By inheritance in 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. Scotland is the second largest country in the United Kingdom, and accounted for 8.3% of the population in 2012. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scottish Government to each subdivision. Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area. Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt – the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands – in the Scottish Lowlands.

The country also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154 km) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and the Irish Sea to the south. Scotland ( Scots: Scotland, Scottish Gaelic: Alba ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. scot is not a ccTLD, but a GeoTLD, open to use by all people in Scotland and related to Scotland.uk as part of the United Kingdom is also used. Certain executive and legislative powers have been devolved to, respectively, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. Scotland has limited self-government within the UK as well as representation in the UK Parliament.

^ The head of state of the United Kingdom is the monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II, since 1952).

Modern use of the term describes products of Scotland (usually food or drink-related).

^ Historically, the use of ' Scotch' as an adjective comparable to 'Scottish' or 'Scots' was commonplace.

British Sign Language is officially recognised as a language under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015. Under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, Bòrd na Gàidhlig is tasked with securing Gaelic as an official language of Scotland. Both Scots and Scottish Gaelic are officially recognised as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. English is the main language by custom and usage, with Scots, Scottish Gaelic and British Sign Language also recognised as the main linguistic groups in Scotland, according to the Scottish Government.

^ Often shown abbreviated as 'In Defens'.

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