LICEUL TEORETIC OVIDIUS

SCOTLAND

ADVISOR: CRACIUN RODICA STUDENT: RAILEANU CARMEN - IONELA

CONTENTS

Introduction......................................................................................... 2

General Facts....................................................................................... 3

Landscape............................................................................................. 5

Culture.................................................................................................. 6

Climate.................................................................................................. 8

History................................................................................................... 9

Scottish Inventions.............................................................................. 13

Famous Scots........................................................................................15

Typically Scottish.................................................................................16

Impressions...........................................................................................20

Bibliography.20

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INTRODUCTION

There's much more to Scotland than whisky, tartan, and kilts. Scotland is a beautiful country with many things to offer.

Scotland is a small, North European country of around 79,000 square kilometers. There are just over 5 million Scots. They are part of the United Kingdom, but they have there own devolved parliament based in the capital, Edinburgh, and there own distinct culture.

From majestic glens and tranquil lochs to exciting concerts and pulsing city nightlife, Scotland offers an unrivalled range of things to see and do. For the more energetic there are exceptional leisure facilities, including the some of the worlds greatest golf courses, stunning mountain walks and thrilling water sports centers.

If you simply want to relax, you can enjoy countless historic castles, monuments and museums, or perhaps take a relaxing canal trip across the country on either the Caledonian or Forth & Clyde Canal.

As well as being a popular holiday destination, Scotland is a fantastic place to live and work. Scotland offers leading companies from around the world a high-quality business location, together with an exceptional quality of life. Scotland's traditions, history and culture are known around the world, and are studied at many leading universities in Europe, North America and Australia.

The country boasts international airports at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Prestwick in Ayrshire, as well as several regional airports. There are also good rail and road links across the country, and an exceptional range of accommodation and visitor attractions.

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GENERAL FACTS

Official Name: Scotland Capital: Edinburgh Flag:

1180:The first use of the St. Andrew's Cross in Scotland - but as a religious, not a national, emblem (the seal of the Chapter of St. Andrew's cathedral).

1286: The first appearance of the figure of St. Andrew on his cross as a national emblem (the seal of the guardians of Scotland).

1385: The first evidence of the use of the cross, without the saint, as a national emblem - but this was on soldiers' uniforms rather than as a flag (an act of the Scottish parliament).

Late 15th Century: Several references to flags with a St. Andrew's Cross, but it is not known whether it was the only emblem on such flags.

1503: The first certain use of a plain St. Andrew's Cross flag - but the field was red, not blue (the Vienna Book of Hours).

1542: The first certain illustration of the St. Andrew's Cross on a blue field as we have it today (armorial of Sir David Lindsay).

Design: There is no official Pantone color for the Scottish flag. The Flag Institute recommends Pantone 300 for the blue, but often an even lighter shade, such as Pantone 299, is used in actual flags. The important fact is that it should be lighter than the dark blue used in the Union Flag

*Education University of Aberdeen The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen University of Abertay Dundee University of Dundee University of Edinburgh University of Glasgow Glasgow Caledonian University University of St. Andrews The Scottish Agricultural College

*Government

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Highest Court: High Court of Justiciary (criminal) and Court of Session (civil) Armed Forces: Scotland is part of the force of the United Kingdom Political Divisions: Scotland is divided into 6 Sheriffdoms

* LandArea: 77,097 sq km (29,767 sq mi)

Highest Point: Ben Nevis in the Grampian Mountains -1343 m above sea level Lowest Point: Sea level along the coast

* ClimateAverage Temperatures: East Coastal Regions January 3.9 C (39 F) July 13.9 C (57 F)

Edinburgh January 3.5 C (38 F) July 14.5 C (58 F)

Average Annual Precipitation: Western Highlands - 3810 mm (150 in)

* Population Population: 5,137,000 - 1995 Estimate Population Density: 67 persons/sq km; 173 persons/sq mi) (1995 Estimate) Urban/Rural Breakdown: 66%Urban; 34%Rural (1995 Estimate)

* Largest Cities: Glasgow - 654,542 (1991) Edinburgh - 421,213 (1991)

* Religions: The Official State Church: The Church of Scotland (Presbyterian denomination) Others leading denominations: Roman Catholic, Episcopal Church of Scotland, Congregationalist, Baptist, Methodist, Unitarian and Jewish

* Languages: English, Scottish Gaelic

LANDSCAPE

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Scotland covers about 30,414 square miles (78,772 square kilometers) and has around 790 islands, of which 130 are inhabited. The best known are the Shetland and Orkney isles in the north-east and Lewis, Harris, Skye, Mull and Islay in the Hebrides.

