Scotland is overwhelmingly rich in history, much of which is
preserved in historic buildings throughout the country. It is a country
that can be explored without prior trip-planning as Scotland has always
either some touristic attraction close by or incredibly beautiful
landscape to offer.
Throughout history many battles were fought against the English
in order to gain independence. Scotland's national identity is very
important to the people and they are generally very proud to be
Scottish. You will find that a few people in Scotland express their
dislike of the English, but that should not always be taken serious.
Scotland has two flags. The national flag, a diagonal white
cross on blue ground — known as the saltire, is one of the oldest flags
in the world. It is also incorporated into the Union Flag of the United
Kingdom. The second flag which is often seen around Scotland is the
Lion Rampant, a red lion on yellow ground. It is the royal banner of
Scotland and actually should only be used by a Scottish monarch.
Since 1999 Scotland has entered a new phase following a process
called devolution. In 1997 the people of Scotland voted in a referendum
to create a new Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive, which has
been given powers to govern the country on certain purely domestic
matters, with a limited tax varying capability. The first elections
were held in 1999, and the controversial new Scottish Parliament
building, completed in September 2004 (three years late and ten times
over budget), is located at Holyrood, in Edinburgh.
Originally published at http://wikitravel.org/en/Scotland#Understand
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