Scotland is the French name etymologically from the Latin Scotia , corresponding to English Scotland, which means land of Scots.

The word Scotia was used by the Romans to designate the country of the tribes that populated the ^first century the present territory of Scotland . The Romans used it at times this term to also designate Northern Ireland .

Bede uses the term national Scottorum (word for word: Nation of Scots) came to designate the people of Ireland who settled on some land Picts ("Scottorum nationem in pictorum parte recipe"). This can be interpreted as the arrival of people known as Gaels in the kingdom of Dal Riada , on the west coast of Scotland.

In ^the tenth century , the word Scot is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and refers to "the land of the Gaels," that is to say, Ireland. The term appears again Scottorum used by a king in Ireland in 1005. The term is added to the Imperator Scottorum name Brian Borum by Mael Suthain in the Book of Armagh . We think Brian Borum was then reigning over the Scots.

This name was somewhat copied by the Scottish kings. It attributes the expression Basileus Scottorum to Edgar I of Scotland (1074-1107) . Alexander I of Scotland (circa 1078 to 1124) used the term Rex Scottorum on its seal, as did his successors until to Jacques II .

History

Prehistory

The glaciers that covered the entire area of Scotland currently have destroyed all traces of human habitation that may have existed before the Mesolithic. Historians believe that the first groups of hunter-gatherers arrived on the scene 12,800 years before Jesus Christ , following the melting of the ice cap at the end of the last glaciation ^, . Groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 BC, and the first villages to 6000. One well-preserved Skara Brae on Mainland in the Orkney Islands from this period. Dwellings, graves and places of worship in Neolithic exist in large numbers and in good state of conservation in Northern and Western Isles , where few trees has resulted in the construction of stone buildings of the place .

Antiquity

Due to its remote geographical position, the Caledonia was less affected by the invasions of England and certainly the mainland. After the conquest of England (ca. 45 AD) by Claude , the Romans were unable or unwilling to pacify Scotland. They have entrenched themselves behind the wall that the Emperor Hadrian had built around 120 AD, a sort of " Chinese wall "that manages to somehow contain the Picts until 364. The Antonine Wall built further north was not effective long.

According to the Greek Claudius Ptolemy , the various peoples who live in Scotland, so were the Brigantes , the Caledonii the Votadini the Selgovae the Novantae the Damnonii the Verturiones, etc..

Middle Ages

The whole human that becomes Scotland is composed of different peoples: the Pict Celts, Britons , Celts, Scots from Ireland, the Angles , the Vikings from Norway.

In 563, the Irish monk Columcille (or Columbkill or Colomba - not to be confused with Columba ) founded a monastery on the island of Iona in the kingdom scot of Dal Riada. This prestigious Abbey will launch missions not only on the Dal Riada, but as far as the land of the Picts.

The various indigenous kingdoms will be absorbed by the Kingdom of the Scots to form the Scotia , that is to say, Scotland in French. These kingdoms were:

• the Kingdom of Fortriu (Pictish);
• the kingdom of Fib (Pictish);
• the kingdom of Gododdin (Breton, heir Votadini) absorbed by the Northumbrian Saxon;
• the kingdom of Strathclyde (Breton);
• the kingdom of Dal Riada (scot).

Modern Era

In 1603 , King Jacques VI of Scotland became also Jacques ^I of England and Ireland.

In 1701 , the parliament in London settled the succession to the throne of England in favor of the house of Hanover, but the Scottish Parliament for a time threatened to make a different choice, perhaps in favor of the deposed king's son Jacques II "Jacques III and VIII," friend of the king of France, who could claim to three thrones. But Scottish MPs, mostly merchants, had financial problems and therefore yielded to the English threat to cease all trade with them and to prohibit the free movement at the borders.

After lengthy negotiations, the Treaty of Union was signed and the "United Kingdom of Great Britain "was born.

Modern History

A Scottish Parliament was established by the "Scotland Act" adopted by the British parliament in 1998. A referendum had been held earlier, in September 1997 and a large majority had voted for the creation of a parliament. This is the first Scottish Parliament since 1707. It is composed of 128 deputies.

The first elections to the Scottish Parliament were held on 6 May 1999. The first session of parliament was held on 12 May 1999. Elections were then held in 2003. The Labour Party was then the biggest party (29.3% and 50 seats) just missing the majority. With the support of the Liberals (11.8% and 17 deputies) of the Scottish Liberal Democratic Party , the Labour Party formed the Scottish Executive is to say, the government of Scotland.

