Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba) is a country that is situated in the Northernmost part of the island of Great Britain and along with England, Wales and Ulster (Northern Ireland) forms the United Kingdom. A relatively small country, it is bordered on three sides by sea with its land border being with England.

In addition to the mainland, Scotland includes over 790 islands with the largest land mass being the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. One of these island groups (Shetlands) only became part of Scotland in the 15th Century which reflected the turbulent times that it lived through.

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist as such, until the union of the Crowns in 1603 when James the VI became James the I of England also. It is currently a land rich in the arts such as Scottish Poetry, a proud military history and a number of unpronounceable unique scottish names.

 

Whatever your reason for visiting these pages, it may be that you are considering a holiday or short break. Alternatively you you may be interested in learning more about Scottish history or the rich Scottish culture and you can explore the site to find out some more.