SCOTLAND (дополнительный материал по теме" English speaking countries")

Scotland

Scotland is situated in the northern part of the island Great Britain. The ancient name of the county was “Caledonia”. Many years ago it was an independent country and in 1707 it was united with England. Scotland is washed by the North Sea in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west. This country is bounded by England only. Scotland together with 186 inhabited islands has a total area of 30,414 square miles. Administratively it is divided into 33 countries. The population of Scotland is nearly 5,2 million people. The official language of the country is English; the national one is Scottish Gaelic. The inhabitants of Scotland call themselves Scots. Scottish surnames usually begin with “Mac”, “Mc”, that means “the descendant of” – Mac Donald, for example.

The Highlands occupy the northern part of the country are the Glide, the Forth, the Tay.  Scotland has a lot of lovely lakes which is called “lochs” here. The beautiful lake Lomond is the largest but Loch Ness is known much better thanks to Nessy, a strange dragon like animal that, people say, lives here. The climate of the country is greatly influenced by its position, and the nearness to the seas. It often rains in the western part of the country. The Highlands are covered with snow till May.

Thanks to the beautiful nature, Scotland becomes the centre of tourism. Lovely lakes, especially Loch Ness, mysterious castles are visited by tourists from all over the world. Scotland is the land of myths and mysteries; people say that every castle has its ghost. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh; it is an old city with population of about 470 thousand people. It is the principle port of the country, at the same time it is University City, with the finest architecture in Europe. The Scots are very sociable people, they like to spend their free time together, drinking coffee and talking, singing in chorus at the national music festivals or at fairs.

Many years ago the4 territory of the country was divided by clans. Each clan has its own tartan, which both men and women wear. The Scots are great patriots of their country; they keep their old traditions and customs. Scotsmen are the only nation in Europe where men prefer to wear kilts not trousers. The most popular musical instrument in Scotland is bagpipe. The Scots have many interesting traditions. The national emblem of Scotland is the thistle. The people of this country have chosen thistle their national emblem, because it saved their land from foreign invaders many years ago. The 30-th of November is the national Scottish holiday. St.Andrew is the saint patron of Scotland. St.Andrew’s flag has a white cross on a blue field.

1. Is Scotland the part of the United Kingdom?

2. Where is it situated?

3. What language does the inhabitant of Scotland speak?

4. Is Glasgow the capital of Scotland?

5. What lake is a monster supposed to live in?

6. Why is the national emblem of the country such an unusual plant?

7. Which tradition of the country can you describe? (home task).