Identité Ecossaise

Scottish Identity

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Welcome to this new article about Scottish Identity !

Okay so, to begin who are the Scots ?

The Scots are the people living in Scotland, a nothern country close to England and Nothern Ireland. Scotland is also a member of the United Kingdom. There’s at least five million Scottish people in Scotland. But thanks to emigration we can find Scottish all around the world.

Why are we talking about Scottish identity today, is it a special one ??

The Scottish identity is probably one of the most atypical of the world, we all have prejudices about Scots but they can’t be limited to their prejudices. For them it is just as important to look at their differences as well as their similarities, because the Scots are a united people ; but a divided one too ! [pic 2]

This division comes from the ancestral separation between the Lowlands and the Highlands.

What are the « Lowlands » ?

The area to the South is known as the Lowlands, the Lowlands are the cradle of the Scottish nation. They are densely populated (it contains three quarter of the whole population of Scotland) and heavily industrialised (but these traditional industries are in decline). The biggest Scottish cities (like Glasgow or Edinburgh) are situated in this part of Scotland. It is the most Urban part of Scotland.

What are the « Highlands » ?[pic 3]

The area to the North is called the Highlands. The Highlands are the most beautiful and interesting part of Scotland, we can find great sealochs or fjords alternate with wild and empty hills. It’s a rural and mountainous (there are boggy mountains of 1.000 to 1.300 metres high ) area where the agriculture is hard and poor. But there are also deep valleys between mountains.

Higlander and Lowlander ?

The Highlander doesn’t have exactly the same culture and odds than a Lowlander, they are quite differnets even if they are both Scottish. It makes a certain diversity within the Scottish people.

What about the religions ?[pic 4]

All the Scots don’t have the same religion, one of the most recent examples of this rivality between Catholicism and Protestantism is the conflict between the two best footballclubs of Scotland : The Celtic Glasgow (the catholic) and The Rangers (the protestant).

The United Side of Scotland :

Despite their differences, Scottish are a strong and united people, mainly against the English. Since a very very long time in History, the Scots are opposed to their nearest neigbours, the English. Due to their common History (based on centuries of conflicts), their’s a big rivality between the two people. We cand find this rivality in sport for example, all England-Scotland are an occasion are an opportunity to surpass the eternal ennemy. [pic 5]

The Scots could be represented by their « Hero », William Wallace. He fought during the 13th and 14th centuries against England and won the Scotland’s independence.

The Scottish people is very proud of his History, where he comes from, his odds and his culture. We can find for example in Scotland a lot of castles like Inverness castle, specialities like the Scotch Whiskey or the Haggis.

Stories about Scotland :

There are a lot of stories about the Scots and Scotland, it’s a mysterious country that inspires a lot of the writers. The most popular legends are :

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