Moscow State Pedagogical University the department of sociology,
    economics and law
    
    
    chair of English language Course paper on the topic "Scotland" by Gribacheva Alexandra, a student of the 3rd year Moscow 2000 The plan: Introduction. I. A few words about this work. II. Scotland - how does it look like? 1.Geographical position. 2.Climate 3.Plant & animal life. 4.Natural resources. 5.Population. 6.Scotland's government. The main part. I. Early peoples of Scotland & their relations. II. "... we will never consent to subject ourselves to the dominion
    of the English..." III. Scotland's beautiful capital. 1.Introduction 2.Edinburgh's Castle 3.The Military Tattoo
    4.St. Giles' Cathedral.
    5.Edinburgh's museums.
    6.Where life is one long festival. Conclusion. I."Scottishness". 1."A wee dram". 2.Scottish national dress. 3.A few words about tartan. 4.The national musical instrument of the Scots. 5.Highland's dances and games.
    6.The famous Loch Ness.
    7.St. Andrew's Cross. II.Scotland for every season. Appendices. Practical part. Literature. Introduction.
    
    I.A few words about this work.
    
    Though Scotland is a part of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland it still remains an individual country with its own traditions, customs, history and the way of life. In one word, Scotland is not England at all. It is a country with a unique culture full of ancient legends, bright contrasts and mysterious castles. Secrets and mystery always appear immediately when you open a book about Scotland.
    But unfortunately you can come across such a problem as lack of literature on this topic. I was lucky to find several books that gave exhaustive information about this magic country. I was so exited by the Scottish national heroes and by this independent nation that I decided to find out more information about them.
    Some people say that if you haven't been in Venice you haven't seen Italy at all. I can say that if you haven't been in Scotland you haven't seen Britain at all. As for me I was lucky to visit the capital of England London. But alas! I didn't have any opportunity to visit or just to have a glimpse of Scotland, a land of festivals, kilts and bagpipes.
    It seemed to me that after visiting London I know everything about Britain. And only after reading several books about Scotland I realized how wrong I had been. Now I can just say: "I wish I were in Scotland!"
    I was seized with an idea of studying more about it and that is why I decided to take this topic for my course paper. I am not sure that I will be able to tell everything that I found out about this country and its people. But I promise to depict all unforgettable events and traditions of the Scottish people that impressed me most of all. II.Scotland - what does it look like? 1.Geographical position
    
    Scotland, administrative division of the kingdom of Great Britain, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the North Sea; on the southeast by England; on the south by Solway Firth, which partly separates it from England, and by the Irish Sea; and on the west by North Channel, which separates it from Ireland, and by the Atlantic Ocean.
    As a geopolitical entity Scotland includes 186 nearby islands, the majority of which are contained in three groups-namely, the Hebrides, also known as the Western Islands, situated off the western coast; the Orkney Islands, situated off the northeastern coast; and the Shetland Islands, situated northeast of the Orkney Islands. The largest of the other islands is the Island of Arran. The area, including the islands, is 78,772 sq km (30,414 sqmi).
    Scotland has a very irregular coastline. The western coast in particular is deeply penetrated by numerous arms of the sea, most of which are narrow submerged valleys, known locally as sea lochs1, and by a number of broad indentations, generally called firths. The principal firths are the Firth of Lorne, the Firth of Clyde, and Solway Firth. Scotland is characterized by an abundance of streams and lakes (lochs). Notable among the lakes, which are especially numerous in the central and northern regions, are Loch Lomond (the largest), Loch Ness, Loch Tay, and Loch Katrine.
    Many of the rivers of Scotland, in particular the rivers in the west, are short, torrential streams, generally of little commercial importance. The longest river of Scotland is the Tay; the Clyde, however, is the principal navigational stream, site of the port of Glasgow. Other chief rivers include the Forth, Tweed, Dee, and Spey.
     2.Climate
    Like the climate of the rest of Great Britain, that of Scotland is subject to the moderating influences of the surrounding seas. As a result of these influences, extreme seasonal variations are rare, and temperate winters and cool summers are the outstanding climatic features. Low temperatures however, are common during the winter season in the mountainous districts of the interior. In the western coastal region, which is subject to the moderating effects of the Gulf Stream, conditions are somewhat milder than in the east.
     3.Plant and Animal Life
    The most common species of trees indigenous to Scotland are oak and conifers-chiefly fir, pine, and larch. ............