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Geography

Scotland has long been associated as a land of adventure and romance. There are countless ruins of ancient castles and abbeys, and there is a haunting beauty in its rugged mountains, long deep valleys, and ribbon lakes, or ‘lochs’ as they are known locally.

Located in north-west Europe, Scotland comprises the northern one third of the islands of the United Kingdom. The geography of Scotland is highly varied, from rural lowlands to barren mountain tops, and from large cities to uninhabited islands.

The west coast of Scotland reflects the impact of Ice Age glaciation, which created long, narrow fjords known as sea lochs. The wider river estuaries found on the east coast are called firths.

Numerous islands line the coast. In the north are two large groups, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. Close to the west coast are the Inner and Outer Hebrides groups, and the islands of Arran and Bute.

The mainland may be divided into three regions: the Highlands in the north, the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands:

The Highlands

The Highlands are wild and picturesque. Their rocky, barren summits were chiselled by glaciers and the rainfall of many centuries. Purple heather clothes the lower slopes in late summer. The valleys are usually steep-sided glens, with a long, narrow loch at the bottom.

South of the Highlands are the Grampian Mountains, highest in the British Isles. Ben Nevis, the tallest peak, rises to 4,406 feet (1,343 metres).

Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands

The Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands run from west to east, and the greatest length is nearly 90 miles (145 kilometres). But there are only 30 miles (48 kilometres) across the narrow waist of Scotland, from the head of the Firth of Clyde in the west to the Firth of Forth in the east.

Here is Scotland's chief farming district, from coast to coast wonderful stretches of water weave through rolling Border hills, past delightful country towns to the south of Scotland's two largest cities. In the east is Edinburgh, Scotland's historic capital. In the west is Glasgow, an industrial centre of the British Empire, and now hub of a great metropolitan area. Almost 90 percent of Scotland's population live in the Lowlands.