Scotland () is a nation in northwest Europe and a constituent country of the United Kingdom. The country occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain, shares a land border to the south with England, and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.

The capital, Edinburgh, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Scottish waters consist of a large sector Image showing 1999 Scottish Fishing and Territorial Waters www.opsi.gov.uk of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.

The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union resulted in a political union with the Kingdom of England to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. Scotland continues to constitute a separate jurisdiction in public international law and private international law pdf file "For the purposes of the English conflict of laws, every country in the world which is not part of England and Wales is a foreign country and its foreign laws. This means that not only totally foreign independent countries such as France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover, the other parts of the United Kingdom - Scotland and Northern Ireland - are foreign countries for present purposes, as are the other British Islands, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey." Conflict of Laws, JG Collier, Fellow of Trinity Hall and lecturer in Law, University of Cambridge. Scots law, the Scottish education system and the Church of Scotland have been three cornerstones contributing to the continuation of Scottish culture and Scottish national identity since the Union. Scotland is not, however, a sovereign state and enjoys neither direct membership of the United Nations nor the European Union.

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BBC News | Scotland | UK Edition

Scots in 'biggest budget squeeze'
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:11:06 -0000
Public spending in Scotland is facing the biggest squeeze since devolution, a report from Audit Scotland claims.
Uefa will probe into Rangers fans
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:55:39 -0000
Uefa await the delegate's report before launching an inquiry into the disturbances at the Rangers -Unirea Uziceni match.
Funeral for Black Watch soldier
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:55:08 -0000
The funeral of a British soldier who died weeks after being wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan begins.
Six people rescued from flat fire
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:30:56 -0000
Six people are rescued after an early morning fire in a flat in the west end of Glasgow.
Murder witness jailed for no show
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:27:46 -0000
A woman whose brother walked free from a murder charge after she failed to give evidence at his trial is jailed for six years.
Jail for 'made-up family' conman
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:38:46 -0000
A fraudster who conned an Edinburgh co-worker out of £30,000 after telling her he wanted to leave his wife is jailed.

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