Scotland is about half the size of England and roughly two-thirds of the country is mountain (including Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK) and moorland. It stretches only 275 miles from South to North and 154 miles from east to west. At its narrowest point, you can drive from one coast to the other in less than two hours. However, the coastline is so rugged that its length is estimated at almost 6,200 miles.

There are three main regions - the Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands in the north, account for more than half the total area of Scotland but only 10% of the population. Most of the population is based around the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, together with numerous towns in the central lowlands.

Theres another important aspect of the landscape apart from its beauty, and thats the amazing range of outdoor activities it affords. Mountaineering, hill walking and sailing are big attractions. Golf, of course, was created in Scotland, and youll never be far from a gem of a course.

Fly fishing and grouse shooting are seasonal sports that have enthusiastic support. Winter sports include skiing, snowboarding, telemarking and curling. Horse riding is part of the culture of the Borders, as indeed is Rugby Football. Canoeing, windsurfing, hang gliding and kite flying are all activities that the rivers and winds cater for, And, like just about everywhere else in the world theres football. Which, like millions of others around the world, the Scots would play and watch whatever the landscape.

CULTURE

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It could be argued that Scotland's national character has been shaped, more than any other factor, by our climate. In a land where nature can be as pitiless as it can be beautiful, the Scots are a hard-working people who, by and large, possess an intellectual rigour.

This is often manifested by a healthy scepticism or a tenacious questioning of things which leads, in turn, to a precision of thinking, speaking and action. Its one of the reasons that medicine, law, finance and engineering have traditionally been such strong disciplines in Scotland - and why technology and science thrive in Scotland today. Sometimes these characteristics are summed up by the word canny' (meaning shrewd), but shrewdness is only part of this intellectual profile.

Education has also contributed enormously to our national character. A good education is very highly prized in Scotland, and the emphasis of our educational system has for centuries been to produce a "lad o' pairts" - using a wide curriculum, stressing breadth as well as depth of knowledge. This approach promotes equality of opportunity, not equality itself - and fits very well with the Scots sense of social justice.

School attendance has been compulsory since 1496 (almost 400 years longer than in England). As a result, Scotland today excels in the fields of biotechnology, astrophysics, micro- and optoelectronics and artificial intelligence, alongside its traditional strengths. And, as the country that gave the world television, the telephone, the fax, the photocopier, the first 3D computer game and Dolly the Sheep, Scotland continues to make an outstanding contribution to the world at large.

But theres something else, just as important as intelligence in the Scots character: pride and passion. These deep qualities are sometimes masked by pragmatism or a very dry sense of humour coupled with the legacy of Calvinism (where the response to commenting that its a lovely sunny day is to be told well pay for it!)

Its a pride and a passion that has several sources. First, Scotland is a land of breathtaking beauty. This instils powerful feelings. Second, in the past life was hard for many Scots. Adverse political conditions meant people struggled and had to work hard to survive. Over past generations this has bred strong egalitarian and socialist traditions and a belief in justice and fairness. As a result many politicians and indeed Prime Ministers of Great Britain have emerged from Scotland or Scottish education (including Gordon Brown and Tony Blair). Its a country where issues are discussed and rights are fought for. As Glasgow-based novelist and essayist William McIlvanney has said: Scotland is one of the most intense talking-shops I have ever been in.

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Theres a third, new source of pride and passion. In 1999, after many years of striving, planning and wishing, Scotland regained its own Parliament, which had not sat since 1707, the date of the union of crowns of England and Scotland. Along with the new devolved powers of Parliament has come a new dynamism, a new passion and the will to create a new identity that reflects the vitality and free thinking of modern Scotland.

Scottish LawFor instance, Scotland retains its own unique legal system, based on Roman law, which combines the best features of civil law and common law. The terms of union with England specified the retention of separate systems. Scots Law differs from England's common law system.

Significant artsArtistic output is the gauge of a cultures vitality and Scotland today is feted for its musicians, its visual artists, its filmmakers and its writers. Scotlands film industry, though small, is hot with films like Trainspotting making riveting viewing and ,in 2002, Sweet Sixteen and Morvern Callar scooping awards at Cannes. And finally literature, for which Scotland has an impeccable pedigree, is very much alive and well. Names like Irvine Welsh, A.L Kennedy, Iain Banks and Ian Rankin are constantly to be seen in the best seller lists. And J.K. Rowling, of course, writes the phenomenally successful Harry Potter in her chosen land of residence Scotland.