There was a significant presence of elected pro-independence SNP (20.9% and 27 seats) (Scottish National Party, center-left - in fact, was the second largest party in parliament), socialists independence (6.9 % and 6 seats) distributed between the SSP ( Scottish Socialist Party ) and Solidarity and environmentalists separatist Scottish Green Party (6.7% and 7 seats). The Conservative Unionists, whose Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party , right, who opposed the creation of Parliament, had only a chosen few (18 and 15.5%).

The elections on Thursday 3 May 2007 gave the advantage to the SNP, who beat a seat the Labor Party (47 seats for the SNP, 46 for the Labour Party). The Conservatives and the Democrats keep roughly the same number of seats, while the Greens and other smaller parties are eliminated. Since the SNP is the first time he became the largest party in the Scottish Assembly. However, not having half the seats, he formed a minority government led by Alex Salmond.

Geography

Topography

Simplified topographic map of Scotland.

Scotland has only one land border, south of the country, shared with England. Its maritime border separating it from the Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands , a territory of Denmark.

Scotland has many islands, comprising about 800 islands. The three are the main Shetland in the north, the Orkney Islands , off Thurso , and the Hebrides , north-west. The Isle of Skye is part of the Inner Hebrides, as well as the Isle of Mull. The ribs, like the fjords are very cut and made of cliffs or rocks, but also meets the sandy beaches.

Mountains cover a large area. The highlights are the Ben Nevis (1344 m) and Cairn Gorm (1,245 m), both of glacial origin. The snow persists throughout the year as snowfields. Volcanism, although former is visible in some parts of the relief (anvil of the Old Man of Storr on Skye , columnar basalt of Staffa , dykes of Edinburgh ).

The lochs are freshwater lakes or fjords deep, narrow opening on the sea These have been shaped by erosion during the last glaciation. They are thus often in glacial valleys , the glens , the bottom is occupied by a lake or arm of the sea lochs Scotland's most famous are probably the Loch Ness , the Loch Awe , the Loch Lomond and Loch Tay , but there are hundreds. Sea lochs, just as many, include, for example Loch Long , the Loch Fyne , the Loch Linnhe and Loch Eriboll.

Climate

The climate of Scotland is temperate oceanic , benefiting from the influence of the Gulf Stream. Rainfall is abundant, especially on the north-west. In winter, snow there frequently, but the snow tends to melt quickly due to temperature changes and the influence of the Gulf Stream , especially along the coasts.

However, because of its relative proximity to the Arctic Circle (Scotland is indeed located at the same latitude as the southern parts of Alaska and Norway ), winters can sometimes be very careful especially when advances within the Highlands where it can snow at the end of September. Also, when a polar air mass descends on the country, temperatures can drop so drastically in just hours. A record low was recorded at Aviemore (Highland) on 10 January 1982 with -27.2 degrees recorded at the thermometer (probably with temperatures around -40 C in the nearby peaks of the Cairngorms ).

Average temperatures for summer months generally range between 20 and 25 degrees.

Environment

Flora

The flora of Scotland is an assemblage of species of plants including over 1600 species of vascular plants , over 1500 of lichens and about 1 000 bryophytes. The total number of vascular plant species is low compared with other countries, but bryophytes and lichens are abundant and they are in Scotland with a population of global importance. Several populations of rare species of ferns exist, although the impact of collectors of the nineteenth ^century have jeopardized the existence of several species.

Forests are rare because of excessive deforestation in the past or the poor soil on the mountains. The wind and the blizzard blowing on the slopes in winter does not also facilitate vegetation. The moors are covered with heather or bracken and grass is often so rare that hundreds of square miles are completely unusable for agriculture. However, for several decades, the Scottish government is investing massively for the "reconstruction" of its forest and parts of the country, you can sometimes meet on large tracts of thousands of young firs Caledonian ensuring reforestation for the next twenty years.

Fauna

The fauna of Scotland is generally typical of north-west of the European of the ecozone Palearctic , although several large mammals of the country have been hunted to the extinction and human activity has also led the arrival of various species.

Various temperate environments of Scotland together 62 species of wild mammals, including a population of feral cats , a large number of gray seals and common and the most northerly colony of bottlenose dolphins.

