Scotland is one of four constituent nations, which form the United Kingdom (the other three are England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Scotland forms the northern part of the island of Great Britain. The countries main cities are Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh, the capital, although Glasgow is the largest.
It is 274 miles long from North to South and varies in width between 24 and 154 miles, which covers a total of 31,510 sq. miles, and has a population of approximately 5.15 million. Scotland is situated between latitudes 5438' and 6051'N and the longitudes 145' and 614'W.
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The official language is English, although Gaelic is spoken, primarily in the North and West of Scotland. The Scots language (which has many similarities to English, but also draws on French and Gaelic) is also spoken. Whereas Gaelic is the language of the Highlands & Islands, Scots is the language of the Lowlands. .
The national flower is the thistle, although heather, which covers significant moorland areas, is also closely associated with the country.
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Scotland is divided into three main geographic regions; the Highlands, the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands. The cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee together with numerous towns, most of the population and the majority of Scotland's industry is located within the Central Lowlands. The Central Lowlands averages 50 miles across and runs WSW to ENE across the centre of the country. The region includes a number of hill ranges as well as a couple of ancient volcanoes and an abundance of beauty spots and rich farmland. .
The Southern Uplands includes magnificent scenery also, though not like that of the Highlands. Seven major hill ranges are situated in this region, but the highest peak, Merrick, in the Galloway Hills attains a height of only 815 metres. In this region, too, lies Scotland's Borderland, rich beauty and fertility of soil, like that of the Central Lowlands.