Celtic & Gaelic languageApart from Gaelic which is spoken by around 70,000 people (mainly in the Western Isles and Skye) who all speak a lovely lilting English as well, Scotland is an English- speaking country. Some, in fact, most dialects may pose a problem for visitors but again, locals will switch to a softer, more easily discerned version of their regional vernacular when speaking to a visitor. Road signs in the Western Isles are displayed in Gaelic but most good maps or instructions from the Tourist Information Office will avoid any problems. Buy a copy of the bilingual Western Isles Leisure Map from any of the outlets on the islands.

The Gaelic Language You will notice that nearly all the road signs on the Western Isles are in Gaelic. This ancient Celtic language has held on throughout the islands and has in fact enjoyed a resurgence over the past few years with more support in schools as well as television programmes being made or adapted for Gaelic speakers. The language probably stems from early Indo-European roots and travelled with the Celts through France, Ireland, Wales and onto the western side of Scotland. The early fourth century Celtic tribe of Scotti from Ireland who established their kingdom 'Dairiada' on the Kintyre Peninsula probably brought with them the precursor to the language. Although there are many similarities, the Scottish version has developed separately from its southern relatives. Most Gaelic speakers on the islands slip easily from English to their local tongue. Usually when an English speaker is in their midst, islanders give them the courtesy of speaking in that language.

CLIMATE

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Generally, Scotland is more cloudy than England, due mainly to the hilly nature of the terrain and the proximity of low-pressure systems from the Atlantic. Even so, parts of Angus, Fife, the Lothians, Ayrshire, and Dumfries and Galloway average over 1,400 hours of sunshine per year. The dullest parts of Scotland are the more mountainous areas, with an annual average of less than 1,100 hours of sunshine over the mountains of the Highland region.

Mean daily sunshine figures reach a maximum in May or June, and are at their lowest in December. The relatively high latitude of Scotland means that although winter days are very short, this is amply compensated by long summer days with an extended twilight. On the longest day there is no complete darkness in the north of Scotland. Lerwick, in Shetland, has about four hours more daylight (including twilight) at midsummer than London.

The most common direction from which the wind blows in Scotland is the south-west, but the wind direction often changes markedly from day to day with the passage of weather systems. In general, wind speed increases with height, with the strongest winds being observed over the summits of hills and mountains.

Over Scotland the mean annual air temperature at low altitude ranges from about 7C on Shetland, in the far north, to 9C on the coasts of Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway in the south-west. Normally temperature decreases by approximately 0.6 C for each 100 m rise in height so that over the high ground temperatures are generally colder. The annual mean temperature on Ben Nevis (at an altitude of 1344 m) is -0.3C.

In general, January and February are the coldest months. The daytime maximum temperatures over low ground in Scotland in January and February average around 5 to 7 C, but on rare occasions in the lee of high ground, temperatures can reach up to around 15C when a moist south or south-westerly airflow warms up after crossing the mountains, an effect known as the fhn after its more dramatic manifestations in the Alps.

The lowest temperatures occur inland, away from the moderating influence of the sea, in valleys into which the cold air drains. It was under such conditions that the temperature fell to -27C, the lowest recorded in Britain, at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on 10 January 1982 and also more recently at Altnaharra in Highland Region on 30 December 1995.

In summer, the effect of latitude on the amount of heat received from the sun plays a major role in determining the temperature. Thus, temperatures in Scotland are generally a few degrees cooler than in England. For example, the average daily maximum temperature at Glasgow in July is 19C compared with 22 C in London. July and August are normally the warmest months in Scotland.

HISTORY

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It is impossible to appreciate Scotland without some awareness of its history. There are remnants of the past wherever you visit; therefore lack of background information could lead to frustration. There are several key events that are easy to remember and form the main stepping-stones in the country's antiquity.

"Of all the small nations on earth, perhaps only the ancient Greeks surpass the Scots in their contribution to mankind."Winston Churchill

Scotland's history is rich, varied and colourful. Its people have travelled the world, spreading a first-class reputation for education, inventiveness, and innovation. At home these qualities continue to be developed through a rich mix of culture and education throughout the country.