Insect side, note the presence of midges. Tiny winged insects, the midges appear early in the summer and are in swarms. Stinging insects (females bite to feed on blood), they represent a certain nuisance at bivouacs to campers are not equipped with special nets (fine mesh).

The seas around Scotland are among the most biologically productive in the world: it is estimated that the total number of Scottish marine species exceeds 40,000. The Darwin Mounds are an important area of cold sea and deep water coral reefs discovered in 1988. In the interior, about 400 genetically distinct populations of Atlantic salmon live in the rivers of Scotland.

Demographics

Scotland has four cities and six secondary cities: Glasgow (pop. 580 690. near 1M7 in the metropolitan area), Edinburgh (457020 inh.) Aberdeen (211 910 inhab.) Dundee (pop. 145,460). , Stirling (86,200 inhab.) Inverness (53 920 inhab.) Ayr (46 431 inhab.) Perth (44 000 inhab.) Dumfries (38 000 inhab.) and Falkirk (34,071 inhab.)

At the census of 2010, Scotland had 5,168,500 inhabitants . According to estimates by 2004 that number could be to 5,078,400 today. The area of Scotland being 78 782 km ^2,population density is then 64 people per km. About 70% of the population live in the Central Lowland , a broad and fertile valley, stretching from northeast to southwest between the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow , and including major population centers such as Stirling , Falkirk , Perth and Dundee. Other concentrations of population are located on the northeast coast, mainly around Aberdeen and Inverness. The city of Glasgow has the density is greater with 3292 people per km ^2, while the region of the Highlands has the lowest density with only 5 people per km ^2.

The Scottish coasts and islands, having lived a while in town and sometimes faced unemployment, dream only of returning, even in difficult conditions, close to their logs in their landscape of water and soil mixed with ^Languages

The English and Scottish Gaelic are both official languages of Scotland. Another language, having the status of regional language , the Scots , is also recognized under the terms of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Scottish English

Bilingual signage in Scottish and English in the Highlands.

Example of English in the Scottish pronunciation of Renfrewshire :
Which Way Should We Go to Lochwinoch? One way IS seven miles, The Other Is not Quite So Far But I Do not Want to Take the road because we that bad again.

The English is the mother tongue of 98% of the Scottish population. It is usually a strongly-accented English Scots and some lexical and grammatical peculiarities. Scots English monolingual live in a proportion of 75% in the Central Lowlands, that is to say, in the central and southern Scotland.

The same statistics for 2001 showed that 65,674 people aged three and older, or 1.3% of the Scottish population, were still able to speak, read and write in Scottish Gaelic. The largest concentrations of Scottish celtophones located north-west, that is to say, in the Western Isles (or Western Isles ), Highlands and the region of Strathclyde and that of Edinburgh , the capital. Scottish Gaelic is spoken in practically the south of Scotland. Jacques IV ( 1473 - in 1513 ), was, it seems, one of the last kings to speak Scottish Gaelic.

The Scottish English is the regional variety of English used in Scotland, called in English or Scottish Standard Scottish Franais Franais .

Scottish English is the result of linguistic interference between the Scots and English from the ^seventeenth century . The passage of many speakers of Scots to English is made at a price many compromises phonological and transfer semantics , as well as phenomena of overcorrection . The spelling , the punctuation and grammar of Scottish English tend to follow the use of the Oxford Dictionary Franais. The English Highland differs somewhat from that of the Lowlands , in that it reflects a greater influence phonological, lexical and grammatical language of the substrate , the Scottish Gaelic.

Despite regional and social variations, the Scottish English has a number of features of pronunciation features. There are few grammatical differences with other varieties of English, although the progressive form typically occurs with greater frequency than elsewhere, eg some verbs with stative meaning (I'm Wanting a drink, "I want a drink "). In future, the progressive form often indicates an assumption (You'll be coming from Glasgow "You have to come from Glasgow) .

Scottish English has a number of rare words in the south of the United Kingdom (and in other English varieties), some are part of general vocabulary, such as outwith "outside" (rather than Outside of ) wee "small" (the Scots word, also used in Irish English ), pinkie "finger, little finger" (rather than "little finger"), janitor "concierge, guard" (rather than caretaker), while others refer of culturally specific, such as haggis and caber.

Scottish Gaelic

Example of Scottish Gaelic name for Skye, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach.

