Scotland

Although Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big. It is the most northern part of the island of Great Britain and is not far away from the Arctic Circle.

That’s why it is not densely populated: its population is a little over 5 million people. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Apart from this land link with England, Scotland is surrounded by sea.

Scotland includes the Hebrides off the west coast, and the Orkney and Shetland Islands off the north coast. It is bounded by the North Sea on the east.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, which is the most northern and the most underpopulated area with a harsh climate, the Lowlands, which is the most industrial region, with about three quarters of the population, and the Southern Uplands, with hills, which border on England.

The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis (1343m). Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes, called lochs. The best-known is Loch Ness where as some people think a large monster lives. The most important city here is Aberdeen which is the oil centre of Scotland. Ships and helicopters travel from Aberdeen to the North Sea oil rigs. Work on an oil rig is difficult and dangerous.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city. Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries, other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. It’s an industrial city and an important port in the UK. Although Glasgow is Scotland’s biggest city it is not the capital.

Scotland had been an independent state and was forcefully joined into the UK after a long struggle for its independence in 1707.

One of the things that people associate with Scotland is the kilt. The kilt is a relic of the time when the clan system existed in the Highlands. Everybody in the clan had the same family name, like MacDonald or MacGregor (Mac means “son of”). The clan had its own territory and was ruled by a chieftain. Each clan had its own tartan.

Edinburgh has been the capital since the 15^th century, when its fortified castle was the centre of Scotland’s resistance to its enemies. Edinburgh is a cultural centre of Scotland. It is associated with the names of George Gordon Byron and Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. It is also associated with the world-famous Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama. The Festival was first held in 1947 and has been held annually ever since. Its emblem is a thistle.

the Arctic Circle - [΄a:ktik ΄sə:kl] – Северный полярный круг

the Hebrides - [΄hebridi:z] -Гебридские острова (включают около 500 островов)

the Orkney Islands - [΄o:kni ΄ailəndz] – Оркнейские острова (около 70 островов)

the Shetland Islands - [΄∫etlənd΄ailəndz] – Шетландские острова (около 100 островов)

the Southern Uplands - [΄sΛðən ΄Λpləndz] – Южное нагорье

Ben Nevis - [ben΄nevis] – Бен Невис (высочайшая гора в Шотландии)

Loch Ness - [΄lok΄nes] – озеро Лох-Несс (56 км², длина около 40 км, глубина до 230 м.)

Aberdeen - [΄æbə΄di:n] – г. Абердин

the Clyde - [klaid] – р. Клайд (на юге Шотландии; длина 170 км.)

kilt - [kilt] – килт, юбка шотландского горца (в складку, из шерстяной шотландки, часть шотландского костюма)

clan – клан (родовая община у шотландцев и ирландцев)

tartan - [΄ta:tən] – тартан (традиционный шотландский рисунок из перекрещивающихся узких и широких разноцветных полос; каждый клан имеет свой тартан)

George Gordon Byron - [΄dзo:dз ΄go:dən ΄bairən] – Джордж Гордон Байрон (1788-1824), английский поэт-романтик («Паломничество Чайлд Гарольда», «Дон Жуан»)

Walter Scott - [΄woltə ΄skot] – Вальтер Скотт (1771-1832), шотландский писатель и поэт («Роб Рой», «Айвенго»)

Robert Louis Stevenson - [΄robət ΄lui ΄sti:vənsən] – Роберт Льюис Стивенсон (1850-1894), шотландский писатель, неоромантик («Остров сокровищ», «Похищенный», «Черная стрела», «Владелец Баллантрэ»)

Robert Burns - [΄robət΄bə:nz] – Роберт Бернс (175901796), шотландский поэт.

Arthur Conan Doyle - [΄a:θə ΄konən ΄doil] – Артур Конан Дойл (1859-1930), английский писатель («Приключения Шерлока Холмса», «Собака Баскервилей» и др.)

Thistle - [΄θisl] – чертополох (национальная эмблема Шотландии, а также эмблема Эдинбургского фестиваля)