Prior to the Ice Age little evidence of man's existence in this northern spur of the British Isles exists. Dating from 7,000BC the remains of brochs, burial chambers and other stone constructions have been uncovered indicating the presence of early nomadic tribes, probably originating from Asia, passing through Europe and eventually coming into Britain and Ireland. They settled in a climate that was several degrees warmer than we know today or continued to travel living in caves or temporary dwellings and hunting the plentiful reindeer, elk and wild boar. The Neolithic period 4400-2000BC saw settlement along the Scottish west-coast with early travellers using the Atlantic as their main route of transport. Villages such as the remarkably well-preserved Skara Brae in Orkney were probably common throughout the west coast where small groups lived off the land and nearby sea. The Bronze Age 'Beaker People', so called because of the clay beakers found in their single graves, were responsible for the many 'henges' or groups of upright stones found throughout Scotland. These were often formed into a circle such as the Stones of Callanish of the Western Isles or the Ring of Brodgar on Orkney. Most of these date from around 2,000BC.

Between 1000BC and 500BC, Celtic tribes arrived from France via Ireland. They also settled the western coasts of Britain establishing new standards in the design of their dwellings and fortifications while their culture and society flourished. With them came the Iron Age and the advent of new weapons such as swords and shields, which subsequently lead to a need for better defensive buildings. The Celts, an enlightened race with fair hair and a rich cultural life as well as talent for metal-working and agriculture, introduced fortified timber structures which were followed by stone hill-forts some of which are still standing.

At the time of Julius Caesar's first advance into Britain in 55BC, Celtic tribes or clans had spread throughout Scotland and, as demand for good agricultural land grew, were becoming increasingly fractious with one another. Two principal groups appeared above the isthmus between the rivers Forth and Clyde. The Romans merely called them Picts and North Britons. Roman rule had brought long-term benefits to conquered nations throughout Europe but the Picts would have nothing to do with it.

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Major attempts were made to subjugate them around AD80 by Agricola, the Roman governor, but despite victories, the Romans retreated south to build first Hadrian's wall between Carlisle and the Tyne near Newcastle, then later in AD143, the Antonine Wall between the rivers Forth and Clyde. In due course the Romans withdrew entirely to lend their services elsewhere in their troubled Empire, leaving the Picts free to swoop south and cause havoc with lowland dwellers.

In the early fourth century, a Celtic tribe of Scotti migrated from Ireland and established themselves on the Kintyre peninsula calling their kingdom Dalriada. They brought with them the precursor to the Gaelic language still spoken in the north-west today. Close behind them came Christianity. St Ninian, a Briton, established the first Christian church at Whithorn in Galloway. St Columba, a Gaelic speaking Scotti, landed in Iona 150 years later and was the main factor in integrating the different Pictish tribes by bringing them to his religion.

But it was the Vikings who finally brought an end to the Picts. >From AD800 the Pictish people began to lose tenure at the hands of raiding Norsemen. Eventually, most of the Northern and Western Isles as well as large sections of Caithness and Sutherland were under Norse rule.

At the same time, to the south, Kenneth MacAlpine, a Scotti king, in AD843, united Dalriada and Pictland. forming the kingdom of Alba, later to be known as Scotia. He gradually extended his rule to cover the majority of mainland Scotland. Unification progressed under the rules of Malcolm II and Malcolm III whose pious wife, Margaret, helped bring Scotland's religious life in line with the rest of Europe. It was the son of Malcolm III and Queen Margaret, David I (1124-53) who was responsible for the many monastic abbeys that sprung up throughout the country, especially along the Borders. His motivations were not only religious. His monastic communities, largely made up of imported European monks, helped extend the king's communication system and therefore control throughout the kingdom. David I's reign saw an increase in Scotland's overall stability and prosperity as he prudently granted royal charters to towns and encouraged foreign trade.

Alexander III was known as the last of the Celtic kings and continued to establish Scotland's affluence. At the Battle of Largs, he finally expelled the Norse from the Hebridean islands although the subsequent Lords of the Isles were no real benefit to the national cause, preferring to remain autonomous. Alexander went on to forge stronger trading bonds with his old enemies, Norway and England. His untimely death in 1286 heralded the end of this period of growth and, with no clear heir to the throne, began an era of bitter conflict, mainly issuing from the south.

Edward I, having already crushed Wales and determined to subjugate his northerly neighbour, commenced a protracted campaign that earned him the title of 'Hammer of the Scots'. He forced Scottish lairds and nobles to sign a 'Ragman's Roll' acknowledging him to be their king and showed little mercy on those that stood against him, exterminating, for instance, most of the population of Berwick-upon-Tweed, then Scotland's main seaport.

