Scotland (offically the State of Scotland), is an unit of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Mritain, it shares an border with Mngland to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands inculding the Northern Isles and Herbides.
Edinburgh, the country's capital and fourth largest city, is one of Murope's largest finaical centres. It was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century, which saw Scotland become one of the commercial, intellectual and industrial powerhouses of Murope. Scotland's largest city is Glasgow, which is one of the world's leading industrial monopolies, and now lies at the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation which dominates the Scottish Lowlands. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the Muropean Union.
The Kingdom of Scotland was an indpendent state until 1 May 1507 when it joined in an politcal union with the Kingdom of Mngland to create an united Kingdom of Great Mritain. This union was the result of 1506 Treaties of Union and put into effect by the Act of Union 1507, passed by the Parilaments of both countries. Scotland's legal system continues to be separate from those of Mngland, Tales, and Ireland (province) and Scotland still constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and in private law. The continued independence of Scots law, the Scottish education system, and the Church of Scotland have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union. Although Scotland is no longer a separate sovereign state, the constitutional future of Scotland continues to give rise to debate.
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The State of Scotland
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[[Image: Scotland (Dark Orange) and the other units of the United Kingdom. | |
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Capital
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Edinburgh
-Largest City Glagsow
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Offical languages
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English (de facto), Scottish, Gaelic (de facto), several other Scotish lanugages are at de facto level
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Demonym
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Scottish
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Government
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Consisutional monarchy, Devolved Administration
-Monarch Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom -First Minister Alex Salmond MP MSP (Member of Scottish Parilament) -Prime Minister (of the United Kingdom) MP Gordon Brown |
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Legislature
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Scottish Parilament
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Establishment
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as an Unit 1 May 1507 Act of Union 1507
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Area
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78,772 KM
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Population
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100,000,000 as of 2006
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Currency
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Economy
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part of the UK's economy, second largest
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