A brief presentation about Scotland for primary students of English, focusing on main vocabulary and traditions.

1. Let´s travel to Scotland
Scottish: ALBA

2. LOCATION
• Scotland is one of the 4 nations of the United Kingdom.
• It´s located in the north of Great Britain.
• It´s bordered on three sides by seas: The Atlantic Ocean
and the North Sea.

3. • The territory of Scotland includes 186 nearby islands, most of
them contained in three groups:
– the Hebrides or the Western Isles, on the western coast
– the Orkney Islands, on the north-eastern coast
– and the Shetland Islands, located northeast of the Orkney Islands.

4. SCOTLAND IN FACTS
• Population 5.000.000
• Capital city Edinburgh
• Emblem Thistle
• Flag The Saltire
• Currency Pound sterling
• Language English and
Scottish Gaelic
• Patron Saint Saint Andrew
• Largest city Glasgow

5. The thistle
According to a legend, the Norse army wanted to invade
Scotland many years ago. One night, some Norse
soldiers tried to attack a Scottish encampment by
surprise. But one barefoot Norse soldier stepped upon a
thistle, crying out in pain and alerting the Scottish to the
presence of the Norse invaders.

6. The Saltire
The Scottish flag is called The Saltire.
It´s blue with a white cross, the cross of saint Andrew.

7. The Gaelic language
• The Gaelic language is part of a family of
Celtic languages.
• Gaelic speakers mostly live in the Western
Isles, the Central belt and the northern
Highlands.

8. LANDSCAPE
The Scottish territory can be
divided in 2 totally different
parts:
- The Highlands : a
mountainous region in the
north. It´s got the
Grampian mountains and
Ben Nevis, the highest
mountain in the UK. Loch
Ness is also here.
- The Lowlands: it´s a plain
with no mountains but
valleys.

10. Ben Nevis
It´s the highest mountain in the UK.

11. River Tay
It´s the longest river in Scotland.

12. Loch Ness
• “Loch” is the Scottish word for “lake”.
• Loch Ness is located in the Highlands, not very far from
Inverness.
• It is the second largest lake in Scotland.

13. • Loch Ness is very famous for its monster:
Nessie. Nessie is a legend in Scotland.
• An Irish monk saw it in the VI century.
• Later, in 1933, the MacKays, the owners of an
inn, observed an “enormous animal” in the
loch.
• The first photo was taken in 1934 by a group of
scientists.

14. • Since then, many tourist and scientists visit the
loch every year, trying to see Nessie.
• Some people think it is a prehistoric dinosaur
that survived from the last ice age.
• It is still a mistery.

15. Main cities
• Edimburgh
• Glasgow
• Aberdeen
• Dundee
• Inverness

16. Edinburgh
The population is 1,400,000.
It is the most beautiful city in the UK.

17. Edinburgh castle
Edinburgh Castle has got a fascinating history.
It is more than 3000 years old.
It was the residence of many Scottish Kings and Queens.

18. The honours of Scotland
The ancient Honours of Scotland are the Crown, the
Sceptre and the Sword of State.
They are on view in the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle.

19. One o´clock gun
Edinburgh Castle is also the home of the One
O'Clock Gun.

20. Stone of destiny
Also known as Stone of Scone or The Coronation
Stone.

21. Glasgow
The population is 600.000 inhabitants.
It is the largest city in Scotland and the third one in the UK,
after London and Birmingham.

22. Aberdeen

23. Dundee

24. Inverness

25. CULTURE: The Kilt
The kilt is a kind of skirt that men and boys traditionally
wear in the Highlands.
It is made of wool in a tartan pattern.
It is used in formal ocassions.

26. CLANS
• Scottish families are called clans.
• Each clan has a special plaid to show what their
family is. There are hundreds of plaids or
TARTANS.

27. FOOD: Haggis
It´s made from the organs of sheep mixed with oats
and spices, and tied in a sheep’s stomach and
cooked.
It is eaten together with mashed potatoes.

28. Whisky
• The national drink is whisky, and its production
contributes significantly to the economy.
• In Gaelic it means “water of life”.

29. Scottish music
Bagpipes are the national instruments.
The harp, the fiddle and the accordion are also
popular.

30. Dancing
Sword dance is a traditional Scottish dance.

31. FAMOUS SCOTTISH
Alexander Graham Bell - inventor of the telephone
Sean Connery - an actor (James Bond)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the author of Sherlock Holmes
Rod Stewart- famous pop singer
Captain Kidd - a famous pirate
Robert Burn – a famous poet
Robert Louis Stevenson - author of Treasure Island
Annie Lenox – famous pop singer
Andy Murray – famous tennis player

34. TRADITIONS: Hogmanay
• New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay) is when some of the most
lively celebrations take place.
• Traditionally, on Hogmanay, children go to the doors of
their neighbours, and sing and cry out “Hogmanay!” to
receive oat cakes in return.

35. First-footer
• Another tradition associated with New Year’s Eve is the
“first-footer,” or the first person to cross the door of a
house after midnight on New Year’s Eve.
• The first-footer has to be a dark-haired man carrying
presents: a coin, bread, salt, coal, a drink, ... They
represent :
– Coin: financial prosperity
– Bread: food
– Salt: flavour
– Coal: warmth
– A drink: good cheer
This way the family will have good luck for the new year.

36. “Auld Lang Syne”
• The song “Auld Lang Syne,” by the Scottish
poet Robert Burns, is sung on New Year’s Eve.

37. Burns Night
• Many Scots honour Burns’s birthday (25th
January) by celebrating his life and works at
Burns suppers, where haggis is served.

38. St. Andrew´s Day
• Saint Andrew’s Day, on 30th November, honours the
patron saint of Scotland.
• Some Scots wear a blue-and-white X on this day to
symbolize the cross upon which Saint Andrew was
crucified by the Romans. This X-shaped cross has
become a patriotic symbol.