Key facts and figures about Scotland

Location
Scotland is one of the 4 countries that make up the United Kingdom, together with England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is the most northerly part of the UK and is about one third of the of the UK’s landmass.

Area
78,772 sq km (30,414 sq miles)

Population
5.I million, mostly concentrated in ‘the Central Belt’ between Glasgow in the West and Edinburgh in the East.

Language
English (99%); Gaelic (1%)

Currency
British pound

Healthcare
Is provided by the National Health Service and is free to international students (there is a small subsidised prescription charge for medicines).

Airports
Four major international airports: Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Prestwick; and a number of smaller airports including Dundee and Inverness.

Average Temperatures
Summer:     15-22°C (60-70°F)
Winter:        5-7°C (41-45°F)

Government
Devolved parliamentary democracy

Capital City
Edinburgh

Head of State
Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth 11

Major Industries
Banking and finance, oil and gas, IT and computing, technology, the creative industries, whisky and tourism.

Major Trading Partners
The European Union, China and the USA

Highest Mountain
Ben Nevis: 1343m (4407 feet)

Number of Munros
Munros are mountain peaks over 914.4m (3,000 feet), first listed by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. There 284 of them. ‘Munro bagging’ is the sport of climbing them and more than 3,000 people have climbed them all.

Largest and Deepest Lochs (Lakes)
Largest: Loch Lomond, 71.2 sq km (27.5 sq miles)

Deepest: Loch Morar, 328m (1076 feet)

Number of Islands
More than 750

Number of International Students
Over 30,000 from more than 180 countries