Welcome to Scotland

  • The Scottish flag

    © Lance Bellers/Shutterstock

    Photo of a Scottish flag

  • Stream train crossing a viaduct in the Highlands

    © fotoVoyager/iStockphotos

    Photo of a stream train crossing a viaduct in the Highlands

  • Bagpipe

    © mipan/iStockphotos

    Photo of a bagpipe

  • Men in kilts

    © Gannet77/iStockphotos

    Photo of men in kilts

  • Better together?

    © Alessandro Rota/Sipa USA/NTB scanpix

    Photo of the "Better together" campaign office in Edinburgh

  • Oil platforms off the coast of Cromarty

    © ZRyzner/Shutterstock

    Photo of oil platforms off the coast of Cromarty

  • The Squinty Bridge in Glasgow

    © fujji/Shutterstock

    Photo of the Squinty Bridge in Glasgow

  • Rangers and Celtic supporters at a Scottish Premier League match

    © Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

    Photo of Rangers and Celtic supporters at a Scottish Premier League match
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Welcome to Scotland

Which of these words do you expect to find in a description of Scotland? Tick the boxes.

bagpipe desert fishing hotdog lake kilt

Now listen and see if you were right.

Welcome to Scotland

Have you ever heard a bagpipe? It’s a musical instrument. Maybe you’ve seen a picture of a Scot in a kilt, playing a bagpipe. Kilts are special skirts traditionally worn by men. They have a pattern of crossed lines called tartan. Many people think of bagpipes and kilts when they hear “Scotland”. Neither of these things come from Scotland originally. However, many people think they do.

So where is Scotland? It’s in the north of the UK. Its population in 2011 was about 5.3 million, about the same size as Norway. Scotland has three official languages: English, Scots (a type of English) and Scottish Gaelic.

Scotland has some independence from the rest of the UK. It has its own parliament and legal system. The Scottish education system and health care system are also different from those in England. Did you know that you can finish school in Scotland when you are 17?

Norway and Scotland have many things in common. Mountains, lakes and a beautiful coastline. Industries like fishing and oil and gas. And in the 19th and 20th centuries many people worked in shipbuilding in both countries. The Clydebank shipyard near Glasgow was the largest in the world then.

The two main cities in Scotland are Glasgow and Edinburgh. Some find Edinburgh sophisticated, others think it’s snobbish and a little boring. Some find Glasgow rough and unattractive. Others find it lively and creative. Both cities are interesting places to visit.

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