Extraordinary Scotland

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Scotland is one of the four constituents of the United Kingdom with more than five million inhabitants. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It is a very old city with many important and interesting buildings. If you come to Edinburgh, the first thing you will see is Edinburgh Castle high over the city. From the castle, you can see over most of the city. Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city after Glasgow and Edinburgh and the centre of the Scottish oil industry. Scottish waters contain the largest oil reserves in the European Union. Did you know that English isn’t the only language spoken in Scotland? 86,000 people who live in Scotland speak Scottish Gaelic. The word for Scotland, for example, in Gaelic is “Alba“. In addition, lots of Scottish people speak Scots. Scots is in some cases very similar to the English language (Wadensday = Wednesday), but in other cases completely different (hairst = autumn). constituent: Bestandteil

In Scotland you can find many beautiful lakes. The Scots call their lakes ‘lochs’. The most famous of all Scottish lochs is Loch Ness. An old story says that there is a very big animal in Loch Ness which is called Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Many people go there every year to look for Nessie but nobody has ever seen the monster. You can find Loch Ness in the northern parts of the Highlands. The Scottish Highlands are an area in north-western Scotland with lots of nature, quiet places and mountains, including the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. The Highlands are perfect for people who love to be outside, to walk, climb and go fishing. During the summer months the so-called Highland Games take place all over Scotland. They comprise piping, dancing competitions and 'heavy events' like hammer throw. Most of the Scottish islands are on the west coast. One of the largest and most beautiful islands with long white beaches is the Isle of Skye. Many people on Skye and on other Scottish islands speak Gaelic, the old Scottish language. To visit the islands, you normally have to take a ferry, but to visit Skye you can use a bridge. comprise: beinhalten

Every year on the week of the 25th January Scottish people celebrate the Birthday of their national poet, Robert Burns. This celebration is called Burns Night. In the evening they have the so-called Burns supper where they eat Scotland’s national dish “Haggis” and drink the most famous Scottish beverage, Whiskey. The traditional ingredients of “Haggis” are sheep’s heart, sheep’s liver, sheep’s lungs and sheep’s windpipe, Beef suet, Toasted oatmeal, herbs and spices. The ingredients are mixed together and put inside a sheep’s stomach. The haggis is boiled before eating. Today there are also many vegetarian versions so that everyone can join in the party! At the celebrations people traditionally make, sing and listen to music. Scottish traditional music is known all over the world. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the bagpipe. liver: Leber; windpipe: Luftröhre; suet: Talg; oatmeal: Haferflocken

The traditional Scottish clothes is the kilt. It is wrapped around the wearer's waist starting from one side (usually the wearer's left), around the front and back and across the front again to the opposite side. It is fastened with straps and buckles on both ends. The kilt covers the body from the waist down to just above the knees. Kilt (no plural!) look a bit like skirts and are typically worn by men. In the past even Scottish soldiers wear kilt to fight in battles. Today you will only see them at weddings or Highland games. Kilt have uniquely Scottish designs, the tartans. Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Every Scottish clan has at least one distinct tartan and this tartan should only be worn by members of that clan. A clan is a large group of related people who lived in the same area. (See “clan map”) But there are also "general" tartans which can be worn by everybody. An example for a general tartan is the Black Watch tartan. The word tartan is also used as a prefix for something originally Scottish. For example, fans of the Scottish national football team are called the 'Tartan Army'. buckles: Schnallen; pattern: Muster; prefix: Vorsilbe, Vorwort

Learn about Scotland, its culture and typical activities. Inform yourself and solve the given tasks. (worksheets)