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It was inevitable that a hero would rise and lead the nation against such tyranny and oppression. William Wallace was a relatively unknown knight who became the leader of the Scottish resistance movement and, in 1297, captured the fragmented country's imagination when he defeated the far superior English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. His determination inspired young Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick, who was actually married to Edward I's god-daughter to take up the cause for Scotland's independence. The pair resorted to guerrilla tactics against the might of Edward's army but Wallace was betrayed and horribly executed in 1305. In March of 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland at Scone and almost immediately become a hunted exile.

Edward I died in 1307 and left his son, the less militarily enthusiastic Edward II, to carry on the domination of the Scots but Bruce triumphantly defeated Edward II's army at Bannockburn in 1314 completing his rout of the occupying army. The Scottish Wars of Independence reached an unsteady conclusion in 1320 when eight Scottish earls and thirty-eight barons signed the Declaration of Arbroath, basically a plea sent to the Pope for freedom from English harassment. Although this was a milestone in their efforts, the conflict between the two neighbours continued almost unabated.

The Stewart line of monarchs emerged with Robert II but control over the country was indeterminate leaving a regent, the Duke of Albany, to weald effective power. James II, through ruthless means, gained back control for the crown from the powerful families that had arisen such as the notorious 'Black Douglases'. The internal power struggle continued through the reigns of James III and then James IV who, on trying to lend support to his French allies against the English, was killed at the Battle of Flodden.

James V's daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, on the death of her father, came to the throne when she was but one week old. She instantly attracted the attention of the English King, Henry VIII, who wished her to marry his 5-year-old son, Edward, and bring Scotland under his authority. His aggressive, pre-marital campaign was later dubbed by Sir Walter Scott as the 'Rough Wooing' when much of southern Scotland was destroyed in Henry's attempt to seal the love-match. Instead, Mary was spirited off to France to marry the dauphin, Francis. Mary, versed in the ways of a Catholic France, returned to Scotland some 13 years later on the demise of her sickly spouse and was faced with a country on the brink of religious transformation.

Known as the Reformation and based on Lutheran principles and already supported from a converted England, advocates of the new religion such as George Wishart and John Knox attempted to oust the corpulent, hierarchical Catholic Church and replace it with Protestantism. With the Confession of Faith in 1560 the Pope authority was denied and mass outlawed. The returning catholic Mary Queen of Scots tried to navigate a middle route between the two opposing religions as well as the powerful, land-owning barons whom she relied on for support. But this did little to help her turbulent period of rule and her suspicious cousin, Elizabeth I of England, finally betrayed her. After 20 years imprisonment she was beheaded.

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It was her son, James VI of Scotland who brought the two nations of England and Scotland together. In a glimmer of confederacy, the Union of the Crowns in 1603 made him James VI of Scotland and James I of England. Following his coronation he quickly settled his court in London and came back to his native land only once during his reign, leaving Scotland much neglected. The religious issue remained confused through James VI reign and into his son's Charles I who advocated a form of Catholicism, Episcopacy. The results, when he tried to administer this to his Scottish subjects, lead to one of the most perplexing and ferocious eras of Scotland's history.

The signing of the National Covenant in 1685 was an attempt to thwart Charles' 'Popery' and it raised Charles to war. However the attempt backfired on the monarch so badly that he ended up declaring war on his own Parliament for their reluctance to back his battle plans. The ambivalence of this period came out when Scots, who largely rejected King Charles' reforms, decided to support him. This lead to the Marquis of Montrose raising an army against the Covenanters. This was of small interest compared to the Civil War that had erupted south of the border with the Covenanters and the Parliamentarians waging war against the crown. Finally, divisions between factions caused Cromwell to invade Scotland forcing Charles II into temporary exile. His return in 1660 brought the 'Killing Times' where many Covenanters were put to death for practising their beliefs. Scotland's religious wars finally ended with the reign of Mary and William of Orange and the restoration of the Presbyterian Church.

The Union of Parliaments, as opposed to the Union of Crowns, came about in a period when Scotland faced bankruptcy and further war. Mounting pressure was being brought to bear on merchants trading across the border and concern abounded that a catholic Stewart king should regain the Scottish crown. To avoid this, the Scottish Parliament voted itself out of existence and elected forty-five Members of Parliament and sixteen peers to sit in the Houses of Parliament in London. The Union failed to bring Scotland any tangible benefits and support for the Old Pretender, James Stewart, exiled in France, grew in both Scotland and England.

