Short answers, pulled from the story.
Scotland and England formally united on the 1st of May 1707, when twin Acts of Union passed by both parliaments created the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Treaty of Union had been agreed between representatives of both parliaments on the 22nd of July 1706, and was accompanied by popular opposition and anti-union riots in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere.
The Declaration of Arbroath, signed in 1320, is described as the world's first documented declaration of independence. It won the support of Pope John XXII, which led to legal recognition of Scottish sovereignty by the English Crown. It was issued following Robert the Bruce's victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
Scottish English and Scots are the most widely spoken languages, existing on a dialect continuum with each other. Scottish Gaelic is spoken natively by fewer than 2% of the population, concentrated mainly in communities within the Hebrides, though state-sponsored revitalization has produced a growing number of second-language speakers.
The Scottish Parliament was reconvened in Edinburgh on the 4th of July 1999, following the Scotland Act 1998, which was passed by the British Parliament after a successful referendum on devolution in 1997. Donald Dewar was the first person to hold the office of first minister.
Ben Nevis, located in Lochaber, is Scotland's highest peak at 1,345 metres above sea level, making it the highest point in the British Isles.
Scotch whisky exports contributed £5.4 billion in revenue in 2024 and accounted for 74% of all Scottish food and drink exports internationally in 2023. The industry supports over 41,000 jobs across Scotland.