Did you know that Scotland had its own monarch until 1603? It was not until the death of Elizabeth I that James VI of Scotland started ruling England as James I of England.
Astonishing Facts about Scotland
1 Queen Victoria used to smoke cigarettes while visiting the Highlands of Scotland to keep midges at bay.
2 Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, was the first city to have its own fire brigade in the world.
3 Scotland’s Hamilton Mausoleum holds the record for the longest echo of any man-made structure in the world, taking 15 seconds for an echo to decay.
4 It has over 790 offshore islands. The largest island is Lewis and Harris, which is about twice the size of New York City.
5 Scotland is home to the shortest scheduled flight in the world. You will only take 1 minute 14 seconds to complete the 2.4 kms (1.5 miles) long journey from Westray to Papa Westray.
6 King James I banned the game of football in 1424 arguing that it “pointlessly injured the players.”
7 King James II once banned the game of golf from Scotland because it prevented his soldiers from training thoroughly for war.
8 The Romans referred to Scotland as Caledonia around 79 AD.
9 40% of Scottish people are redheads. That is approximately 2.11 million people.
10 Scotland is home to a 5,000-year-old tree, the Fortingall Yew. It is believed to be the oldest tree in Britain.
11 Scotland is home to countless inventions, many of which are not credited. Examples of these non-credited inventions include the pedal bike invented by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, the Automated Teller Machine invented by John Shepherd-Barron, the fax machine invented by Alexander Bain, the microwave invented by James Clerk Maxwell, artificial cooling invented by William Cullen, and the television invented by John Logie Baird.
25 Amazing And Unique Things About Scotland
Located in the northern part of the United Kingdom, Scotland is a country of a rich and ancient history, strikingly beautiful landscape and proud, hardy people. There are many reasons why you should visit this amazing country but in today´s post, we will focus on things that are unique to Scotland. From the traditional Scottish dish haggis to the legendary Loch Ness monster, check out these 25 amazing things unique about Scotland.
Hi I’m Jay. I grew up in Seattle, Washington and live in Los Angeles, California. I have travelled to 23 countries so far and planning to go explore more countries soon! My Favorite trips so far have been to Israel, Japan, Rome, Iceland and Australia. I started this site to share my love of travel with everyone and build a community of like-minded, free thinking, free exploring people.
