Scotland

Alba Scotland
Constituent country of the ‌United Kingdom


Motto In My Defens God Me Defend


Capital	Edinburgh

Government	Devolved constituent country and parliamentary democracy
Prince and Great Steward
- From 1952	Charles
First minister
- From 2007	Jack McConnell

Legislature	Scottish Parliament

History
- May 29, 1660	Restoration
- May 1, 1707	Act of Union
- January 1, 1801	United Kingdom
- May 12, 1999	Scottish Parliament

Area	78,772 km²

Population
- 2001	5,062,011
Density	64.2/km²

GDP	2001 (PPP)
- Total	US$ 200.8 billion
- Per capita	US$ 39,680

Currency	Pound sterling

NUTS Region	UKM

Scotland
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Scotland is a constituent country (₳|₩) of the United Kingdom. It's role was established when the kingdoms of Scotland and England were united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain on May 1, 1707, and on January 1, 1801 it became a part of the United Kingdom.

Like Wales and Northern Ireland Scotland has its own regional legislature and government. The Scottish Parliament was established on May 12, 1999. England does not have a regional legislature or government.

Government[]

The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution. The equivalent body of law is based on statute, common law, and "traditional rights." Changes may come about formally through new acts of Parliament, informally through the acceptance of new practices and usage, or by judicial precedents. Although Parliament has the theoretical power to make or repeal any law, in actual practice the weight of 700 years of tradition restrains arbitrary actions.

Executive power rests nominally with the monarch but actually is exercised by a committee of ministers (cabinet) traditionally selected from among the members of the House of Commons and, to a lesser extent, the House of Lords. The prime minister is normally the leader of the largest party in the Commons, and the government is dependent on its support.

Parliament represents the entire country. It legislates for the entire country in matters that are not devolved to the legislatures in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, such as foreign policy, energy policy, immigration and border control, and monetary policy. The devolved legislatures in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have varying degrees of legislative authority over other matters. England does not have its own separate legislative body and Parliament can therefore legislate in all fields for England.^[1]