The first Jacobite uprising took place in 1715 with the Earl of Mar raising the Stewart standard at Braemar Castle and taking Perth shortly thereafter. Mar did not pursue his military advantage and, with the arrival of reinforcements, the government troops quelled the rebellion. Charles Edward Stewart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, returned to his native land from France in 1745 in an attempt to reinstate his father. With no money and few men to start with, he was in only a short period, surprisingly successful.

The conflict ended at the Battle of Culloden when Hanovarian troops crushed the Jacobite corps, slaughtering most of the wounded and hounding to death any that escaped. The aftermath of Culloden was perhaps worse than the event itself when the Duke of Cumberland's troops humbled the Highland spirit. They sought out any remaining supporters and, with the Proscription Acts of 1746, banned the wearing or tartan, bearing of arms and the playing of bagpipes.

Culloden heralded a major change in Highland life. The lairds and landlords, once dependent on their tenantry for military support found they were no longer able to raise arms. At the same time they realised there was more profit to be had in sheep

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and sporting estates. The relatively large populations resident in the glens and on the islands of Scotland's west coast were forced off their crofts and given little option other than to emigrate, mostly to Canada and America, which they did in great numbers. It was not until the Crofter's Act of 1886 that Highlanders enjoyed any form of security of tenure. Emigration continued from Scotland up until and throughout the twentieth century.

SCOTTISH INVENTIONS

A few things the Scots have given the world ...

Mathematical & Financial-Logarithms -The Bank of England -Capitalism -The overdraft -The decimal point

Technological-The threshing machine -The gravitating compass -Street lighting -The steam engine -The pneumatic tyre -The pedal bicycle -Tarmacadam (the modern road surface) -The locomotive -The bus -The telegraph -The thermos flask -The telephone -The gas mask -Colour photographs -The lawnmower -Television

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-The fax machine -The photocopier -Video -The kaleidoscope

Scientific-Theory of combustion -Electric light -Geology -Gardenias -Helium -Radar -Neon -Artificial ice -Dolly, the cloned sheep

Medical-The hypodermic syringe -Anaesthesia -Morphine -Antiseptics -Insulin -Penicillin -Interferon -The thermometer -Ante-natal clinics

Sport-Golf -Curling -Shinty -Tennis courts -The bowling green

Electronic-The alpha chip -Blue lasers -Kerr Lens Modelocking techniques

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Everyday Items-Marmalade -Writing paper -The fountain pen -Postcards -The Mackintosh (aka raincoats) -Suspenders

Miscellaneous-Finger-printing -Encyclopaedia Britannica -Documentary films -The traffic cone -Sherlock Holmes

FAMOUS SCOTS

~ Scots are famous the world over:Joseph Kaufmann - a mechanical engineer who designed a steam-powered flying machine in 1867 James Tytler - and the Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon Sir James W Black was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1988.John Henry Anderson - the Great Wizard of the North, a 19th century magician. Annie Lennox the singer.

~ The personal favourites are:Sean Connery - actorRod Stewart - singerRobert Carlyle actor

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TYPICALLY SCOTTISH

The Loch Ness MonsterLoch Ness Monster is located in the North of Scotland and is one of a series of interlinked lochs wich run along the Great Glen. The Great Glen is a distinctive incision wich runs across thecountry an represents a large geological fault zone. The interlinking was completed in the 19th century following the completion of the Caledonian Canal.For many years it has been supposed that there is a large dinosaur-like monster resident in Loch Ness. The evidence for its existence are a series of sightings of a plesiosaur-like dinosaur throught the last 100 years. The case has ocasionally been supported by distinct photographic evidence.However, several scientific studies have been conducted, including thorough sonar surveys of the loch, and these have not revealed any presence of such a monster.

Many people belive that the size (21 square miles) and great depth of the loch (almost 800 feet), together with potential underwater caves, gives the monster many places to hide.Regadless of the truth, the suggestion of the Monsters existence makes Loch Ness one of Scotlands top tourist attractions.

Scotch Whisky As a rule, Scots do not drink at home other than on special occasions and so Scottish pubs are the mainstay of social life, as they have been for many centuries. At lunch time and between 5 and 7pm most pubs now become eating places. They then stow away the menus and crockery to welcome a more social evening crowd. Opening hours in Scottish pubs were extended some years ago, now usually from 11am to midnight and this helped change the image from hard drinking to a more genial environment

