Scotland

Scotland is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the west, and the North Channel and the Irish Sea to the southwest. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.

Edinburgh, the country’s capital and the second largest city, is one of Europe’s financial centers. It’s a historic city where the Scottish kings and queens lived.

In history, the Romans built Hadrian’s Wall here. It protected their Empire. In the Middle Ages, Scotland became a united country. There were many wars between England and Scotland. In 1603, the Scottish king, James VI., became king of England and a century later Scotland and England were united.

Scotland is famous for its own culture. Here are some of the ways visitors in Scotland can join in the fun.

Hogmanay, 31 December:

It is the Scottish New Year’s celebration. During it, you listen to music from bagpipes, traditional instruments, and you dance on streets in the night. At midnight there are fireworks and people sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, a song by Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet.

Burns Night, 25 January:

The Scottish people celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns, a national poet. They have a big dinner. Scotland’s national dish is called haggis. After dinner, everyone reads poems and sings songs written by the great Burns himself.

The Highland Games, May-September:

Nearly every weekend in the summer, there are highland games somewhere in Scotland, but the biggest are at Cowal. Lots of people from all over the world go here. There are thousands of bagpipers and drummers. It is a wonderful atmosphere. There are dancing competitions, throwing the hammer, and tossing the caber. All athletes wear traditional skirts called kilts.

The Edinburgh Festival, August:

Edinburgh is famous all over the world for its arts festivals. There is an official festival for theatre, opera, and classical music and the Fringe festival, where you can see a large variety of plays, films, comedies, dance companies, and concerts. Finally, there is the Military Tattoo, a military parade held in Edinburgh castle.

I would like to visit Scotland, because it’s a very interesting country.