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A Brief Portrait Of Scotland
Separated
from continental Europe by the North Sea, Scotland occupies the
northern third of the Island of Great Britain. Its nearest neighbors
are Ireland to the west, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway
to the east. and England on its southern border. Scotland is a
fairly isolated land made up of rugged terrain, deep coastal inlets,
and many islands. The highest peak is Ben Nevis ( 4,406 ft )
The
isolation and ruggedness have combined to keep Scotland's population
small and its land empty, but they have also helped to make my fellow
Scots an independent, proud, and determinedly self-reliant people.
The Land
The
country is washed on the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean and on
the east by the North Sea. Its breadth varies from 154 miles to as
little as 26 miles. The country has 2,300 miles of coastline, an
incredible length for the size of the mainland. Scotland is indeed a
land of contrasts, from the austere majesty of the mountains to the
subtle undulations of the Lowland valleys, and from the dramatic cliffs
to the dense forests. The country also boasts 787 major islands; almost
all lying off the northern or western coasts. Picturesque lochs and
rivers are scattered throughout the whole country.
The
country is a Geologists playground, with rocks displaying 3 billion
years of geological time. Starting with hard granite in the Western
Isles, which was formed before life itself developed on earth, the
rocks tell a long story of lava flows, eras of mountain-building,
numerous ice ages and even a time when the land was briefly separated
from England.
Four major fault and thrust lines, running
across Scotland from northeast to southwest, define the main geological
zones. The U-shaped valleys in the Highlands are a legacy of the last
Ice Age. The weight and movements of glaciers broke off spurs,
deepening and rounding out the existing river valleys. The Basalt
Columns of the Isle Of Staffa were formed 60 million years ago as a
flow of lava cooled slowly, contracting and fracturing in a distinctive
hexagonal pattern similar to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. The
Devonian Sandstone in the Orkney Islands has eroded the horizontally
layered rock into spectacular cliffs and stacks, as with the Old Man Of
Hoy.
The People Of Scotland
Modern-day Scots are the product of an age-old ethnic blend. The
original Picts mixed with successive invaders - Celts, Romans,
Anglo-Saxons, Scandinavians, Normans - and each group has left its mark
on the national culture. In later times, many Irish migrated to the
industrial areas in the Central Lowlands. Some immigration from eastern
and southern Europe also took place. The Scots cherish the differences
that set them apart from the English, and cling tenaciously to the
distinctions that also differentiate them region by region - their
customs, dialects and the Gaelic language. I, for example, consider
myself to be a " Fifer, " having been born and bred in that Kingdom.
But even more than that, I consider myself to be a " Dyker, " having
been raised in the fishing village of Cellardyke.
It is
perhaps more by their differences than similarities that the Scots can
be defined, but for all that, they are immensely proud of their nation
and its institutions.
Scots can be dour but equally they can
flash with inspiration. Most all Scots delight in self-deprecating
humour and continue to honour their tradition of hospitality.
Generally speaking most foreign tourists to Scotland make the mistake
of moving their location every day, and thus denying themselves the
opportunity to really get to know some of the locals.
Scots
have long been noted for their frugality, which they have exaggerated
and turned into jokes about themselves. But perhaps the best-known
feature of Scottish society through the ages is that of the
clans--groups of families sharing a common ancestor and the same name.
Many Scots still feel strong kinship with their clan, and many Scottish
traditions have their origins in that system. Scots are a gregarious
people and enjoy company, whether this be in a small group in the local
pub, or at a Ceilidh ( which means literally, a " visit ".) And Scots
love to visit with people from other countries - if you'll give the
time.
Language
Gaelic, the old Celtic tongue of the Scots, is now spoken by little more than 75,000 people, most of them in the Highlands and the Hebrides. By their acceptance and use of the English translation of the Bible, the Scottish reformers of the 16th century in effect adopted English as the national language. But as any singer of "Auld Lang Syne" knows, the Scots have made the English they speak peculiarly their own. They have retained a high percentage of vocabulary derived from Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon, and they speak with a lilt.
Religion
Scottish Presbyterians have been meeting in 'kirk sessions" ever since John Knox thundered his fiery sermons from the pulpit of St. Giles in the 1560's. Today, their denomination is the official, as well as the largest, church in the country. The Church of Scotland, as it is called, claims the adherence of nearly half the population. Roman Catholics, particularly strong in the western Highlands, make up the second-largest group of worshippers.
