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Scotland. Pop - 5,116,900. Area - 78,772 km². Capital - Edinburgh. Largest City – Glasgow. Currency – Euro. Language – English and Gaelic (North West Scotland). Main Religion – Protestant. Time Zone – GMT + 0 hours. Main Airports – Glasgow GLA, Edinburgh EDI, Prestwick PIK, Aberdeen ABZ. Climate – Temperate and Oceanic, and tends to be very changeable.. Voltage guide 240V. Dialing code 44. Scotland is situated north of England and is surrounded by the Atlantic on its western coast and the North Sea on it’s eastern coastline. It is a diverse land with rolling hills in southern Scotland, a highly populated and industrial central belt, and a magical Highlands in the north with an abundance of mountains, moors, and lochs (lakes). Scotland is broadly divided into the following areas - The Borders, The South West, The Central, The Highlands, North East, The Hebrides, The Orkney Islands, and The Shetland Islands. At local level there are 32 authorities structured largely around the old county system, often using the name of the largest city or town. Historically, Scotland for many years was an independent country until the Union of Crowns in 1603, which was followed in 1707, by the Union of Parliaments of Scotland and England which created Great Britain. In 1997 Scotland was granted a limited form of self-government although many of the most important roles were retained by the UK government. On May 16th 2007 the Scottish National Party (SNP), under their charismatic leader, Alex Salmond, won a sensational election and are currently running the Scottish Government. Over the years Scotland has developed a reputation for producing engineers, scientists, and inventors including: John Logie Baird (Television); Alexander Graham Bell (Telephone); James Watt (Steam Power); John Boyd Dunlop (Car Tyres); Kirkpatrick MacMillan (Bicycle); Thomas Telford (Bridge and Road Builder); Sir Alexander Fleming (Penicillin); and John Loudon McAdam (Road Construction). However, there are many other famous Scots from other walks of life including: Robert the Bruce; Sean Connery; Andy Murray; Jock Stein; Sir Alex Ferguson; Sir Jackie Stewart; Rod Stewart; Andrew Carnegie; Walter Scott; Sir Tom Hunter; Chic Murray; Billy Connolly; Tam the Bam Flannigan; and Adam Smith. However, many Scots would regard the following 2 people as being arguably the most famous – William Wallace and Robert Burns. For visitors, Scotland has much to offer, from the cultural sights of the capital Edinburgh and the old firm football teams of Glasgow to the single malt whisky of the island of Islay and the spectacular Cuillin mountains on the island of Skye.

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