Scots or Scottish Gaelic (Gidhlig called to compare with the spoken Gaeilge Ireland ) is a Gaelic ( Celtic ) spoken in Scotland, the Highlands , the islands, as well as some communities in Nova Scotia , especially in ' Island of Cape Breton ). The forced eviction of Scottish farmers by large landowners in the nineteenth ^century explains that the language had spread to Canada , where she fell ( Canadian Gaelic ). It is recognized by the United Kingdom as a regional language of Scotland as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , and since an Act of the Scottish Parliament voted on 21 April 2005 is an official language of Scotland (with ' English ). It is used in the bilingual road signs.

As the traditional language of the Gaels , and Scots (the Celts came to Ireland who populated the northwest of the British Isles around the fifth ^century), Gaelic has an important place in traditional Scottish culture. It is indeed the historical language of much of Scotland today.

Scottish Gaelic counted in 2006 , 58,750 users.

Scots

The Scots (Scots called in the Scots leid, The Scotch tung, etc..) is a Germanic language spoken in Scotland and Northern Ireland (in the Ulster ). Derived from Old Northumbrian , a northern dialect of Old English spoken north of the Humber River in Great Britain before the Norman invasion ( 1066 ) and influenced by Old Norse , introduced in the island by the Vikings of Denmark the ^ninth century , it remains very close to the English. The Scots in particular is the idiom peculiar to regional Lowlands , one dialect is Doric.

Due to differences between the dialects of Scots and non-existence of a regulatory authority, there is no spelling standard for the Scots and, despite efforts from several speakers of that language.

The Scots did not experience significant change in the pronunciation of vowels ( vowel big change ) experienced by the English. For example, the English word "town" is pronounced with a diphthong, but the equivalent word in Scots, "toun" is pronounced / tun /.

The poet Robert Burns , author among others of the song Auld Lang Syne , is one of the Scots language writers best known and most popular.

Economy

The economy of Scotland is closely linked to the UK and is essentially based on a capitalist system with very little intervention from the state. After the Industrial Revolution , the Scottish economy is dominated by the shipbuilding industry , the mining and steel industry. The participation of Scotland in the British Empire allowed it to export its production worldwide. But heavy industry declined in the last part of the twentieth ^century, leading to a remarkable transformation of the economy of Scotland, now based on the technology and services. The year 1980 saw the development of Silicon Valley Scottish: Silicon Glen (Scottish glen meaning valley) between Glasgow and Edinburgh , home to many large technology companies companies arriving in Scotland. Today's technology industry employs 41,000 people. Companies based in Scotland are specialized in information systems, defense, electronics and semiconductors. There is also an area of development and electronic design highly dynamic and growing, based on its links with universities and local companies. Note the presence of multinational companies such as National Semiconductor , IBM and Motorola. The other major sectors of the economy of Scotland are: banking and financial services, education, entertainment, biotechnology, transportation, oil , the gas , the whiskey , and tourism.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Scotland is just over 74 billion pounds sterling (in 2002), giving a GDP per capita of 14 651.

Edinburgh is the financial heart of Scotland and the 6 ^th place in Europe with major companies in the financial sector based there, including Royal Bank of Scotland (the second largest bank in Europe, the Fifth World) HBOS (owner of Bank of Scotland ) and Standard Life Insurance.

Buchanan Street, central shopping district of Glasgow.

Glasgow is Scotland's main port and the fourth largest industrial center in the United Kingdom, accounting for more than 60% of Scottish exports. Shipbuilding, although declining since the early twentieth ^century, still accounts for much of the Scottish economy. The city owns the shopping and distribution the largest and most economically important of the United Kingdom after the district of West End in London. Glasgow is also one of the twenty largest financial centers in Europe and houses the headquarters of many British companies. Other important industries in Glasgow these are textiles, chemicals, fishing, brewing and distilling.

Politics

Scotland is one of four constituent nations of the United Kingdom , which has no single written constitution. Until the Act of Union of 1707 , Scotland was an independent nation. However, following the Acts of Union, Scottish and English parliaments were dissolved and replaced by a single Parliament for Great Britain who used the buildings and the institutional system of the former British parliament. English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603 by Jacques VI of Scotland when he became Jacques ^I of England. In 1801 , the Irish was in turn incorporated in the United Kingdom.

