|English is generally spoken; fewer than 100,000 Scots (mainly inhabitants of |
|the Highlands and island groups) also speak the Scottish form of Gaelic. |
|Education |
|Schools in Scotland are administered by the Scottish Education Department and |
|by local education authorities. |
|Elementary and Secondary Schools |
|In the mid-1980s some 879,000 pupils were attending publicly maintained |
|schools and about 31,900 were in private schools. The transfer from elementary|
|to secondary schools generally takes place at the age of 12. For a discussion |
|on specialized schools. |
|Universities and Colleges |
|Scotland has about 66 institutions providing programs of study beyond the |
|secondary level for those students who do not go on to the universities. These|
|include colleges of agriculture, art, commerce, and science, and in the |
|mid-1980s the total enrollment was more than 81,000. Teacher-training colleges|
|numbered seven, with approximately 3000 students. Of the eight universities in|
|Scotland, the oldest (University of Aberdeen, University of Edinburgh, |
|University of Glasgow, and University of St. Andrews) were founded in the 15th|
|and 16th centuries. Four universities have received their charters since 1960.|
|Total university enrollment was about 43,100 in the early 1980s. |
|Culture |
|Clans, the traditional keystone of Scottish society, are no longer powerful. |
|Originally, the clan, a grouping of an entire family with one head, or laird, |
|was also important as a fighting unit. The solidarity associated with clan |
|membership has been expanded into a strong national pride. The Puritan zeal of|
|Scottish Presbyterianism, which is traceable to John Knox, the 16th-century |
|religious reformer and statesman, is also strong. Popular sports of Scottish |
|origin include curling and golf. |
|Bagpipes, usually associated with Scottish music, were probably introduced by |
|the Romans, who acquired them in the Middle East. Scottish music is noted for |
|the wide use of a five-tone, or pentatonic, scale. Folk tunes are not |
|standardized, and a single song may have hundreds of variations in lyrics and |
|music. |
|Government |
|Scotland is governed as an integral part of Great Britain. It is represented |
|by 72 members in the House of Commons and by 16 Scottish peers in the House of|
|Lords. |
|Central Government |
|Scottish affairs are administered by a British cabinet ministry, headed by the|
|secretary of state for Scotland. |
|The statutory functions of the secretary of state are discharged by five main |
|departments of equal status: the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for |
|Scotland, the Scottish Development Department, the Scottish Education |
|Department, the Scottish Home and Health Department, and the Industry |
|Department for Scotland. Each is administered by a secretary who is |
|responsible to the secretary of state. The routine administration of the |
|departments proceeds from Edinburgh, but each department has representatives |
|in London, where they perform liaison and parliamentary duties. |
|Legislature |
|Before the union of Scotland and England in 1707, Scotland had developed its |
|own system of law, which continued after the union. The Scottish law system is|
|based on civil law, which is derived from ancient Roman law, whereas the other|
|parts of Great Britain follow the common law, which originated in England with|
|the evolution of case law and precedents. Because of the different systems of |
|law, separate statutes or statutory provisions often are enacted by Parliament|
|for application in Scotland. Any statute must state expressly or imply that it|
|is applicable to Scotland in order to become enforceable. |
|Judiciary |
|The Scottish judiciary is organized separately from that of the rest of Great |
|Britain. |
|The two higher courts of Scotland are the High Court of Justiciary (criminal) |
|and the Court of Session (civil). A panel of 21 judges is provided for both |
|courts together. Major criminal trials are held before 1 or 2 judges of the |
|High Court of Justiciary and a 15-member jury; criminal appeals may be heard |
|by a bench of at least 3 judges. The Court of Session is divided into an Outer|
|House, which holds all divorce trials and the more important civil trials, and|
|an Inner House, which functions chiefly as an appellate court in civil cases. |
|Appeals to the British House of Lords may be made from the Court of Session; |
|appellate judgments of the High Court of Justiciary are final. |
|Each of the six sheriffdoms, into which Scotland is divided, has a sheriff |
|court for less important civil and criminal cases. Petty cases are tried by |
|police courts and justices of the peace. |
|Local Government and Political Parties |
|The Scottish Development Department is responsible for general policy in |
|regard to local government. A reorganization of local government in Scotland |
|was made effective in 1975, when the counties and burghs were abolished and |
|replaced by nine regions and three island areas. The regions (but not the |
|island areas) are divided into districts. Each of these units is administered |
|by a council, whose members are elected to 4-year terms. The island areas, |
|numbering some 700 islands and islets to the north and west, the regions, and |
|the former counties, all of which are described in separate articles, are |
|listed in the accompanying table. |
|Two leading British parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, have|
|shared Scottish seats in Parliament about equally since the 1920s. The |
|Scottish Nationalist Party, which was founded in 1927 in order to press for |
|complete self-government, has played a minor role in the politics of the |
|country. |
|Economy |
|Many aspects of the economy of Scotland are covered in the article on Great |
|Britain. The currency of Great Britain is the legal tender of Scotland. Both |
|agriculture and industry are important in the economy of Scotland. The chief |
|exports are petroleum and natural gas and manufactured goods, especially |
|burlap, clothing, machinery, textiles, and whiskey. The chief imports are food|
|and iron. The center of Scottish trade unionism is the Scottish Trades Union |
|Congress, with an affiliated membership of more than 980,000. |
|Agriculture |
|More than three-fourths of the land is used for agriculture; approximately |
|equal areas are devoted to farming and grazing. The most important crops are |
|wheat, oats, and potatoes. Other crops include barley, turnips, and fruit. |
|Livestock and livestock products are also of major importance. Sheep are |
|raised in both the Highlands and island groups and the Southern Uplands. |
|Scotland is also known for its beef and dairy cattle and for its dairy |
|products. |
|Forestry and Fishing |
|About 607,000 hectares (about 1.5 million acres) of Scotland is forested, 60 |
|percent of which is publicly owned. In Scotland fishing is more important than|
|forestry. The principal fishing ports are Aberdeen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, |
|and Lerwick. The catch consists mainly of whitefish, herring, crabs, and |
|lobsters. |
|Mining and Manufacturing |
|Coal is the chief mineral wealth, and the industry is nationalized. Nearly all|
|the major coal deposits are found in the Central Lowlands. Limestone, clay, |
|and silica are also mined. Iron ores and other metals have been virtually |
|exhausted. North Sea petroleum and natural gas are sent by pipeline to points |
|in the Orkney and Shetland islands and to the mainland. Major oil refineries |
|are located at Grangemouth and Dundee. |
|About 36 percent of the labor force is employed in manufacturing. |
|Shipbuilding, steelmaking, and the manufacture of electronic items are major |
|industries and are concentrated in the region surrounding Glasgow. Other |
|important manufactures include woolen textiles and yarn, chemicals, machinery |
|of many varieties, vehicles, and whiskey. |
|Transportation and Communications |
|About 48,000 km (about 30,000 mi) of highways and about 6400 km (about 4000 |
|mi) of railroads serve Scotland. Public buses provide transportation |
|throughout most of the country, and many transatlantic flights use Prestwick |
|Airport near Glasgow. Most radio and television programs originate in England.|
|About 17 daily newspapers and 120 weeklies are published in the country. |
Страницы: 1, 2
