IntroductionScotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the North Sea; on the south-east by England; on the south by Solway Firth, which partly separates it from England, and by the Irish Sea; and on the west by North Channel, which separates it from Ireland, and by the Atlantic Ocean. As a geopolitical entity Scotland includes 186 nearby islands, a majority of which are contained in three groups — namely, the Hebrides, also known as the Western Islands, situated off the western coast; the Orkney Islands, situated off the north-eastern coast; and the Shetland Islands, situated north-east of the Orkney Islands. The largest of the other islands is Arran. The area, including the islands, is 78,772 km² (30,414 sq miles). Edinburgh (population, 1991, 421,213) is the capital of Scotland as well as a major industrial area and seaport.
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