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TEST 16
Scotland
Scotland is one of the four national units that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland. The other units are England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Edinburgh is the
capital of
Scotland, and Glasgow is its largest city.
Scotland and its offshore islands comprise the northernmost part of the United Kingdom. The
Scottish mainland, which occupies roughly the northern third of the island of Great Britain, is
bordered on three sides by seas. To the north and west is the Atlantic Ocean; to the east is the North
Sea. Rugged uplands separate Scotland from England to the south. The
territory of Scotland
includes 186 nearby islands. Scotland has a very irregular coastline. The western coast in particular
is deeply penetrated by numerous arms of the sea, most of which are narrow submerged valleys,
known locally as sea lochs, and by a number of broad indentations, generally called firths.
The landscape of Scotland is predominantly mountainous but may be
divided into three
distinct regions, from north to south: the
Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern
Uplands. More than one-half of the surface of Scotland is occupied by the Highlands, the most
rugged region on the island of Great Britain. Consisting of parallel mountain chains broken by deep
ravines and valleys, the H ighlands are noted for their scenic splendor. Steep cliffs, moorland
plateaus, mountain lakes, sea lochs, swift- flowing streams, and dense bushes are common to the
Highlands, the most thinly inhabited section of Scotland. The highest peak is Ben Nevis, the
highest summit in Britain.
To the south of the Highlands lie the Central Lowlands, a low-lying belt of fertile valleys.
Rich soils and most of the country’s coal deposits are found in the Lowlands. This region, which
comprises just one-tenth of Scotland’s surface area, is home to Scotland’s leading industries and
cities and the majority of the country’s population.
The land of the Southern Uplands, a region much less elevated and rugged than the
Highlands, consists largely of a moorland plateau. Only a few summits in the Southern Uplands
exceed 2500 ft in elevation. The Cheviot Hills adjoin the Southern Uplands region along the
boundary with England.
Scotland is characterized by an abundance of streams and lakes (lochs). Most lakes are long
and narrow. Notable among the lakes, which are especially numerous in the
central and northern
regions, are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. As it is often reported, the latter is the home of the so-
called Loch Ness monster, but its existence has never been proven. Both lakes are popular tourist
attractions.
Many of the rivers of Scotland, in particular the rivers in the west, are
short streams,
generally of little commercial importance. The longest river of Scotland is the Tay; the Clyde,
which flows through the city of Glasgow and through the industrial heartland, is Scotland’s most
important river and serves as a transportation outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.
Like the climate of the rest of Britain, that of Scotland is subject to the moderating influences of the
surrounding seas. As a result of these influences, extreme
seasonal variations are rare, and
temperate winters and cool summers are the outstanding climatic features. Low temperatures,
however, are common during the winter season in the mountains.
Scotland has significant reserves of coal. In the north and west, where the climate is wetter
and soils are less productive, forestry and sheep raising are important.