Scotland is a country in
northwest Europe that occupies the northern third of
the island of Great Britain. It is part of the
United Kingdom, and shares a land border to the
south with England. It 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. In addition to the mainland, Scotland
consists of over 790 islands
including the Northern Isles and the
Hebrides.
The population of Scotland in the
2001 census was 5,062,011. This has risen to
5,116,900 according to June 2006 estimates.This
would make Scotland the 112th largest country by
population if it were a sovereign state. Although
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland it is not the
largest city. With a population of just over 600,000
this honor falls to Glasgow. Indeed, the Greater
Glasgow conurbation, with a population of over 1.1
million, is home to over a fifth of Scotland's
population.