1. Tomintoul
Tomintoul is a village which is the base camp for climbers and walkers in the area round the rivers Avon and Livet. Nearby, Cromdale and the Ladder Hills foreshadow the Cairngorm Mountains. Please visit the web site http://www.tghh.ukgateway.net for more information.
2. Scotland
Scotland is one of four constituent nations which form the United Kingdom (the other three are England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Forming the northern part of the island of Great Britain, Scotland is 31,510 square miles in area, 274 miles long from North to South, and varies in breadth between 24 and 154 miles. The official language is English, although Gaelic is spoken, primarily in the North and West of Scotland.
Scotland is divided into three main regions: the Highlands, the Midland Valley and the Southern Uplands. Most of the population and the majority of Scotland’s industry is located within the Midland Valley.
Scotland includes 787 islands, of which most belong to groups known as the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. Only 62 exceed three square miles in area.
Scotland is well known for its mountainous and beautiful scenery. Much of the upland within the UK is contained within the borders of Scotland, along with the highest peaks.
Government in Scotland is in four tiers. A new Scottish Parliament was elected in 1999, following devolution of powers from the United Kingdom Parliament in London.
The Scottish Parliament is supported by the Scottish Executive based in Edinburgh. The Scottish Government is led by a First Minister.
Scotland also has its own banking system and its own banknotes. Edinburgh is the second financial center of the UK and one of the major financial centers of the world.
Scotland has given rise to many more famous people, notable in the arts, literature, the sciences and as inventors, philosophers, architects and so on, than would be expected for a country of such modest size and population.
Please see http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/scotland.html for more information.
3. Scotland Yard
The headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police. The term is often used, popularly, to refer to one branch, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Named after a short street in London, the site of a palace used in the 12th century as a residence of visiting Scottish kings, it became London’s police center in 1829. New and separate headquarters for the Metropolitan Police were built in 1890 along the Thames embankment and were referred to as New Scotland Yard. In 1967, New Scotland Yard moved to new headquarters, also in the Westminster area.
To read more about how London’s Scotland Yard gets its name, please visit http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20001122.html or http://www.tvacres.com/police_european.htm. The official web site for Scotland Yard is located at http://www.met.police.uk.
4. Irish Republican Army (IRA)
A nationalist organization devoted to the integration of Ireland as a complete and independent unit. Organized by Michael Collins from remnants of rebel units dispersed after the Easter Rebellion in 1916, it was composed of the more militant members of the Irish Volunteers, and it became the military wing of the Sinn Féin party.
In 1969 the IRA split into two groups, the majority, or “officials”, advocating a united socialist Ireland but disavowing terrorist activities, and the “provisionals”, claiming terrorism as a necessary catalyst for unification. The “provisionals” then began a systematic terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland.
Please visit http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/i/irishr1ep.asp for more information. The web page at http://www.terrorismanswers.com/groups/ira.html. provides detailed information about its history and politics.
5. Chirnside
A village of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders, Chirnside lies to the north of the Whiteadder Water, 9 miles (15 km) west of Berwick-upon-Tweed. It has a 12th century church and a paper mill established in 1842. For more information about Chirnside and the Scottish Borders in general, please visit the website at http://www.armatura.connectfree.co.uk/chirn.htm.