The last great wilderness

A lot of people think that Scotland is a part of England but this is untrue. Scotland is, in fact, a part of Great Britain. It is governed from London but in many ways it is a separate nation. It has its own stamps. It even has its own language, Gaelic, spoken now by only a few people in the islands.

 There are only about five million Scots, and most of them live in the southern half of the country called the ‘Lowlands’, where the major cities are situated.

But most holidays visitors to Scotland go to the Highlands because of the high mountains and deep valleys, clean rivers and cold ‘lochs’.

 The Highlands are home to many rare birds and animals, like the golden eagle and the wildcat, which are found nowhere else in Britain. It’s a lonely, wild and empry land. Only two per cent of the British population live there and the population is getting smaller all the time. There is very little work so most of the young people who are born there have to move south to find a job. Perhaps the Highlands of Scotland will become the last great wilderness of Europe.
 

A Scottish Glossary

•  Kit: a ‘skirt’ worn by a man.
• Tartan: a special criss-cross pattern.
•  Scotch whisky: a strong alcoholic drink.
• Harris tweed: a type of woollen cloth.
• Bagpipes: the national music instrument.
• Robert burns: the scottish poet.