.

There are eight universities which are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, St. Andrews, Dundee, Stirling, Strathclyde, and Heriot-Watt.

Since 1707, Scotland, England, and Wales have been united under the name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. They share a national parliament, but Scotland has its own system of laws and education, based upon roman law, rather than the common law of England. In 1999, the Scottish Parliament was reestablished and is responsible for domestic affairs, including taxes.