37 Amazing Facts About Scotland

1. Scotland is home to some of the greatest modern thinkers: Adam Smith, David Hume, James Watt, John Stuart Mill and others.
2. The shortest flight in the world, 1.5 miles long, was from Westray to Papa Westray in Scotland. It took 1 minute and 14 seconds.
3. There are about 790 islands in Scotland, of which 130 are inhabited.
4. The Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae in Scotland (3100 BC) is the oldest structure in Britain.
5. Scotland has almost 600 miles of freshwater lochs.
6. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is the second largest city in the country after Glasgow.
7. Edinburgh is the first city in the world to have its own fire brigade.
8. Like Rome, Edinburgh was built on 7 hills. It is home to the most numbered building in the world.
9. Scotland had its own king until 1603. When Elizabeth I died, King James IV of Scotland became James I of England, ruling both countries.
10. St Andrews Fields in Scotland is considered the "birthplace of golf". Golf has been played here since the 15th century.
11. Queen Victoria smoked cigarettes to repel mosquitoes during her visits to the Scottish Highlands.
12. Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom after England.
13. The highest point in Scotland is Ben Nevis, 1,343 meters.
14. The motto of Scotland is Nemo me Impune Lacessit or "No one shall touch me with impunity." 15. The city of Aberdeen in Scotland is known as the oil capital of Europe or the "Granite City".
16. The deepest lake in Scotland is Loch Morar (328 m), which is considered one of the 17 deepest lakes in the world.
17. Scotland's smallest distillery, Edradur, receives 100,000 visitors a year and produces 90,000 liters of whiskey.
18. The oldest tree in Europe, which is about 3,000 years old, grows in Scotland. According to legend, Pontius Pilate was born under this tree.
19. The cloak was invented by Scottish chemist Charles Mackintosh in 1824. In the UK, the outfit is still called the Mack.
20. Scotland gained independence in 1314, when Robert the Bruce defeated the English army at the Battle of Bannockburn.
21. The Kingdom of Scotland remained independent until 1707, when it was united with England by the Act of Union to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
22. 1999 Scotland will have its own parliament on July 1.
23. The population of Scotland is 5.2 million.
24. The country's population is about 167.5 people per square mile.
25. There are as many Scots in North America as in Scotland. According to the US and Canadian censuses, about 5 million people consider themselves Scottish.
26. Scotland has its own legal system, separate from England.
27. The Bank of Scotland, founded in 1695, is believed to be the oldest surviving bank in the United Kingdom. It was also the first bank in Europe to print its own banknotes. 28. Famous Scottish inventions include television (John Logie Baird, 1925), the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell) and penicillin (Alexander Fleming, 1928).
29. Scotland has three official languages: English, Scots and Scottish Gaelic. The latter is spoken by only 1% of the population.
30. There are 19 higher education institutions and universities in Scotland.
31. Scotland covers almost the same area as the Czech Republic, Panama, the United Arab Emirates, the US state of Maine or the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
32. The first two Prime Ministers of Canada, John A. Macdonald (1815–1891) and Alexander Mackenzie (1822–1892), were Scots.
33. One of Scotland's most famous products, whiskey, was actually invented in China. It was first distilled by Irish monks in the early 15th century, and it didn't reach Scotland until 100 years later.
34. Famous Scottish writers include Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
35. The flower of Scotland is the thistle.
36. Scotland has the largest population of redheads in the world. About 13% of the population has red hair.
37. The first official football match was played in Scotland in 1872 between Scotland and England.