Chapter 15 section 2 Scotland and Wales

Chapter 15 Section 2
Scotland
And
Wales

Scotland and Wales have kept their own identity and view themselves as British second.
Scotland’s Physical Characteristics
Scotland occupies about 1/3 of the land area of United Kingdom and less than 10% of its population
Rugged landscape from heavy glaciers that moved across the northern part during the last ice age
Scotland is divided into three formal regions- northern Highlands, central Lowlands and southern Uplands
The Highlands
Region of large, high plateau with lochs
Carved from retreating glaciers
Grampain Mountains cut across the region – peaks of 4,000 feet
Both coasts have deep inlets called firths
Much of Highlands covered by moors
Broad, treeless rolling plains
Dotted with bogs- wet spongy ground

Abundant rainfall from the Atlantic
Limits plant growth
Low shrubs like purple heather
Economies of fishing and sheep herding
Few people produce hand-woven woolen cloth called tweed

The Central Lowlands
About 75% of the population live in this region between Edinburgh and Glasgow
1800’s industry came
The Clyde River near Glasgow grew into a huge shipbuilding center
Major role in establishing the United Kingdom as the world’s leading naval power

Since mid-1900’s heavy industries in Scotland have fallen on hard times
1/3 of Glasgow’s residents have left since 1960
Edinburgh – home of Scotland’s parliament – the capitol city
The Southern Uplands
Closest to the English border
Primarily a sheep raising region
Tweed River valley woolen mills
Cheviot Hills – highest in the area
The plateaus were worn down by glaciers
Scottish Culture
Mining, steel making and shipbuilding have given way to modern industries
Oil in the North Sea off the northeastern shore of Scotland
Helped economy of Aberdeen
Computer and electronic business have developed along the Clyde and Tweed rivers
Clyde Valley called the Silicon Glen after California’s Silicon Valley
A glen is a narrow valley
The Act of Union in 1707 Scotland’s parliaments were united but kept important trading and political rights
Many Scots remained members of the Presbyterian Church rather than joining the Church of England

1997 Scottish voters approved the creation of a new Scottish parliament
Wales
Spirit, pride and independence exists in Wales
Has its own culture
Own capital city, postage stamps, flag and language
Strongly influenced by England that conquered it in 1284
Welsh Physical Characteristics
Wales is a peninsula of the island of Great Britain
About the size of Massachusetts
Landscape similar to Scotland
Marine west coast climate
A Separate Language
Welsh have fought for cultural independence
Most of the 2.0million people speak English but nearly 20% still speak Welsh as their fist language
Comes from Celtic peoples who lived in Wales thousands of years ago
Economic Activities
1800s and early 1900s coal mining changed the landscape and economy
Mines in Rhondda Valley north of Cardiff became some of Britain’s biggest coal producers
Mid 1900s heavy industries fell behind in technology
By 1980 most of the coal mines in Rhondda Valley had closed
Unemployment rates soared
1990s situation improve with foreign investment in Wales as in Scotland