When it comes to Scotland, the first thing that comes to many people’s minds is the movie Braveheart. It’s true, it’s a good movie. The second to arrive are men in skirts playing the bagpipes. Scotland, which is part of the British Kingdom, has a history dating back thousands of years and has its own unique culture, and the kilt is a part of it. Located in the northernmost part of the British Isle, the country is very rich both culturally and historically.
You may not be interested in Scottish culture because it is not very close to our culture, so let’s talk about its nature. It is such a country that wherever you turn your head, you encounter a meadow, forest or lake. Since Scotland is a country with many islands, if you are in the right location, you can suddenly find yourself in the middle of all these natural beauties. So some of the details might be more interesting than you think.
Interesting facts about Scotland:
- Even thousands of years ago, Scotland was inhabited.
- Yes, Scottish men wear kilts.
- There are nearly a thousand islands in Scotland.
- The country is a land of lakes.
- The official animal of Scotland is the unicorn.
- The highest waterfall in the kingdom is in Scotland.
- If we are walking with peace of mind in the rain today, we owe it to the Scots.
- There are three different official languages in the country.
- If you are good with mystical beings, Scotland is just for you.
Even thousands of years ago Scotland was inhabited:
During the excavations carried out in the region, some findings dating back to 2 thousand BC, that is, the Iron Age, were found, but not many details were found. Definitive evidence of settlement are stone structures dating back to the 800s BC. Scotland is also mentioned in some works from the Ancient Greek period. The known history of the country begins with the Middle Ages.
The Kingdom of Scotland, which was an independent state until the early years of the 18th century, was connected to the Kingdom of Great Britain from that date on. Scotland has become a country more tightly bound to its own culture and legal system than other royal countries. For this reason, it is possible to talk about a separate Scottish culture that has nothing to do with the English.
Yes, Scottish men wear kilts:
Skirts called ‘kilts’ appeared in the 16th century. In fact, at first these clothes consisted of a large blanket that they wrapped around their entire body. Men living in mountainous areas would wrap these thick fabrics to protect themselves from the cold. It was longer than today’s skirt, it allowed movement in the field, and they could take it off and cover themselves at night. Moreover, skirt colors represented clans.
When we came to the 18th century, they saw that it was difficult to use these large skirts when working iron and producing coal, and they switched to the small skirts we know today. Kilt skirts, which are now worn on special occasions as traditional Scottish clothing, were once banned by law because they were the clothing of warrior clans. The law, introduced in 1746, was abolished in 1782.
There are nearly a thousand islands in Scotland:
If you are going to sing the song “I’m waiting on the island shores” in Scotland, you need to specifically specify which island it is because there are 790 islands in the country. Of course, since some of them are small cliffs, only 240 of them have human settlements. The most famous of these islands are the Isle of Lewis, the Isle of Harris, the Shetland Mainland, the Orkney Mainland, the Isle of Arran and the Isle of Skye. Adventure trips are also organized to some uninhabited islands.
The country is a land of lakes:
Scotland, which is already surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea, experiences the same richness of salt water in terms of fresh water in the inner regions. There is a lake almost everywhere in the country. More than 1500 square kilometers of Scotland’s surface area of more than 77 thousand square kilometers are freshwater lakes. One of the most famous of these, Lake Loch Ness, is a lake so deep and wide that it gave rise to the legend of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’, which is an important part of the horror culture.
The official animal of Scotland is the unicorn:
In popular culture, it is generally known as the cute animal of girls, but in fact, in Celtic mythology, the ‘unicorn’ symbolizes purity, innocence, masculinity and power. Since unicorns have a big place in Scottish culture, they are used as the official symbol in the country’s coat of arms. Unicorns, described as wild horses that can never be tamed in mythological stories, are depicted with a chain around their necks in Scottish coats of arms. This means that Scottish kings were powerful enough to tame even the wildest horses.
The highest waterfall in the kingdom is in Scotland:
Scotland is not a country that can be visited in a few days, because its real exciting spots are areas far from human settlement. If you go to Assynt, one of them, you will be greeted by Eas a’ Chual Aluinn Waterfall. With a sheer 200 meter drop, this waterfall is the highest waterfall in the UK. For those who cannot imagine the height, let’s explain it this way: Niagara Falls, which Americans rave about, is 51 meters high. So Eas a’ Chual Aluinn is almost four times higher than Niagara.
If we walk with peace of mind in the rain today, we owe it to the Scots:
Even if it rains throughout our country, it rains for a few months, it rains every moment in Scotland. Therefore, the Scots, who wanted to find a solution to this problem, invented the raincoat in 1766, but the first raincoat was not as protective as it is today. In 1818, another Scottish scientist combined the rubber substance he discovered during coal gas analysis with fabric. Thus, he found the waterproof fabric that would not leak a single drop even if you poured seas on it.
There are three different official languages in the country:
Since Scotland is part of the Kingdom of Britain, the first official language is of course English. Other languages are Scottish Gaelic and Scots. Scots is a language close to English, but it is a type of Germanic language that the Scots consider as their own language. Scottish Gaelic is an ancient Celtic language similar to Old Irish. Of course, just because these languages are official languages does not mean that all people know these languages. If you are not used to a Scottish accent, it may be a little difficult to understand the English they speak.
If you are good with mystical beings, Scotland is for you:
If you think that aliens only appear in the USA, as in the movies, you are wrong, the real center of this is the Bonnybridge region in Scotland. The townspeople claim that they see hundreds of unidentified objects in the sky every year. Of course, the purpose of these claims may be to attract tourists to their small towns, but their sins are on their shoulders.
‘Aliens are not enough, we need something more mystical.’ If you say so, let us take you to Edinburgh Castle. It is said that in the middle of the night, drums can be heard and chains can be heard coming from the old dungeon. It is even said that similar things happened in the 44 abandoned castles in the city. This country, which is full of fairies and aliens, makes a very good profit thanks to horror tourism.
We talked about interesting facts, some of which you may have heard for the first time, about Scotland, which is much more than just men wearing plaid skirts and playing bagpipes. The haunted castle thing was a bit tense, but it might be nice to see the islands.
You can find other content where we explain the interesting features of the countries here:
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