Until 1999 , Scotland had no national legislation specifically, despite various attempts over the years to implement a sustainable kind of Home Rule. Parliament was born as a result of the Scotland Act of 1998 the British Parliament. This act sets out the matters on which Westminster is responsible, called "reserved matters" ("reserved matters"), such as Defense, Foreign Affairs, the fiscal and economic policies, or laws on narcotics and broadcasting. Every four years, a proportional system allows to elect the 129 deputies in Parliament.

Administrative division

Inverclyde Renfrewshire West Dunbartonshire East Dunbartonshire Glasgow East Renfrewshire North Lanarkshire Falkirk Clackmannanshire West Lothian Edinburgh Midlothian East Lothian Fife Dundee Angus Aberdeenshire Aberdeen Moray Highland Outer Hebrides Argyll and Bute Perth and Kinross Stirling North Ayrshire East Ayrshire South Ayrshire Dumfries and Galloway South Lanarkshire Scottish Borders Orkney Shetland

Legal system

Scotland has a legal system Mixed unique in Europe, based on the dual basis of civil law in line with the Code of Justinian and the common law medieval. The Scottish system is comparable in particular to the South African system.

Since the Act of Union of 1707 , the legislature is shared with the rest of the United Kingdom. If the Scottish legal system is fundamentally different systems of Welsh and English, he was nevertheless influenced by it. Since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, European law has made its debut on the Scottish scene, including with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Scottish Parliament , established in 1999, may legislate on certain subjects, defined by the Scotland Act (1998).

The Scottish law differ mainly English law and Northern Irish in the fields of heritage , the criminal law , the trust , the inheritance of the proof system and family law. The commercial law and tax law , however, is somewhat different.

The civil majority is 16 years against 18 years in England, and juries usually have 15 members instead of 12.

Culture

National Symbols

The flag of Scotland.

Scottish culture is distinguished from the other nations of the UK by a number of peculiarities. It was indeed less influenced Latin invaders of the Roman people Picts having remained isolated until the ^fifth century. Strongly influenced by her relationships, often conflicting, with England, Scotland, she was more influenced by Scandinavian and Irish cultures of the Middle Ages , based on successive invaders. The Jacobite rebellions marked a turning point in Scottish cultural history, inaugurating a major rapprochement with England within the UK.

Scotland, as a nation, so has its own symbols, such as its flag, the Saltire , or the thistle , but do not have a national anthem, the anthem of the United Kingdom being the only officially recognized. The main celebrations are also unique to Scotland, whether official, as the national holiday on 30 November (St Andrew's Day), or from various traditions such as Burns Night or Hogmanay. The latter, heavily influenced the cultural imprint of Scotland, were exported to the New World, where another celebration there, Tartan Day , steeped in Scottish heritage, but ignored in Scotland.

State of Christian tradition, Scotland is predominantly Protestant , the Church of Scotland being the main movement. The Catholicism , second in number of followers, is particularly located in the Western Isles of Scotland, where he survived the Reformation. Recent movements of immigration have brought the Islam , along with Asian religions, and in 2001 , approximately 30% of the population declared no religion.

The writer Robert Burns.

Languages and Literature

The various influences that have bathed in Scotland are also reflected in a plurality of languages. Both are official, the English and Scottish Gaelic. The latter, traditional language minority today, has largely lost its place in the face of Scottish English , regional variety of modern English. The Scots , Germanic language similar to English, is the idiom of regional Lowlands , south of the country, the writer Robert Burns was widely used in his works.

The Scottish literature is rich in writers, but two are particularly associated with him, Robert Burns and Walter Scott. If Burns has shown through his poetry, rooted in the folklore of Scotland, Scott was a founder of the historical novel. Many poets have also marked the Scottish literary history, from the Castalian Band of the Renaissance to Edwin Morgan , the current national poet. The movement of the Scottish Renaissance in the early ^twentieth century , marked a renewed interest in writers for their own cultural heritage, as during the Celtic revival in Ireland the same time.

A bagpiper in traditional costume.

In terms of philosophy, the Scottish Enlightenment , the ^eighteenth century , developed a science of man, with thinkers like David Hume , Francis Hutcheson and Adam Smith , who continue to influence modern thought.

Music and dance

The Scottish traditional music is linked to Celtic music and is in fact remained close to the Irish music , with which it shares some instruments, such as Clrsach , or Celtic harp. The bagpipe is her most recent development, and the violin he is still posterior. The tunes played cover a wide repertoire ranging from traditional ballads to music military or religious inspiration, through the dance tunes.

