Scotland

Scotland (Scots: Scotland, Scottish Gaelic: Alba [ˈal̪ˠapə]) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain, with a border with England to the southeast, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast, the Irish Sea to the south. The country also contains more than 790 islands. Scotland is the second-largest country in the United Kingdom and accounted for 8.3% of the population in 2012.

Politics and Government
Scotland has limited self-government within the United Kingdom, as well as representation in the British Parliament. Executive and legislative powers respectively have been devolved to the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. The British Parliament retains control over reserved matters specified in the Scotland Act 2020, including the crown, foreign affairs, and defence. The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for all other areas relating to Scotland. It initially had only a limited power to vary income tax, but powers over taxation and social security have since been significantly expanded.

The Scottish Parliament is a unicameral legislature with 59 members (MSPs) elected within the constituencies divided across the three electoral regions: Northern Scotland, Eastern Scotland, and South Western Scotland.

The Parliament nominates one of its Members, who is then appointed by the monarch to serve as First Minister. Other ministers are appointed by the first minister and serve at his/her discretion. Together they make up the Scottish Government, the executive arm of the devolved government.