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.

Scotland is 31,510 sq. miles in area; it is 274 miles long from north to south and varies in breadth between 24 and 154 miles. The official language is English, althoughGaelic is spoken, promarily in the North and West of Scotland. The Scots language (which has many similarities to English, but draws on French and Gaelic) is also spoken. Whereas Gaelic is the language of the Highlands & Islands, Scots is the language of the Lowlands.

Scotland is divided into three main regions; the Highlands, the Midland Valley 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 Midland Valley. This broad valley averages 50 miles across and runs WSW to ENE across the center of the country. It is gelogically distinct from the surrounding regions, being composed of Devonian Old Red Sandstone, peppered with ancient volcanoes, as against the older sedimentary rocks forming the Southern Uplands or the ancient metamorphic melange, comprising the Highlands to the north.

Scotland includes 787 islands, of which most belong to groups known as the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland. Only 62 islands exceed three sq. miles in area.

Of 26 rivers flowing directly into the sea, the most significant are:

Tay
Spey
Clyde
Tweed
Dee
Don
Forth

Of these, the Clyde, Forth, adn Tay open into significant estuaries and support three of the major cities of Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee respectively). Scotland is known for its mountains and beautiful scenery. Much of the upland within the UK is contained within the borders of Scotland, along with the highest peaks. The highest mountains in Scotland are:

Ben Nevis
Ben Macdhui
Braeriach
Cairntoul
Cairngorm
Ben Lawers

Scotland is also noted for its lochs (this name is generally used for lakes in Scotland). Much of the west coast of the country is intersected by Sea Lochs, the longest of which, Loch Fyne, penetrates more than 40 miles inland.

Notable fresh water lochs include:

Loch Lomond
Loch Ness (the one with the monster) For more info Click Here
Loch Awe

Population Statistics (1891 - 1991)

Year	Population	Popn. Per Sq. Km.
1991	5,102,400	66
1981	5,130,735	66
1971	5,228,963	68
1961	5,179,344	174
1951	5,096,415	171
1931	4,842,980	163
1921	4,882,497	164
1911	4,760,904	160
1901	4,472,103	150
1891	4,025,647	135

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