The traditional Scottish dances can be divided into three major groups. The Country Dances and Ceilidh dances are social dances performed by couples arranged in sets. Highland dancing is practiced it solo, the dance form has evolved in the context of the Highland Games, where he accompanied the music of bagpipes.

Fine Arts

The Scottish architecture was marked, since classissime, the influence of major figures in architecture such as Robert Adam and William Henry Playfair , the neoclassical, or Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art again. Some architectural styles emerged in Scotland as the Scottish baronial style , and he stayed clean. Traditional architecture is centered on models of the Black House in the Highlands, and the tower house , which come from many Scottish castles.

If the Scottish art goes back to Pictish times, including the Pictish stone carvings, and if the Middle Ages was characterized by the development of Christian art that gave birth to many illuminated manuscripts, it was not until the Enlightenment that the art was actually developed in Scotland. The ^eighteenth century thus saw the emergence of European painters of Fame - Allan Ramsay and Henry Raeburn are examples. The Royal Scottish Academy of Art was founded in the early ^nineteenth century , while the Impressionism and Art Nouveau were in gestation.

Mythology

Scottish mythology stems from the wider Celtic mythology , legends of the Ulster Cycle and Fenian cycle times have been rehabilitated at different times by the Scottish bards and poets. Some figures of popular folklore, however, are specific to the country, as EACH uisge , horses evil haunting the lochs , the banshee , messenger from the afterlife, and brownies , mischievous spirits of the home.

Popular culture

The Scottish cuisine is marked by the use of oats, now partly replaced by the potato, which is found in preparations such as porridge and oatcakes , but also in the haggis. Considered the national dish, it is a sheep's stomach stuffed that gave birth to a whole folklore, from the dinners of Burns' Night to the legends of the wild haggis. The whiskey production is another Scottish culinary widely disseminated abroad. Five major regions of the fall production of this liquor malted barley.

The Tartan is a fabric of wool particularly strong in traditional Scottish costumes, including kilts is one of the elements. Worn exclusively by men, tartan in which it is cut marks the wearer's membership in a clan or region.

In July 2009, the "Gathering" (gathering) held at Edinburgh , in Holyrood Park , 30,000 Scots, with participation of the various clans of the Highlands and the Scottish diaspora worldwide. This popular gathering should occur again in 2013 .

Religion

Sport

The sport is an important part of Scottish culture. Most popular sport, the football , practiced since the ^nineteenth century , is prone to communal rivalries, the best known is probably the antagonism between supporters of Celtic FC , Catholics, and those of Glasgow Rangers , Protestant. Since the beginning of the creation of the Scottish Premier League , only three clubs have never descended to the second division Scottish: Celtic FC , Glasgow Rangers and Aberdeen FC. Golf, appeared in the ^fifteenth century , is considered a native of Scotland. While the sport is also equipped with an elitist image, it is considered as popular in Scotland, the whole society can practice it. The Highland Games are sports competitions traditional Scottish celebration of cultural heritage and Celtic culture. They are the seat test s strength, the best known is probably Toss the caber, throwing a tree trunk, but also music competitions and traditional dance.

The team in Scottish rugby played every year the Six Nations tournament. Scottish rugby is consistently ranked in the top ten nations in the IRB rankings.

Famous Scots

This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but aims to consolidate, wherever possible, persons born in Scotland and have significantly influenced the history, art or science of their times.

^Thirteenth century

• William Wallace national hero (popularized outside Scotland by the movie Braveheart ).
• Robert the Bruce , ( 1274 - 1329 ), the most famous king of Scotland, winner of the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 against England.

^Sixteenth century

• John Knox (c. 1515-1572), disciple of John Calvin , founder of the Reformed Church of Scotland , the enemy of the Catholic Mary Stuart.
• Mary Stuart (1542-1587), famous Queen of Scotland tragic fate.
• John Napier (1550-1617), mathematician, inventor of the table of logarithms.