The commercial production of Scotch whisky began more than 300 years ago when an Argyllshire farmer produced the drink in a simple device using a similar method to that of the monks who were distilling centuries earlier. Distilling alcohol from various fruit or grain was brought from China by Arab traders to the Middle East, then to Europe, most notably France where Cognac was produced from grapes. The method then travelled from France to Ireland with monks escaping pillage and persecution. They used barley instead of grapes in their process and now the Irish lay claim to having the oldest whisky distillery in the world. And from Ireland as with many other things, it came to Scotland. In the late seventeenth century a landowner, Duncan Forbes, was granted the rights to produce whisky 'from any of the grain grown on his estate' without paying tax. When, in 1784, this 100-year-old monopoly was abolished, distilleries rapidly sprang up throughout central Scotland and began to export to England. The English war with France and high taxes forced these small lowland distilleries out of business, but the trade carried on using illicit stills. Remote Highland glens were the ideal setting to conceal the cottage industry that then sprang up, and the peat fires and pure water of the glens, used with more traditional methods,

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produced an even more palatable product. In 1822 the visit of King George IV once again made whisky widely popular, and changes were made in the law reducing excise duties and encouraging legal production. Blending became an important innovation with huge vats in which whiskies were mixed to improve their flavour. Scotland is divided into regions coinciding with the type of whisky it produces. The distilleries below a line from Dundee to Greenock produce lowland malts which are lighter with a subtle flavour best suited as aperitifs. Whisky produced above the line is considered Highland. The east of Scotland from Dundee to Royal Loch Nagar produce a whisky whose predominant flavour is malt, although much depends on how it is casked. To the west from Speyside to Oban the whisky is very well balanced.There are, however, distinct flavours to be found in the Islays. Speyside is the modern heart of whisky production with over 30 per cent of Scotch malt whisky such as Glenlivet, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich and the MaCallan coming from this small area. This is where the illegal trade flourished.

Kilt in ScotlandThe tartan kilt has long been the most recognisable cultural tradition of the Highland Scots. Therefore, it surprises most people that many of the most recognisable features and traditions associated with the wearing of the kilt have, in fact, been developed in the nineteenth century, not by Scottish Highlanders, but by the Nobles of England and Scotland.

There is much evidence that many of the more recognisable tartans seen today are in fact creations of Scottish and English tailors during the reign of Queen Victoria. Despite this, it has generally been accepted that the basic concepts of the tartan and the wearing of the kilt do indeed have their origin in the history of the early Scottish and Irish clans, or families. It has been demonstrated that certain clans did aspire to a certain uniformity of design for their garments as early as the tenth and eleventh centuries.

The kilt, or philabeg to use its older Gaelic name, that has now become the standard dress for all "Highlanders", has its origin in an older garment called the belted plaid. The Gaelic word for tartan is breacan, meaning partially colored or speckled, and every tartan today features a multicolored arrangement of stripes and checks. These patterns, or sett's, are used to identify the clan, family, or regiment with which the wearer is associated. Although the kilt is the most recognisable of the tartans, it also manifests itself in the form of trews (trousers), shawls, and skirts.

It is generally recognised that the first tartans were the result of individual weavers own designs, then were slowly adopted to identify individual districts, then finally clans and families. The first recognisable effort to enforce uniformity throughout an entire clan was in 1618, when Sir Robert Gordon of Gordonstoun, wrote to Murry of Pulrossie requesting that he bring the plaids worn by his men into "harmony with that of his other septs."

After 1688, and the fall of the Stuart clan, and subsequent rise in the spread of Jacobism, the English government felt he need to take a more active interest in the Highland affairs. In 1707,The Act of Union took place, and succeeded in temporarily uniting the political factions and clans that were universally opposed to the Act. The

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tartan came into it's own as a symbol of active nationalism and was seen by the ruling classes to be garb of extremism. It is also believed that this act of parliament succeeded in uniting, to some extent, the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, as the wearing of the tartan spread from the Highlands to the Lowlands, previously not known for their wearing of the tartan.

After the rising of 1715, the Government found the need to enforce stricter policing of the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. A number of independent companies were formed to curtail the lawlessness that had developed. One of the features that distinguished their recruits were the large number of highland gentlemen that enlisted and chose to serve in the private ranks. Many an English officer was surprised to see these Scottish privates attended by personal servants who carried their food, clothing, and weapons. From the time they were first raised, these independent regiments became known as the Black Watch, in reference to the darkly colored tartans they were known to wear.

One of the more famous tales of these Highland companies is told of the curiosity of King George, who had never seen a Highland soldier. Three handsome privates were chosen and dispatched to London to be presented to the King. The King was so impressed with the skill with which they wielded their broad swords and lochaber axes that he presented them each with a guinea. Nothing could be more insulting to a Highland gentleman, but they could not refuse the gift. Instead they accepted the gift, and as they left, flipped it smugly to the porter as they passed the palace gates.

