There's nowhere like Scotland. Scotland is a country in a country. lt is part of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales), and of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).

Scotland is in the far northwest of Europe, between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. lt is often cold and grey, and it often rains a lot.

But the people of Scotland have their country, and many visitors to Scotland have it too. They have the beautiful hills and mountains of the north sea and the eight hundred islands, and the six cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, and Stirling. The country is special, and Scottish people are special too: often warm and friendly.

There are about five million people in Scotland. Most Scots live in the south, in or near the big cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Most of the north of the country is very empty; not many people live there.

A Scottish person is also called a Scot, but you cannot talk about a Scotch person: Scotch means whisky, a drink made in Scotland. Scottish people are British because Scotland is part of Great Britain, but you must not call Scottish people English! Scots and English are different.

These days everyone in Scotland speaks English. But, at one time, people in the north and west of Scotland did not speak English. They had a different language, a beautiful language called Gaelic. About 60,000 people, 1% of the people in Scotland, speak Gaelic now. But many more want Gaelic in their lives because it is part of the story of Scotland.

( ) lt is part of Great Britain but not of the United Kingdom.

( ) lt is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.

( ) The weather there is usually cold, grey, and rainy.

( ) There are 80 islands in the country.

( ) Tourists can see hills, mountains and the sea there.