XVII ^century

• Robert Roy MacGregor (1671-1734), alias Rob Roy, and bandit hero.
• James Stirling (1692-1770), mathematician who gave an equivalent asymptotic n!.
• William Paterson , founder of the famed Bank of England in 1694 , originally from Dumfries

XVIII ^century

• Thomas Reid (1710-1796), founder of the Scottish school of philosophy.
• David Hume (1711-1776), born in Edinburgh , philosopher, economist and historian, one of the most important thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment.
• Adam Smith (1723-1790), born in Kirkcaldy , famous economist and founding father of the doctrine of economic liberalism.
• James Watt (1736-1819), designer-key to steam , symbol of the industrial revolution. The power unit, the watt , named after him.
• James Tytler (1742-1806), journalist, writes and publishes in 1771 the first version of the famous Encyclopaedia Britannica.
• John Paul Jones (1747-1792), founder of the U.S. Navy , a native of Kirkcudbright.
• John McAdam (1756-1836), of Ayr , in 1815 invented a method for coating the pavement with crushed stone ( macadam ).
• Robert Burns (1759-1796), poet.
• Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), poet and writer.
• James Boswell , biographer and friend of Pascal Paoli

XIX ^century

• Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), writer.
• David Livingstone (1813-1873), missionary and discoverer of the sources of the Zambezi in 1865, his famous meeting with Stanley is located in 1871.
• James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), physicist, famous for unifying electromagnetism with Maxwell's equations.
• John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921), veterinarian and inventor of the tire rubber. The first tire plants were established in Dublin in 1889.
• Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), inventor of the telephone.
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), doctor, famous writer of the ^nineteenth century, of Edinburgh , author of Sherlock Holmes.
• JM Barrie (1860-1937) author of children's play Peter Pan.
• Alexander Fleming (1881-1955), born in Darvel, discovered penicillin on 3 September 1928.

XX ^century

• John Logie Baird (1888-1946), inventor of the TV
• Harold Macmillan (1894-1986), British Prime Minister, born in London.
• Archibald Joseph Cronin (1896-1981), born in Cardross , a physician and writer.
• Deborah Kerr , (1921-2007), born in Helensburgh.
• Billy Kearns , (1923-1992), actor, born in Seattle (Scotland).
• Sean Connery (1930 -), actor, producer, born in Edinburgh.
• Jackie Stewart (1939 -), driver, triple world champion in Formula 1, born in Dumbarton.
• Jim Clark (1936-1968), pilot, double world champion of Formula 1, born in Kilmany
• David Coulthard (1971 -), Formula 1 Driver
• Ian Anderson (1947 -), singer, songwriter and musician, founder of the group Jethro Tull , born in Dunfermline.
• Gordon Brown (1951 -), British Prime Minister, born in Giffnock.
• Tony Blair (1953 -), British Prime Minister, born in Edinburgh.
• Annie Lennox , (1954 -), singer of the Eurythmics.
• Fish (1958), singer and author, famous for being part of the group Marillion , born in Dalkeith.
• Robert Carlyle , (1961), actor, born in Glasgow.
• Gerard Butler , (1969 -), actor, born in Glasgow.
• Ewan McGregor , (1971 -), actor, born in Crieff.
• David Tennant , (1971 -), actor, born in Bathgate ( West Lothian ).
• Simple Minds , (1975), rock band.
• Texas , (1985), rock band.

XXI ^century

• Calvin Harris , (1984 -), singer and electro DJ, born in Dumfries.
• Amy Macdonald (1987 -), songwriter and singer of pop / folk, born in Glasgow.
• Susan Boyle (1961 -), singer voice revealed by issuing Britain's Got Talent and popularized worldwide by YouTube , born in Blackburn.
• Andy Murray (1987 -), tennis player, finalist in the 2008 U.S. Open and 2010 Australian Open, born in Dunblane.
• Drew Galloway (1985 -), wrestler used the World Wrestling Entertainment , born in Ayr
• Gerard Butler (1969, actor.
• James McAvoy (1979 -), actor, born in Glasgow
• Angus Young (1955), guitarist of the famous AC / DC was born in Glasgow

References

See also

Related articles

in Scots.

• Cromarty
• Cities in the United Kingdom
• Cape Wrath
• Economy of Scotland
• Royal Scottish National Orchestra
• Team Scotland Rugby Union

External Links

• Official portal of Scotland
• Scottish Government
• Site of the Tourist

Bibliography

• Laura Angel, The Star sapphire, Tqui editions. ( ISBN 2740310501 )
• Jacques Leruez, Scotland. Old Nation, Young State Crozon Armeline Publishing, 2000, ( ISBN 2-910878-10-4 )

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