Scotland

Map of the Scotland Area

Scotland one of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom and shares a border with England. The Scottish mainland makes up a third of the land mass of Great Britain and has a population of more than 5.2 million people. The capital city of Scotland is Edinburgh, which is one of the largest financial centres in Europe. Scotland's head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch of the United Kingdom and The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority over the country of Scotland. There are eight regions and 73 constituencies within the Scottish Parliament.

From the time of the Industrial Revolution Scotland has been one of the major industrial powerhouses within Europe as well as being a major centre for manufacturing. Current key economic industries include banking, fund management, financial services, computer software, insurance, fund management, avionics, textiles and whisky. The service sector is the largest economic driver in Scotland. The official currency in Scotland is the British Pound.

Scotland is home to five international airports including Glasgow Prestwick, Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow International and Aberdeen. Scotland also benefits from a highly developed rail transportation network. Scotland's official language is English while Gaelic is also spoken, particularly in the West and Northern parts of Scotland.