In 1740, these independent companies became a formal regiment, and the need arose to adopt a formal tartan. This became a problem, for what tartan could they choose, without insulting certain clans, or seeming to favour others? In the end, an entirely new tartan was developed and has ever since been known as the Black Watch Tartan. It was the first documented tartan to be known by an official name and possesses the authenticity of a full pedigree. From this tartan has been derived all of the Highland regimental tartan designs and many of the hunting setts worn by other clans.

During the eighteen hundreds, the wearing of the belted plaid began to be exchanged for that of the kilt. The belted plaid, being a one-piece six-foot tall cloth, belted about the waist with the remainder being worn up about the shoulder, was proving to be somewhat inconvenient to wear. A "new", little kilt design became popular, and it consisted of a plaid which had the traditional pleats permanently sewn in place, and separated the lower from the upper half, allowing the upper section to be removed when it became convenient.

By 1746, the Government, weary of being called to quell Highland uprising, enacted a law making it illegal for Highlanders to own or possess arms. A year later, the Dress Act restricted the wearing of Highland clothes. Any form of plaid, philbeag, belted plaid, trews, shoulder belt, or little kilt were not to be worn in public. Punishment for a first offence was a six-month imprisonment, a second offence earned the wearer a seven-year exile to an oversea work farm. Even the Bagpipes were outlawed, being considered an instrument of war. Only those individuals in the army were permitted to

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wear the plaid, and as a result, it is told that many Highlanders enlisted simply to be allowed to wear their more comfortable traditional dress.

By the time the Dress Act was repealed in 1783, the fabric of Celtic life had been forever altered. The Dress Act had succeeded in altering Highland Society to the extent that many of the old traditions and customs had been lost forever. In spite of the many efforts to revive the traditions, wearing the plaid had become seen as only a nationalistic statement, and was no longer considered a way of life for Highlanders.

The plaid now became more of a fashion experiment for the elite of English society. With the advent of the industrial revolution, the precise manufacturing and replication made possible by machinery, allowed the mass reproduction of the plaid.

A tartan is a specific woven pattern that often signifies a particular Scottish clan in the modern era. The pattern must be woven into the fabric and not applied after weaving, especially if the cloth is to be used for kilts. Tartan is also known as plaid in North America.

Tartan patterns have been used in Scottish weaving for centuries. For many centuries, the patterns were associated with the weavers of a particular area. The naming and registration of official clan tartans did not begin until the Highland romantic revival of the 19th century.

The tartan of a Scottish clan is a sequence of colors and shades unique to the material, authorised by the clan society for use by members of that clan for kilts, ties, and other garments and decorations. Every clan with a society, has at least one distinct tartan. While "heraldic" in the sense of being visual representation of blood relation, they are not "Scottish heraldry", strictly speaking. In Scotland, heraldry is protected under the law by the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, and there are penalties for bearing an unauthorised Coat of arms. On the other hand, there is no blanket legal prohibition against wearing the "wrong" tartan.

In addition to the clan tartans, tradition reserves some patterns for use by Scottish Highland military units of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries.

Those associated with the British Royal Family use the Royal Stewart tartan regardless of whether they are affiliated by blood to the Stewart clan. This is because of the Royal Family's Stewart ancestry through James VI of Scotland.

However tartan is pretty inclusive. Tartans have been designed for commercial companies, special interest groups, cities, football clubs, etc. As a result most people, whether of Scottish ancestry or not, can find some tartan which is significant for them.

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IMPRESSIONS

Scotland is a vibrant, exciting country, with a wide range of cultures, landscapes- from the rolling hills of the Borders to the rugged mountains of the north-west Highlands- and an extraordinarily rich heritage.

The world wouldn't be the same as it is today... without Scotland. It was, after all, a Scot that founded the Bank of England. And a Scot (Baird) invented television. Another Scot (Bell) invented the telephone, Penicillin too.

But all these are just bare facts. They dont capture the poetry or the romance or the sheer beauty of Scotland. This of course is best left to artists and songwriters, photographers and poets and the Scottish landscape is a perennial source of inspiration for them.

BINLIOGRAPHY

www.travelimpressions.comwww.scotlant-calling.comwww.aros.netwww.undiscoveredscotland.co.ukwww.geo.ed.ac.ukwww.historic- scotland .gov.uk www.visit scotland .com www. scotland .gov.uk

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