in this video, I'm going to talk about some interesting facts you probably didn't know about Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the united kingdom
It has its own parliament but it's not an independent country there is a long and complicated
history behind that but let's not go there The population of Scotland is nearly
5.5 million and more people with scot heritage live in the US than in Scotland
before jumping to the fun facts about this country I should mention that this episode is
part of a series where I share a collection of interesting facts about different destinations
around the world if you are new to my channel make sure to subscribe for more interesting videos
some scots lived in caves until 100 years ago Early humans lived in caves until 10 000 years ago
but this is not the case in Scotland some Scots didn't give up on living in caves until 1950
when it was outlawed probably it became illegal to keep coastlines free from fires
during world war I, but some evidence shows that 55 people were still living in caves in the1917 government census
Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads
Scotland has the most red-haired people in the world. One to two per cent of the world's population
has red hair but not in Scotland the interesting fact about Scotland
is that 13 per cent of its population are red-haired a new study suggests that the number of Scots who
carry the gene is even higher than this This means that many people who don't have red hair
can still produce red-haired children
the world's first colour photograph was taken in a Scotland
nowadays nothing is easier than taking photos we don't even need a fancy camera as long as
we have our phone with us, but did you know that the first colour photograph was produced
by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1861 more than 160 years ago. This was the photo
Scotland has approximately 800 islands
Scotland is made up of approximately 790 islands
While the number of inhabited islands has risen up in the last decade, there are still
660 uninhabited ones. The largest Scottish island is Lewis and Harris and the most popular one
is the isle of Skye. The best way to visit the Scottish islands is to take island hopping tours
the world's UFO capital is in Scotland
Scotland is home to some of the strangest places in the world
as an example, you can find some of the most haunted sites in Edinburgh and just one hour drive
from Edinburgh, there is a small town called Bonnybridge this town has become the UFO capital of the world
around 300 sightings of unidentified flying objects are reported every year in Bonnybridge
so if you believe in things from out of this world you should definitely check this town out
the first city to have its own fire brigade was in Scotland
the history of the firefighter began
in ancient Rome and there has been significant improvements since then but the first organised
municipal fire brigade in the world was formed in 1824 in Edinburgh the capital of Scotland
The world's shortest commercial flight route is in Scotland
Loganair, a Scottish regional airline carries out
the shortest commercial flight in the world The flight is between two islands in Orkney, north of Scotland
It takes you longer to watch my video than to take this flight since it is only in the air
for one and a half minute and travels just 1.7 miles
Scotland's national animal is a unicorn
you might think the unicorns just appear in stories or fairy tales but this fictional
creature is actually the official national animal of Scotland. I know it might sound
odd but Scotland is famous for his love for myths and legends so this shouldn't come as a surprise
to you. The unicorn is the symbol of purity and power
Scotland helped the development of the world
some of the most significant products we are using these days have been invented in Scotland
let's start with the famous one, Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish scientist, who invented
the first working telephone we all need to thank him I don't know how the world would be without phones
do you? The world's first live working television and fridge were invented in Scotland too
Scots also invented the flushing toilet now you can see how Scotland played an important role
in the development of our modern world
Football was banned in Scotland
playing football and golf was so popular in the 15th century that many people instead of
practising archery prefer to spend time playing golf and football as a result king James the first
banned from playing both games. This was not the only time football was banned in the country
this happened quite a few times until the 20th century
There is a real monster in Scotland
Have you heard of the Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie? Yes, there are movies about
this monster but it's real and lives in the loch Ness in Scotland. Many locals and tourists have
seen it and scientists suggest that people saw what could be just a giant eel who knows if you
want to find out the truth you should probably go to the lake yourself
Haggis is banned in the US
Scotland's national dish is called Haggis the traditional haggis is made from sheep's pluck
mixed with onions and some herbs but this Scottish dish has been banned in the US since
1971 when the US department of agriculture prohibited sheep lungs, one of the key ingredients of haggis
Scotland has three official languages
Scotland has three officially recognised languages
Scots, English, and Scottish Gaelic. While almost everyone in Scotland speaks English
just one per cent of the Scottish population uses Scottish Gaelic and the fun fact is that
the 2011 Scottish census found that more than 150 languages other than English are used in Scottish homes
The Scots invented golf
Earlier in this video, I said that golf was banned in Scotland
as it was seen as a distraction from military training but the fact is the modern game of golf
we are familiar with originated in this country in the 15th century
since then golf has become a popular game in Scotland. In summary Scotland
might not be a big country but it has had a big impact in the world we live in now
I hope you enjoyed this video if you did share it with your friends and see you in the next video