Education
To
the Scots, education is extremely important, and they start sending
their children to school at 5 years of age. At 12, Scottish youngsters
generally graduate from elementary to secondary schools, where they
must continue until they are 16. Higher education may be pursued at
eight universities and dozens of other specialized institutions. Four
of the Scottish universities, those of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen,
and Edinburgh, are more than 400 years old.
The Scottish Economy
About
three-fourths of Scotland is used for agriculture--crop cultivation and
animal husbandry. But Scotland is still deficient in food production
and must rely on imports. Manufacturing has long been the mainstay of
its economy. With the exploitation of the North Sea natural gas and oil
deposits, the extractive industries have entered a new phase and become
of major importance.
Heavy industries, such as
steelmaking and ship-building, have been the backbone of the
manufacturing sector since the Industrial Revolution. Glasgow is still
the principal marine engineering center in the United Kingdom. But
foreign competition has forced diversification of industries and
spurred a movement into high technology and consumer goods. Electronics
and computers are among the notable new products from Scottish plants.
Scotch tweed and textiles are still in demand, and the nation's
world-famous whiskey distilleries continue to flourish.
Coal used to be Scotland's chief mineral resource, but since the
1970's, coal has been eclipsed by oil. Most of Britain's offshore oil
fields are in Scottish waters, and Aberdeen has evolved into
head-quarters of the new oil industry. Large refineries have been
established at Grangemouth and Dundee.
About half of the country's farmland, especially in the Highlands and
Southern Uplands, is used for grazing sheep and cattle. Scotland is
famous for its breeds of cattle--Aberdeen-Angus, -Galloway, and
others--and the peculiar Scottish blackface sheep produce the wool for
its tweeds. The major crops raised on the other half of the farmland,
the best of which is in the Central Lowlands, are barley, oats, wheat,
hay, and potatoes.
Depleted stocks and the closing of some traditional fishing grounds in
the North Atlantic have created difficulties for many Scottish
fishermen. Fishing, however, is still a major industry. Crabs and
lobsters are taken in coastal waters, and cod, haddock, and other white
fish as far away as Greenland and the White Sea. My own hometown of
Anstruther used to be one of the largest Herring ports in Europe. Those
days are long gone now - just as the Herring themselves disappeared one
day from the fishing banks in the North Sea.
Scottish Sports, Culture And The Arts
Scotland
is renowned as the home of golf, but " soccer " is without doubt the
national passion, and England the favourite opponent. Other popular
sports include hill-walking, skiing, rugby, shinty, lawn-bowling,
fishing, darts and curling. There are also great annual
Highland Games held throughout the country during the summer months. In
addition, almost every village in Scotland hosts an annual Fair or Fete.
Scotland offers an excellent program of the performing arts. The
Edinburgh Festival and Fringe is the largest celebration of its kind in
the world, and there are literally hundreds of smaller festivals. The
key to enjoying Scotland is to stay flexible and keep your eyes open
for local events. Many wonderful Jumble Sales, Craft and Antique Fairs,
Folk Nights, Ceilidhs and the like will only be advertised in the most
local of newspapers. Or simply by a single billboard and a few posters.
The range of Music and Song emanating from Scotland is truly
amazing. There is something for everybody, ranging from Opera, Gaelic
Song, Bagpipes, Country, Accordion, Fiddle, Contemporary Folk, and so
on. Traditional music has experienced a renaissance with influences
from all over the world. With an estimated four Scots, such as myself,
living abroad, for every one living in the homeland, this influence is
not surprising. Bands like Macumba combine bagpipes with Brazilian
percussion to wonderful effect. Groups such as Runrig and Wolfestone
are famous for their brand of electric folk, whilst individuals such as
Rod Stewart and Sheena Easton sing to the world in a Scottish accent.
Although my Web Site is packed with Scottish Music, it is but a small
sample of what is presently available. In dance, on offer
are the various delights of Scottish Country Dancing, Highland and
Ceilidh Dancing, Ballet and Contemporary Dance. The
Scottish Film industry is booming, following the success of Trainspotting and other movies. And of course Scotland was the setting for movies such as Braveheart and Rob Roy.
Although only a minority of Scots speak Gaelic, the language has been
boosted by increased funding for Gaelic Radio and Television
Programmes. Scottish Literature continues to be extremely strong, with
no shortage of respected authors and poets following in the long
literate tradition of Scotland.
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Many of the major links within this site are sourced from data provided by the Gazetteer for Scotland at http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/ and used with their permission.