Scotland

Scotland is one of the three countries of Great Britain, among England and Wales. It is the second largest of those three, in both area and population. People from Scotland are commonly known as Scotsmen, or simply as Scots. The Scottish flag is blue with a white X crossing diagonally from the corners.

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, pronounced "Edinboro", however Glasgow is the largest city. Edinburgh is the second largest city while Aberdeen is the third largest. There are approximately 5,3 million citizens currently living in Scotland, and the country covers about 80 000 square kilometres in area. The climate in Scotland is very similar to the Norwegian climate, as both experience a lot of rain during the year as well as cool summers. However, Scotland has much warmer winters than Norway. Scotland is located on the tip of the island of Great Britain, and the only country it shares a border with, is England. The Scottish currency is the pound, which it shares along with the rest of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish government is very different from the usual type of government, as they share a prime minister with England and Wales. The current prime minister of Great Britain is David Cameron. Instead of a prime minister of their own, Scotland have what they call a first minister who acts as the leader of the Scottish government. The first minister of Scotland is Alex Salmond. Scotland is a monarch, and their queen is Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the queen of the entire UK.

Scotland is very involved in industry and trade, with especially enjoying from the largest oil reserves in the entire European Union. Because of this, Aberdeen has been branded as Europe's oil capital. If Scotland were to split from the United Kingdom, they would control 90% of UK's current oil reserves. Scotland is also very engaged in heavy industry, which they have been known for throughout several decades. Some of their major exports are whisky and electronics. Scotland has an unemployment rate of 7,6 percent.

 Common Scottish characteristics are kilts, bagpipes and haggis. A kilt is a traditional clothing, a bagpipe is a music instrument, and haggis is their national dish, which is a charming course made of sheep intestines cooked inside a sheep stomache. Scotsmen are also known for their distinctive variant of English, which many find complicated and difficult to understand. Scotland is also known for the Loch Ness Monster, which is an old legend in Scottish folk lore.

The education system of Scotland is a bit different from the Norwegian education system. School is mandatory in Scotland until one has reached the age of 15 or 16. At this stage, one can choose whether or not to stay in school for two extra years, until one has reached the age of 17 or 18. The first 7 years of school take place in primary school, following secondary school for four more years, and eventually two more years after that, if it is desired. When primary and secondary school is finished, one can start working or continue with getting an education in a university.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Scotland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland