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Scotland, most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom, occupying about one-third of the island of Great Britain. The name Scotland derives from the Latin Scotia, land of the Scots, a Celtic people from Ireland who settled on the west coast of Great Britain about the 5th century ce. The name Caledonia has often been applied to Scotland, especially in poetry. It is derived from Caledonii, the Roman name of a tribe in the northern part of what is now Scotland.

An austere land, subject to extremes of weather, Scotland has proved a difficult home for countless generations of its people, who have nonetheless prized it for its beauty and unique culture. "I am a Scotsman," the poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott wrote in the 19th century; "therefore I had to fight my way into the world." Historically one of Europe's poorest countries, Scotland has contributed much to political and practical theories of progress: forged in the Scottish Enlightenment in the hands of such philosophers as Francis Hutcheson, Adam Smith, and David Hume, who viewed humankind as a product of history and the "pursuit of happiness" as an inalienable right, this progressive ideal contributed substantially to the development of modern democracy. Scots have also played a vital role in many of the world's most important scientific and technological innovations, with inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs such as Alexander Graham Bell, James Watt, Andrew Carnegie, and John McAdam extending Scotland's reach far beyond the small country's borders. Few students of English-language literature are unacquainted with historian Thomas Carlyle, poet Robert Burns, and novelist Muriel Spark.

Scotland's relations with England, with which it was merged in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain, have long been difficult. Although profoundly influenced by the English, Scotland has long refused to consider itself as anything other than a separate country, and it has bound itself to historical fact and legend alike in an effort to retain national identity, as well as to the distinct dialect of English called Scots; writing defiantly of his country's status, the nationalist poet Hugh MacDiarmid proclaimed: "For we ha'e faith in Scotland's hidden poo'ers, The present's theirs, but a' the past and future's oors." That independent spirit bore fruit in 1996, when the highly symbolic Stone of Scone was returned to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, from London, and in 1999 a new Scottish Parliament-the first since 1707-was elected and given significant powers over Scottish affairs.

Edinburgh is a handsome city of great historical significance and one of Europe's chief cultural centres. Other significant principal cities include Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Perth, all centres for industry, transportation, and commerce.

Hardworking, practical, and proud of their traditions, the Scots have a reputation for thrift that verges on miserliness. Travelers to the country, however, often remark on the generosity and friendliness of their hosts, as well as on the vibrancy of contemporary Scottish culture. An ancient Gaelic song, a blessing on cattle and the people who keep them, speaks to that hospitality in a sometimes inhospitable landscape:

Pastures smooth, long, and spreading,

Grassy meads aneath your feet,

The friendship of God the Son to bring you home

To the field of the fountains,

Field of the fountains.

Closed be every pit to you,

Smoothed be every knoll to you,

Cosy every exposure to you,

Beside the cold mountains,

Beside the cold mountains.

Land

Scotland is bounded by England to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north, and the North Sea to the east. The west coast is fringed by deep indentations (sea lochs or fjords) and by numerous islands, varying in size from mere rocks to the large landmasses of Lewis and Harris, Skye, and Mull. The island clusters of Orkney and Shetland lie to the north. At its greatest length, measured from Cape Wrath to the Mull of Galloway, the mainland of Scotland extends 274 miles (441 km), while the maximum breadth-measured from Applecross, in the western Highlands, to Buchan Ness, in the eastern Grampian Mountains-is 154 miles (248 km). But, because of the deep penetration of the sea in the sea lochs and firths (estuaries), most places are within 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) of the sea, and only 30 miles (50 km) of land separate the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth, the two great estuarine inlets on the west and east coasts, respectively.

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Scotland | History, Capital, Map, Flag, Population, & Facts

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Scotland is the most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom, occupying about one-third of the island of Great Britain. It has a long and complicated history with England, with which it was merged in 1707 to form the United Kingdom. Its capital is Edinburgh.

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Audio File: National anthem of Ireland

Head Of Government:

Prime Minister: Leo Varadkar
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Capital:

Dublin
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Population:

(2023 est.) 5,203,000
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Currency Exchange Rate:

1 USD equals 0.939 euro
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President: Michael D. Higgins
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Ireland, Irish Éire, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles.

The magnificent scenery of Ireland's Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of culture and tradition that was linked initially to the Gaelic language. Washed by abundant rain, the country's pervasive grasslands create a green-hued landscape that is responsible for the popular sobriquet Emerald Isle. Ireland is also renowned for its wealth of folklore, from tales of tiny leprechauns with hidden pots of gold to that of the patron saint, Patrick, with his legendary ridding the island of snakes and his reputed use of the three-leaved shamrock as a symbol for the Christian Trinity. But while many may think of Ireland as an enchanted land, the republic has been beset with perennial concerns-emigration, cultural and political identity, and relations with Northern Ireland (comprising the 6 of Ireland's 32 counties within the province of Ulster that remain part of the United Kingdom). At the beginning of the 21st century, Ireland's long-standing economic problems were abating, owing to its diverse export-driven economy, but calamity struck again in 2008 when a new financial and economic crisis befell the country, culminating in a very costly bailout of the Irish economy by the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund.

The emergence of Ireland as an independent country is a fairly recent phenomenon. Until the 17th century, political power was widely shared among a rather loosely constructed network of small earldoms in often-shifting alliances. Following the so-called "Flight of the Earls" after an unsuccessful uprising in the early 17th century, Ireland effectively became an English colony. It was formally incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801. A 1914 Home Rule Act was passed but never implemented due to pro-union militancy in the north, the onset of World War I, and the subsequent Irish War of Independence. In 1920 the island was effectively partitioned with the creation of Northern Ireland, a six-county area with devolved powers within the United Kingdom, whereas under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, the other 26 counties became the Irish Free State, a self-governing dominion within the British Commonwealth and Empire. In 1937 the southern state passed a new constitution that offered a more robust expression of sovereignty, and in 1949 it formally left the Commonwealth as the Republic of Ireland.

Since then Ireland has become integrated with the rest of western Europe. It joined the European Economic Community (forerunner of the EU) in 1973. Though the country generally retained a neutral role in international affairs, in 2008 Ireland became an impediment to the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty -an agreement aimed at streamlining the EU's processes and giving it a higher international profile-when the Irish voted against the passage of the treaty in a national referendum. The treaty, however, was approved by Irish voters in a second referendum, held the following year.

Dependent on agriculture, Ireland was long among Europe's poorest regions, a principal cause of mass migration from Ireland, especially during the cycle of famine in the 19th century. Some 40 million Americans trace their ancestry to Ireland as a result of that traumatic exodus, as do millions of others throughout the world. Every year members of this diaspora visit their ancestral homeland and forge connections with long-lost family.

Ireland's capital is Dublin, a populous and affluent city whose metropolitan area is home to more than one-fourth of the country's total population. The city's old dockside neighbourhoods have given way to new residential and commercial development. Cork, Ireland's second largest city, is a handsome cathedral city and port in the southwest. Other principal centres include Waterford, Wexford, and Drogheda on the east coast, Sligo in the northwest, and Limerick and Galway in the west.

Although Ireland is now both urbanized and Europeanized, its culture retains many unique characteristics, and its people prize folkloric and social traditions that largely derive from and celebrate the country's rural past. In "Meditations in Time of Civil War" William Butler Yeats, perhaps Ireland's best-known poet, evokes the idyllic and idealized countryside, a place central to the memories of the country's millions of expatriates and their descendants:

An acre of stony ground,

Where the symbolic rose can break in flower,

Old ragged elms, old thorns innumerable,

The sound of the rain or sound

Of every wind that blows;

The stilted water-hen

Crossing stream again

Scared by the splashing of a dozen cows.

Land

The republic of Ireland occupies the greater part of an island lying to the west of Great Britain, from which it is separated-at distances ranging from 11 to 120 miles (18 to 193 km)-by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St. George's Channel. Located in the temperate zone between latitudes 51°30′ and 55°30′ N and longitudes 6°00′ and 10°30′ W-as far north as Labrador or British Columbia in Canada and as far west as the West African state of Liberia-it constitutes the westernmost outpost of the Atlantic fringe of the Eurasian landmass (the absolute extreme of which is Tearaght Island, the westernmost member of the Blasket Islands, which lie off the Dingle Peninsula and are part of County Kerry). Ireland, which, like Great Britain, once formed part of this landmass, lies on the European continental shelf, surrounded by seas that are generally less than 650 feet (200 metres) deep. The greatest distance from north to south in the island is 302 miles (486 km), and from east to west it is 171 miles (275 km).

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Ireland | History, Map, Flag, Capital, Population, & Facts

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Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The country is noted for a rich heritage of culture and tradition that was linked initially to the Gaelic language. Its capital city is Dublin.

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England, predominant constituent unit of the United Kingdom, occupying more than half of the island of Great Britain.

Outside the British Isles, England is often erroneously considered synonymous with the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) and even with the entire United Kingdom. Despite the political, economic, and cultural legacy that has secured the perpetuation of its name, England no longer officially exists as a governmental or political unit-unlike Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which all have varying degrees of self-government in domestic affairs. It is rare for institutions to operate for England alone. Notable exceptions are the Church of England (Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, including Northern Ireland, have separate branches of the Anglican Communion) and sports associations for cricket, rugby, and football (soccer). In many ways England has seemingly been absorbed within the larger mass of Great Britain since the Act of Union of 1707.

Laced by great rivers and small streams, England is a fertile land, and the generosity of its soil has supported a thriving agricultural economy for millennia. In the early 19th century, England became the epicentre of a worldwide Industrial Revolution and soon the world's most industrialized country. Drawing resources from every settled continent, cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool converted raw materials into manufactured goods for a global market, while London, the country's capital, emerged as one of the world's preeminent cities and the hub of a political, economic, and cultural network that extended far beyond England's shores. Today the metropolitan area of London encompasses much of southeastern England and continues to serve as the financial centre of Europe and to be a centre of innovation-particularly in popular culture.

One of the fundamental English characteristics is diversity within a small compass. No place in England is more than 75 miles (120 km) from the sea, and even the farthest points in the country are no more than a day's journey by road or rail from London. Formed of the union of small Celtic and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms during the early medieval period, England has long comprised several distinct regions, each different in dialect, economy, religion, and disposition; indeed, even today many English people identify themselves by the regions or shires from which they come-e.g., Yorkshire, the West Country, the Midlands-and retain strong ties to those regions even if they live elsewhere. Yet commonalities are more important than these differences, many of which began to disappear in the era after World War II, especially with the transformation of England from a rural into a highly urbanized society. The country's island location has been of critical importance to the development of the English character, which fosters the seemingly contradictory qualities of candour and reserve along with conformity and eccentricity and which values social harmony and, as is true of many island countries, the good manners that ensure orderly relations in a densely populated landscape.

With the loss of Britain's vast overseas empire in the mid 20th century, England suffered an identity crisis, and much energy has been devoted to discussions of "Englishness"-that is, not only of just what it means to be English in a country that now has large immigrant populations from many former colonies and that is much more cosmopolitan than insular but also of what it means to be English as opposed to British. While English culture draws on the cultures of the world, it is quite unlike any other, if difficult to identify and define. Of it, English novelist George Orwell, the "revolutionary patriot" who chronicled politics and society in the 1930s and '40s, remarked in The Lion and the Unicorn (1941):

There is something distinctive and recognizable in English civilization....It is somehow bound up with solid breakfasts and gloomy Sundays, smoky towns and winding roads, green fields and red pillar-boxes. It has a flavour of its own. Moreover it is continuous, it stretches into the future and the past, there is something in it that persists, as in a living creature.

For many, Orwell captured as well as anyone the essence of what Shakespeare called "this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."

Land

England is bounded on the north by Scotland; on the west by the Irish Sea, Wales, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by the English Channel; and on the east by the North Sea.

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England | History, Map, Flag, Population, Cities, & Facts

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England, predominant constituent unit of the United Kingdom, occupying more than half of the island of Great Britain.

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Is Wales part of the United Kingdom?

What kind of climate does Wales have?

What languages are spoken in Wales?

What is the name of Wales in Welsh?

Wales, constituent unit of the United Kingdom that forms a westward extension of the island of Great Britain. The capital and main commercial and financial centre is Cardiff.

Famed for its strikingly rugged landscape, the small nation of Wales-which comprises six distinctive regions-was one of Celtic Europe's most prominent political and cultural centres, and it retains aspects of culture that are markedly different from those of its English neighbours.

The medieval chronicler Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) had topography, history, and current events alike in mind when he observed that Wales is a "country very strongly defended by high mountains, deep valleys, extensive woods, rivers, and marshes; insomuch that from the time the Saxons took possession of the island the remnants of the Britons, retiring into these regions, could never be entirely subdued either by the English or by the Normans." In time, however, Wales was in fact subdued and, by the Act of Union of 1536, formally joined to the kingdom of England. Welsh engineers, linguists, musicians, writers, and soldiers went on to make significant contributions to the development of the larger British Empire even as many of their compatriots laboured at home to preserve cultural traditions and even the Welsh language itself, which enjoyed a revival in the late 20th century. In 1997 the British government, with the support of the Welsh electorate, provided Wales with a measure of autonomy through the creation of the Welsh Assembly, which assumed decision-making authority for most local matters.

Although Wales was shaken by the decline of its industrial mainstay, coal mining, by the end of the 20th century the country had developed a diversified economy, particularly in the cities of Cardiff and Swansea, while the countryside, once reliant on small farming, drew many retirees from England. Tourism became an economic staple, with visitors-including many descendants of Welsh expatriates-drawn to Wales's stately parks and castles as well as to cultural events highlighting the country's celebrated musical and literary traditions. In the face of constant change, Wales continues to seek both greater independence and a distinct place in an integrated Europe.

Explore England, Scotland, and Wales Quiz

Land

Wales is bounded by the Dee estuary and Liverpool Bay to the north, the Irish Sea to the west, the Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel to the south, and England to the east. Anglesey (Môn), the largest island in England and Wales, lies off the northwestern coast and is linked to the mainland by road and rail bridges. The varied coastline of Wales measures about 600 miles (970 km). The country stretches some 130 miles (210 km) from north to south, and its east-west width varies, reaching 90 miles (145 km) across in the north, narrowing to about 40 miles (65 km) in the centre, and widening again to more than 100 miles (160 km) across the southern portion.

Relief

Glaciers during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago) carved much of the Welsh landscape into deeply dissected mountains, plateaus, and hills, including the north-south-trending Cambrian Mountains, a region of plateaus and hills that are themselves fragmented by rivers. Protruding from that backbone are two main mountain areas-the Brecon Beacons in the south, rising to 2,906 feet (886 metres) at Pen y Fan, and Snowdonia in the northwest, reaching 3,560 feet (1,085 metres) at Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. Snowdonia's magnificent scenery is accentuated by stark and rugged rock formations, many of volcanic origin, whereas the Beacons generally have softer outlines. The uplands are girdled on the seaward side by a series of steep-sided coastal plateaus ranging in elevation from about 100 to 700 feet (30 to 210 metres). Many of them have been pounded by the sea into spectacular steplike cliffs. Other plateaus give way to coastal flats that are estuarine in origin.

Wales consists of six traditional regions-the rugged central heartland, the North Wales lowlands and Isle of Anglesey county, the Cardigan coast (Ceredigion county), the southwestern lowlands, industrial South Wales, and the Welsh borderland. The heartland, which coincides partly with the counties Powys, Denbighshire, and Gwynedd, extends from the Brecon Beacons in the south to Snowdonia in the north and includes the two national parks based on those mountain areas. To the north and northwest lie the coastal lowlands, together with the Lleyn Peninsula (Penrhyn Llŷn) in Gwynedd and the island of Anglesey. To the west of the heartland, and coinciding with the county of Ceredigion, lies the coastline of Cardigan Bay, with numerous cliffs and coves and pebble- and sand-filled beaches. Southwest of the heartland are the counties of Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. There the land rises eastward from St. David's Head, through moorlands and uplands, to 1,760 feet (536 metres) in the Preseli Hills. South Wales stretches south of the heartland on an immense but largely exhausted coalfield. To the east of the heartland, the Welsh border region with England is largely agricultural and is characterized by rolling countryside and occasional wooded hills and mountainous moorland.

Drainage

The main watershed of Wales runs approximately north-south along the central highlands. The larger river valleys all originate there and broaden westward near the sea or eastward as they merge into lowland plains along the English border. The Severn and Wye, two of Britain's longest rivers, lie partly within central and eastern Wales and drain into the Bristol Channel via the Severn estuary. The main river in northern Wales is the Dee, which empties into Liverpool Bay. Among the lesser rivers and estuaries are the Clwyd and Conwy in the northeast, the Tywi in the south, and the Rheidol in the west, draining into Cardigan Bay (Bae Ceredigion). The country's natural lakes are limited in area and almost entirely glacial in origin. Several reservoirs in the central uplands supply water to South Wales and to Merseyside and the Midlands in England.

Soils

The parent rock of Wales is dominated by strata ranging from Precambrian time (more than 540 million years ago) to representatives of the Jurassic Period (about 200 million to 145 million years ago). However, glaciers during the Pleistocene blanketed most of the landscape with till (boulder clay), scraped up and carried along by the underside of the great ice sheets, so that few soils can now be directly related to their parent rock. Acidic, leached podzol soils and brown earths predominate throughout Wales.

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Wales | History, Geography, Facts, & Points of Interest

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Wales, constituent unit of the United Kingdom that forms a westward extension of the island of Great Britain. Its capital and main commercial and financial center is Cardiff. Famed for its rugged landscape, Wales retains aspects of Celtic culture that are markedly different from those of its English neighbors.

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Scotland is kindness, respect and generosity. Scotland is determination, creativity and curiosity. We are castles, lochs and mountains. We are students, explorers, innovators. We are Scotland and good things live here.

We've come a long way and you could too.

Study invest live work visit

Scotland is waiting, and open to you....

#ScotlandIsNow

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The Official Gateway to Scotland | Scotland.org

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The official gateway to Scotland provides information on Scottish culture and living, working, studying, visiting, and doing business in Scotland.

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Your next adventure starts here

With festivals and Christmas markets happening throughout the country, there are plenty of ways to get into the festive spirit. Get your Santa hat ready for a season of cheer and start planning your Christmas of fun.

What's on

Don't miss must-see events around Ireland this autumn.

What will you do first?

Spend some quality time with the family this festive season and discover some of Ireland's best family activities.

Take the kids zip lining through treetops, bring them face to face with mighty Vikings and teach them how to surf. Experience incredible adventures while making special family memories.

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See our majestic coastlines, rugged trails, endless beaches and exciting cities.

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Explore Ireland with its epic mountain peaks, magnificent coastlines, lofty lighthouses and rich greenery. Plan your holiday at home now.

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Archaeologists think the first people to settle in Ireland arrived around 6000 B.C. By 3500 B.C., settlers were using stone tools to clear farmlands. Around 700 B.C., a diverse and technologically advanced culture from central Europe called the Celts began to settle the island. They would thrive there for nearly 2,000 years.

In the ninth century A.D., Viking invaders began raids into Ireland. They established settlements that later became some of the country's main cities, including the capital, Dublin. The Vikings and Celts fought often for 200 years until a battle in 1014 united the country. Peace broke down quickly though, and Ireland was divided into many kingdoms.

In 1170, Norman Vikings who had taken control of England invaded Ireland and made it an English territory. In the early 1600s, England's official religion became Protestant while most Irish remained Roman Catholic. This would create tensions that would eventually lead to revolution and Ireland's independence.

By the 1820s, British laws unfair to Catholics had sparked a mass movement for Irish sovereignty. In 1829, many of those laws were overturned, but Ireland still wanted freedom. In 1922, after violent uprisings, the Irish Free State was created within the British Empire.

Ireland became a fully independent republic in 1937. By 1949, they had no ties to the United Kingdom.

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Ireland Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Ireland is an island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe. It is the continent's second largest island (after Great Britain).

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In the far northern Highlands of Scotland, the historic county of Sutherland cradles rugged coastline, ruined castles, and the A' Mhòine peninsula-Scots Gaelic for "the peat bog"-an expanse so barren it could be the surface of the moon. Save for greylag geese and dunlin wading birds, all that rises from this ancient, unspoiled landscape are the distant summits of mountains. And, perhaps soon, spaceships in flight.

As early as autumn 2022, crowds may gather here to watch low-carbon rockets blast off from a launchpad situated within the bracken. Transporting communications satellites into orbit, the pad will fulfill an ambition by the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) and its partners to fly spaceships from British soil. The port will propel the country into a commercial space launch industry currently driven by Elon Musk's SpaceX. And it will thrust this region into a global space economy that is anticipated to be worth as much as $1.4 trillion by the decade's end.

Space Hub Sutherland could become Europe's first continental orbital spaceport, reviving an area in economic decline through new jobs and adding "rocket-spotting" to Scotland's tourism profile, alongside the traditional offerings of whiskey, golf, and moors. The technology involved might even help the space industry become more climate conscious.

But while Scotland's nascent space industry seems poised for take-off, challenges remain. Stakeholders must balance the economic future of Sutherland and the disruption of the area's fragile and biodiverse environment, which is vital in the fight against climate change.

The space crofters of Melness

At locations from Prestwick to Kintyre, Stornoway, and North Uist, the idea of creating horizontal and vertical launch spaceports in Scotland has been explored for years. One of the northernmost landmasses in Europe, Scotland is advantageously located to access polar and Sun-synchronous orbits, while the country's relatively low population density (182 people per square mile) and abundance of surrounding coastal waters for emergency splashdowns offer reassurance should a launch go wrong.

(On Florida's Space Coast you can see rockets and a wildlife refuge.)

In Sutherland-a 2,028-square-mile area home to around 13,500 inhabitants-population density drops to less than seven people per square mile and may become even sparser. With the decommissioning of Dounreay Nuclear Power Station and the North Sea oil industry in decline, jobs are becoming scarcer. Sutherland's population may plummet by 11.9 percent in the next 20 years, according to one Scottish government projection.

"They're lucky if they've got 20 pupils now," says retired teacher Dorothy Pritchard of the school where she taught in the Sutherland village of Tongue. "Every time a family leaves it's like a dagger in the heart." Pritchard is a sixth-generation crofter (a small-hold, traditionally tenant farmer) and chairwoman of Melness Crofters' Estate (MCE), a community of 57 landowning crofters on A' Mhòine.

In 2017, much to the crofters' surprise, they were approached by regional development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise about building a spaceport on their lands, co-funded by UKSA. Fierce debate among the crofters ensued before a vote was taken to let the rocket men in. "But not at any cost," Pritchard insists.

Strict assurances were secured that no missiles will be launched, and that the facility will have the lowest possible impact on an area heavily protected for its many rare species of threatened wildlife and plants, not to mention the way in which peatland captures and stores carbon. The core of the spaceport will be 759 acres, including a control center designed to blend into the environment and "floating" access roads that don't necessitate digging peat.

(What will become of Scotland's moors?)

Forty permanent local jobs are projected to be created; half of all money earned from the spaceport by MCE will go into a charitable fund for the local community. "I just think it'd be so fantastically exciting for this area," says Pritchard, a self-confessed "Trekkie" (fan of the Star Trek sci-fi television and film franchise) and keenest of the "Space Crofters," as they jokingly call themselves. "It's a sustainable future."

Highland hospitality, now with rockets

"If it's going to come in, it's going to be tiny, and not be Scotland's Cape Canaveral," says Chris Lamour, CEO of Space Hub Sutherland's commercial operator Orbex, as he recounts locals' demands during negotiations. A small, low-impact spaceport needs a rocket to match and Orbex's answer is Prime, a 150-kg payload launch vehicle currently being built at Orbex's Forres headquarters, which the company claims will be the greenest rocket ever flown. Orbex says that Prime will be reusable and powered by renewable, bio-propane fuel that cuts carbon emissions by 90 percent.

Anyone hoping for a spectacle akin to SpaceX's monster 63,800-kg payload Falcon Heavy heaving off a Florida launchpad may be underwhelmed by the sight of petite Prime streaking into the sky. Yet, Lamour still feels that launches from Sutherland-as many as 12 a year-have potential to attract new visitors to an area that already offers tourists much in terms of sweeping countryside and old-fashioned Highland hospitality.

"The first few launches, you'll see a lot of people turning up to watch because it'll be a novelty," says Lamour. "You might get the hardcore people who want to come and see every launch or people who time their tourist trip on the North Coast 500."

Glasgow, a satellite city

Space Hub Sutherland follows Glasgow's growing satellite industry. Scotland's biggest city is the largest satellite producer outside of California. On the banks of the River Clyde, where once a fifth of the world's shipping was built, today much smaller vessels-some little larger than a winged Rubik's Cube -are assembled to feed a ferocious global appetite for satellite data used for everything from military programs to dating apps.

(Space junk is a huge problem-and it's only getting bigger.)

"Glasgow is fundamentally one of the best places on the planet to build spaceships," says Tom Walkinshaw, founder of satellite maker Alba Orbital. The story of Glasgow's satellite industry began in 2005, when Clyde Space-today a market leader in CubeSat technology-was founded. Strong investment and a healthy talent and support base surrounding Glasgow's universities has helped the sector to expand and grow. The Scottish space industry is estimated to be worth more than $5 billion by 2030.

A Scottish spaceport would, in theory, mean that the likes of Clyde Space and Alba no longer need to transport their products to the United States or New Zealand for launch. But despite spaceports being debated for years in Scotland, none are yet built, and Walkinshaw remains skeptical. Even if Orbex blasts off from Sutherland, he feels that a latecomer to a market already dominated by $74 billion SpaceX-"just this gorilla of a company," he remarks-may struggle.

"As a space guy, I'd love to see rockets launched from Scotland," Walkinshaw says. "But I worry that this becomes a sideshow."

Protecting A' Mhòine

Skepticism aside, there's also the environment to consider. Construction could begin on the $24 million spaceport before the end of 2021. But the prospect of such a facility being built so close to a fragile peat bog-a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest-incenses many, particularly in the year in which Scotland is set to welcome world leaders for the critical COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

(The world's largest peatlands may be located in Africa.)

A' Mhòine's peat bog forms part of the Flow Country, the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. In the U.K., peatlands store over three billion tons of carbon, equivalent to all carbon stored in the forests of the U.K., Germany, and France combined. If damaged, peatland can release its carbon. For that reason among others, many oppose the spaceport, including local environmental group Protect The Mhòine, scientists from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Britain's richest man and largest landowner Anders Holch Povlsen.

The billionaire Danish retail entrepreneur and re-wilding enthusiast owns lands bordering Melness Crofters' Estate. His conservation organization Wildland has an alternative vision for the Highlands-millions of trees re-planted, marine habitats restored, extinct animals such as Eurasian lynx reintroduced, and no spaceport. Or at least, not on A' Mhòine peninsula (another of Pavlson's companies, Wild Ventures, has invested nearly $2 million in Shetland Space Centre, a rival project far off atop the Northern Isles).

A judicial review of the Sutherland spaceport's planning permission, petitioned for by Wildland, is expected to take place in June. Space Hub Sutherland awaits consent from the Scottish Land Court, while Orbex still needs a license to launch from the U.K. government.

The Scottish space race is far from won, but Melness crofter Dorothy Pritchard remains hopeful. In a hillside pebbledash cottage with stunning views of a crashing North Sea, she sips a cup of tea and describes what matters most for her-ensuring that there is a future here for people as much as the environment.

"Any place that's just empty to me is soulless," she reflects, "it's communities and things that make a place, and make it fun to visit and fun to get to know people and their way of life and their cultures. I just think when you lose that, you've lost something terribly precious."

Malcolm Jack is a freelance journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. Follow him on Twitter.

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Golf, whiskey ... and rockets? Scotland's tourism scene aims for the stars.

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In the far northern Highlands of Scotland, the historic county of Sutherland cradles rugged coastline, ruined castles, and the A' Mhòine peninsula-Scots Gaelic for "the peat bog"-an expanse so barren it could be the surface of the moon. Save for greylag geese and dunlin wading birds, all that rises from this ancient, unspoiled landscape are the distant summits of mountains.

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On Scotland's tiny Fair Isle, timeless traditions are the way of life. Discover the top spots countrywide for tastes, sights, and strolls.

Cultural events

Scotland's most popular events, such as the Highland Games (May-September) and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August), unleash a spirited mix of revelry and tradition, but these lesser known attractions and events satisfy the craving for connection.

