Let´s travel to Scotland

Scottish: ALBA

LOCATION• Scotland is one of the 4 nations of the United Kingdom.• It´s located in the north of Great Britain.• It´s bordered on three sides by seas: The Atlantic Ocean

and the North Sea.

• The territory of Scotland includes 186 nearby islands, most of them contained in three groups:

– the Hebrides or the Western Isles, on the western coast– the Orkney Islands, on the north-eastern coast– and the Shetland Islands, located northeast of the Orkney Islands.

SCOTLAND IN FACTS

• Population 5.000.000• Capital city Edinburgh• Emblem Thistle• Flag The Saltire• Currency Pound sterling• Language English and

Scottish Gaelic• Patron Saint Saint Andrew• Largest city Glasgow

The thistle

According to a legend, the Norse army wanted to invade Scotland many years ago. One night, some Norse soldiers tried to attack a Scottish encampment by surprise. But one barefoot Norse soldier stepped upon a thistle, crying out in pain and alerting the Scottish to the presence of the Norse invaders.

The Saltire

The Scottish flag is called The Saltire.It´s blue with a white cross, the cross of saint Andrew.

The Gaelic language

• The Gaelic language is part of a family of Celtic languages.

• Gaelic speakers mostly live in the Western Isles, the Central belt and the northern Highlands.

LANDSCAPEThe Scottish territory can be

divided in 2 totally different parts:

- The Highlands : a mountainous region in the north. It´s got the Grampian mountains and Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. Loch Ness is also here.

- The Lowlands: it´s a plain with no mountains but valleys.

Ben NevisIt´s the highest mountain in the UK.

River Tay

It´s the longest river in Scotland.

Loch Ness• “Loch” is the Scottish word for “lake”.• Loch Ness is located in the Highlands, not very far from

Inverness.• It is the second largest lake in Scotland.

• Loch Ness is very famous for its monster: Nessie. Nessie is a legend in Scotland.

• An Irish monk saw it in the VI century.• Later, in 1933, the MacKays, the owners of an

inn, observed an “enormous animal” in the loch.

• The first photo was taken in 1934 by a group of scientists.

• Since then, many tourist and scientists visit the loch every year, trying to see Nessie.

• Some people think it is a prehistoric dinosaur that survived from the last ice age.

• It is still a mistery.

Main cities

• Edimburgh

• Glasgow

• Aberdeen

• Dundee

• Inverness

Edinburgh

The population is 1,400,000.

It is the most beautiful city in the UK.

Edinburgh castleEdinburgh Castle has got a fascinating history.

It is more than 3000 years old.

It was the residence of many Scottish Kings and Queens.

The honours of ScotlandThe ancient Honours of Scotland are the Crown, the

Sceptre and the Sword of State.

They are on view in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle.

One o´clock gunEdinburgh Castle is also the home of the One

O'Clock Gun.

Stone of destinyAlso known as Stone of Scone or The Coronation

Stone.

Glasgow

The population is 600.000 inhabitants.

It is the largest city in Scotland and the third one in the UK, after London and Birmingham.

Aberdeen

Dundee

Inverness

CULTURE: The KiltThe kilt is a kind of skirt that men and boys traditionally

wear in the Highlands.

It is made of wool in a tartan pattern.

It is used in formal ocassions.

CLANS• Scottish families are called clans.

• Each clan has a special plaid to show what their family is. There are hundreds of plaids or TARTANS.

FOOD: Haggis

It´s made from the organs of sheep mixed with oats and spices, and tied in a sheep’s stomach and cooked.

It is eaten together with mashed potatoes.

Whisky• The national drink is whisky, and its production

contributes significantly to the economy.

• In Gaelic it means “water of life”.

Scottish music

Bagpipes are the national instruments.

The harp, the fiddle and the accordion are also popular.

Dancing

Sword dance is a traditional Scottish dance.

FAMOUS SCOTTISH

Alexander Graham Bell - inventor of the telephoneSean Connery - an actor (James Bond)Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the author of Sherlock Holmes Rod Stewart- famous pop singerCaptain Kidd - a famous pirateRobert Burn – a famous poetRobert Louis Stevenson - author of Treasure IslandAnnie Lenox – famous pop singerAndy Murray – famous tennis player

TRADITIONS: Hogmanay• New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay) is when some of the most

lively celebrations take place.• Traditionally, on Hogmanay, children go to the doors of

their neighbours, and sing and cry out “Hogmanay!” to receive oat cakes in return.

First-footer

• Another tradition associated with New Year’s Eve is the “first-footer,” or the first person to cross the door of a house after midnight on New Year’s Eve.

• The first-footer has to be a dark-haired man carrying presents: a coin, bread, salt, coal, a drink, ... They represent :– Coin: financial prosperity– Bread: food– Salt: flavour– Coal: warmth– A drink: good cheer

This way the family will have good luck for the new year.

“Auld Lang Syne”

• The song “Auld Lang Syne,” by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, is sung on New Year’s Eve.

Burns Night

• Many Scots honour Burns’s birthday (25th January) by celebrating his life and works at Burns suppers, where haggis is served.

St. Andrew´s Day

• Saint Andrew’s Day, on 30th November, honours the patron saint of Scotland.

• Some Scots wear a blue-and-white X on this day to symbolize the cross upon which Saint Andrew was crucified by the Romans. This X-shaped cross has become a patriotic symbol.