Scotland
Brief History
The first written records of Scottish history date back to the arrival of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. In the 5th century, the north-west of Scotland was raided and settled by Gaels, originating from Northern Ireland. They later established the Kingdom of Dalriada in Scotland’s western regions. At the end of the 8th century, all of Scotland's kingdoms were overthrown to some extent by marauding Vikings. Numerous defeats by the Norse raiders eventually forced the Picts and Scoti to end their long-held hostility towards each other and unite in the 9th century to form the Kingdom of Scotland. By the 13th century, Alexander II and his son Alexander III were determined to bring all of the former Norwegian territories in the west of Scotland into their own territories. James IV of Scotland holds the dubious honour of being the last ruling monarch of the British Isles to die on the battlefield. In 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I of England, James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne as James I. In 1707, the Acts of Union formally united Scotland with England and Wales as Great Britain. The country’s industrial decline following the Second World War was particularly acute but in recent decades Scotland has enjoyed a cultural and economic renaissance, fuelled in part by a resurgent financial services sector, the proceeds of North Sea oil and gas and, latterly, a devolved Parliament.
The first written records of Scottish history date back to the arrival of the Roman Empire in the 1st century AD. In the 5th century, the north-west of Scotland was raided and settled by Gaels, originating from Northern Ireland. They later established the Kingdom of Dalriada in Scotland’s western regions. At the end of the 8th century, all of Scotland's kingdoms were overthrown to some extent by marauding Vikings. Numerous defeats by the Norse raiders eventually forced the Picts and Scoti to end their long-held hostility towards each other and unite in the 9th century to form the Kingdom of Scotland. By the 13th century, Alexander II and his son Alexander III were determined to bring all of the former Norwegian territories in the west of Scotland into their own territories. James IV of Scotland holds the dubious honour of being the last ruling monarch of the British Isles to die on the battlefield. In 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I of England, James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne as James I. In 1707, the Acts of Union formally united Scotland with England and Wales as Great Britain. The country’s industrial decline following the Second World War was particularly acute but in recent decades Scotland has enjoyed a cultural and economic renaissance, fuelled in part by a resurgent financial services sector, the proceeds of North Sea oil and gas and, latterly, a devolved Parliament.
Current News
- Dalgety Bay radiation: Report criticises lack of records of contaminated land
- Woman raped in Govanhill in Glasgow
- Britain's longest-serving postmistress Esther Brauer retires
- Seventeen men in the UK have been arrested as part of a worldwide crackdown on computer crime.
- Sean Crombie jailed for frenzied knife murder of Ian Rankin
National Leadership
Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland
Demographic Information
Population: Around 5.2 million
Median Age: Male 37.00
Female 39.00
Education Levels: age 15 and over can read and write
Life Expectancy: male: 76.1 years
female: 80.6 years
Racial Makeup: White Scottish, White Other British, White , White Gypsy/Traveler, White Polish, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Chinese
Principal Religions: Christianity (65.1%): primarily Church of Scotland (42.4%) and Roman Catholicism (15.9%); non-religious (27.6%), Islam (0.8%), others (1.0%);
Population: Around 5.2 million
Median Age: Male 37.00
Female 39.00
Education Levels: age 15 and over can read and write
Life Expectancy: male: 76.1 years
female: 80.6 years
Racial Makeup: White Scottish, White Other British, White , White Gypsy/Traveler, White Polish, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Chinese
Principal Religions: Christianity (65.1%): primarily Church of Scotland (42.4%) and Roman Catholicism (15.9%); non-religious (27.6%), Islam (0.8%), others (1.0%);
Current GDP: $250.0 billion (2014 estimate)
Per Capita GDP: $47,369
Average Income: 3,378 pound sterling
Per Capita GDP: $47,369
Average Income: 3,378 pound sterling
Source of Wealth
Level of exports and imports, Who do they trade with?, and what are their trade agreements?
Top exports include:
Top imports include:
Scotland Trade Agreements
Top exports include:
- Food and drink
- Chemicals
- Business services
- Electrical and instrument engineering
- Mechanical engineering
Top imports include:
- Petroleum
- Grain
- Timber
- USA
- Netherlands
- France
- Germany
Scotland Trade Agreements
- World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)
Sources
http://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/business-and-economy/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Scotland
http://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/business-and-economy/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Scotland