Edinburgh, Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Author Alexander McCall Smith compares the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to a family album: "If you want to find out what James VI looked like, there he is; or Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots, who was blown up in suspicious circumstances. Mind you, so many Scots in the past died in suspicious circumstances that you might find that just about everybody featured in the collection ended that way."

Shetland, Mousa Broch: Built around 400-200 B.C. on the small, flat island of Mousa off Shetland's coast, this 43-foot-tall Iron Age tower (broch) is one of the best preserved prehistoric structures in Scotland. Three times a week from May to mid-July, a ferry brings passengers here, leaving Shetland at 10:30 p.m.-shadowy dusk before the half-lit northern summer night. Visitors are free to explore the enigmatic tower for about two and a half hours before the return journey. Mystery writer Ann Cleeves used the starkly beautiful setting in her story The Return. The most magical thing about the place, she says, are the flocks of storm petrels that nest in the broch. "They come ashore as darkness falls," she says. "The walls become alive with the calls of the young birds and the adults flying in to feed them."

Stirling, Bloody Scotland: At this international crime-writing festival that takes place every September, participants knock back a drink or two while discussing fictional forensics and tartan noir with established mystery writers. Fans may attend an opening gala in the Church of the Holy Rude. The very brave can step up to Pitch Perfect, in which aspiring crime writers pitch their stories to industry executives.

Falkirk, "The Kelpies": Gargoyles and stone statues are as common in Scottish parks, castles, and town squares as pigeons and terriers. But one of the country's most arresting pieces of outdoor art is a pair of shimmering steel horse heads that shoot nearly 100 feet out of the ground at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde Canal in Falkirk. It's a monument to Scotland's horse-powered heritage as well as the often malevolent horse spirits that inhabit Scottish mythology.

Outdoor adventures

After a long day on the moors and a shot of single malt, it's easy to get misty-eyed over American conservation's debt to Scotland. John Muir spent his childhood here before coming to the U.S. to walk its mountains, inspire Congress to establish Yosemite National Park, and co-found the Sierra Club.

John Muir Way: Scotland has honored its native son with this 134-mile route that runs from Helensburgh on the west coast through the central lowlands to Muir's birthplace in Dunbar on the east coast.

West Highland Way: The most traveled of Scotland's long-distance routes is the 95-mile West Highland Way. "The breathtaking views of the greenest mountain landscape imaginable gave me a renewed sense of possibility," says Wilderness Society president Jamie Williams, who hiked it in 2015.

Borders Abbeys Way: The southern Borders region of Scotland is one of the country's unsung jewels, and home to the exquisite Borders Abbeys Way, 64.5 miles of hills, sparkling rivers, and a quartet of centuries-old abbeys. The towns en route are a delight. Sir Walter Scott is said to have considered Kelso the most beautiful village in Scotland, and the Sunday Times recently ranked Melrose as the best place to live in the U.K.

Speyside Way: If you'd like to take a shorter, gentler, more whiskey-soaked walking tour of the Highlands, the 65-mile Speyside Way is close to some of Scotland's most heralded distilleries. Aberlour's distillery has a good tour for 15 quid ($20).

Assynt Region: If you prefer to walk away from established routes, head to northwestern Scotland's Assynt region. "It has very few people and a vast territory, almost like the southwestern United States," says photographer Jim Richardson.

Food and drink

Dining in Scotland is a convivial affair, whether you're braving a plate of haggis in a pub, enjoying freshly caught haddock in a harborside restaurant, or tucking into one of the Sunday teas that communities in the Shetlands host during the summer.

Lochaline, the Highlands: Whitehouse Restaurant This tiny restaurant in the West Highland village of Lochaline is a favorite of Alexander McCall Smith, the Scottish author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and a stack of other humorous novels. "They use the things that the natural larder of the Highlands can provide," he says, "mussels straight NG MAPS out of the water, mackerel caught that morning, samphire found on the edge of a beach, and wild garlic picked from the road that follows the Morvern coast."

Shetland, Hay's Dock: Ann Cleeves, author of the acclaimed Shetland mystery series, bases many a crime in the harbor town of Lerwick. In her own (law-abiding) life, she's a fan of Hay's Dock restaurant in Lerwick's Shetland Museum. "Any item featuring Shetland fish or Shetland lamb is always delicious," she says. Even fish-fearing diners have fallen in love with the restaurant's creamy seafood chowder.

Perth, The Roost: The small city of Perth serves as a jumping-off point for the Highlands. Stop for hearty fare en route to the mountains at The Roost, a few miles outside of Perth. Its signature aged Scottish beef is roasted in a wood-burning oven.

Edinburgh and Glasgow, Haggis: The historic origins of haggis are murky-some speculate it may have been invented from the parts of the sheep left over after the lairds of old had taken all the choice meat for their feasts. But one thing's clear: Haggis has become the savory centerpiece of traditional Scottish cuisine. So what is it exactly? Ground sheep's pluck (heart, liver, lungs), mixed with onion, salt, suet, spices, and oatmeal, all of which is stuffed into the sheep's stomach and cooked to perfection. Where to find the country's best? Partisans say it's at the Arcade Haggis and Whisky House in Edinburgh, but others swear it's at The Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow.

Isle of Harris, Isle of Harris Distillery: Cozy up to the peatfueled hearth at this tiny distillery that has taken the spirits world by storm with a coveted gin infused with sugar kelp.

Best places to stay

From converted castles to country homes to tiny B&Bs, Scotland's history lives in its hotels.

Speyside, Craigellachie Hotel: At the confluence of the rivers Spey and Fiddich lies the Craigellachie, a classic Scottish hotel revived for a new generation with 26 homey rooms, farm-to-table dining, and proximity to some of the country's best salmon fishing. Its Quaich bar stocks over 900 singlemalt whiskeys from the many dis - tilleries nearby and around the world.

Glasgow, Crossbasket Castle: If you want to splurge on a castle hotel the night before you fly out of Glasgow, the Crossbasket has a four-story bridal tower dating to the 16th century, accessed by a stone spiral staircase. Perfect for Outlander fans.

Isle of Lewis, Baile-na-Cille: On the wild coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, this bayside inn offers "stonking" (really good) views of Uig Bay's white-sand beach.

Isle of Skyle, Eilean Iarmain: "It's beautifully done, just a great remote country hotel experience," says Richardson, of this lodging on the Hebrides' best known island and Scotland's largest. "You sit in the lounge by the peat fire with your drink. They take care of you."

This story was published in the October/November 2018 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Writer Lisa Jones spent her childhood in the Scottish Borders. The author of Broken: A Love Story, she teaches creative writing in Colorado.

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Scotland, in photos: what to do plus the best restaurants, bars, and hotels

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On Scotland's tiny Fair Isle, timeless traditions are the way of life. Discover the top spots countrywide for tastes, sights, and strolls. Scotland's most popular events, such as the Highland Games (May-September) and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August), unleash a spirited mix of revelry and tradition, but these lesser known attractions and events satisfy the craving for connection.

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It's believed whisky-making began in Scotland as winemaking methods spread from monasteries in Europe; with no access to grapes, monks used grain mash instead to produce an early form of the popular spirit. The name itself derives from the Gaelic name, uisge beatha, which translates loosely to 'water of life'. The first recorded instance comes much later, in 1494 - local records show Friar John Cor of Lindores Abbey in Fife was granted the king's commission to make Acqua Vitae, Latin for 'water of life'.

Today, Scotland's 109 distilleries guard the secrets and ancient traditions that have made Scotch Whisky famous around the world.

Click the picture to explore the interactive whisky map on VisitScotland.com

To be officially classed as Scotch Whisky it must be produced in Scotland and matured in Oak Casks for a minimum of three years. The entire process is nothing short of an artform; four ingredients - water, malt, peat and yeast - are refined through fermentation and distillation and then maturation. Each step has a subtle but tangible impact on the overall taste, and though the process is always the same, Scotland's five regions produce Scotch whiskies with key differences.
Download the VisitScotland eBooks The Land of Whisky - A visitor guide to Scotland's five whisky regions
The flavours of each region

Preference is a matter of taste; some connoisseurs prefer the smoky flavour of Islay whiskies, while others enjoy the light taste of a triple distilled lowland whisky.

Islay

The Islay malts are generally described as having a peaty or smoky character derived from the water and peating levels of the barley. The island malts are known for being powerful, flavourful and full of character.
Find out more about the Islay region at VisitScotland.com
Campbeltown

Characteristics include a defined dryness with a pungency, smoke and a solid salinity with a pinch of salt. Of its three distilleries, Glengyle is so new that it has yet to bottle any single malt.
Find out more about the Campbeltown region on VisitScotland.com
Highland

The largest whisky region in terms of size, covering a vast area and diverse range of distilleries. Whiskies made here are known for a heavier and drier character, with hints of nut, honey and heather.
Find out more about the Highland region on VisitScotland.com
Speyside

Though small, Speyside has almost half of the total number of distilleries in Scotland and is consequently officially recognised as a distinct region. Whiskies produced here are known for being elegant and refined, with subtle nutty and fruity notes, including apple, pear, honey, vanilla and spice.
Find out more about the Speyside region on VisitScotland.com
Lowland

Traditionally Lowland single malts are triple distilled, often giving them a lighter taste. These whiskies are famed for their malty, zesty flavours and subtle hints of citrus.
Find out more about the Lowland region on VisitScotland.com

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It's believed whisky-making began in Scotland as winemaking methods spread from monasteries in Europe; with no access to grapes, monks used grain mash instead to produce an early form of the popular spirit. The name itself derives from the Gaelic name, uisge beatha, which translates loosely to 'water of life'.

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