• Capital: Edinburgh

• Largest City: Glasgow

• Official Languages: English, Gaelic, Scots

• Area: 30,414 square miles, or about 30 percent of the United Kingdom

• Population: 5,144,200

• Climate: Temperate

• Top tourist destinations: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Aberdeen and St. Andrews

• Islands: Scotland has about 790 islands, most located off the northern and western coast. Nearly 100 of the islands are inhabited.

• Lochs: There are at least 31,000 freshwater lakes, called lochs, in Scotland. The largest are Loch Lomond in central Scotland and Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.

• Religion: More than 40 percent of Scotland is Presbyterian, with St. Andrew as the patron saint. Other religions include other Christian denominations and Islam.

• Top export industries: Food and drink, chemicals, wholesale, retail and accommodation, business services, office machinery

Information from Scotland.org and wikipedia.org.