Links:

Scotland, Timeline of Scottish History, History of Scotland, William Wallace , Robert the Bruce, MacBeth

Scotland and Ireland are geographically close to each other the distance from the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland and Torr Head in Ireland is only 12 miles!  They have the same language root. Goedelic Celt. They have similar DNA.  It is believed that Scotland was settled by the Irish coming across the narrow strip of sea east from Torr Head around the 5th century A.D.  Scotland comes from the Latin Word for Irish Scotia. 

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the 9th Century.  In 1707 Scotland combined with England as part of the Kingdom of Great Britain with their parliments combined. Since 1999, Scotland has its own Parliment, but recognizes the Head of State being the British Monarch, currently Charles III.  The country speaks English, but a proportion also speaks Scottish Gaelic, about 2%. 

The capital is Edinburgh and the largest city is Glasgow. The population is over 540 million.

The highest mountain in the British Isles is Ben Nevis in Scotland at 4413 feet.  It has a number of lakes (called by the Gaelic lochs), and salt water inlets similar to Fjords, also called lochs.

The majority religion of Scotland is Presbyterian.  Many families are parts of clans, and the various families in the clans, take the Clan Name from the Clan Chief.  Families in the clan with names other than that of the chief but are related to the chief are called Septs.  Septs can be families not related but joined by political alliance, often in medieval times for protection. I am a member of the Fleming Sept of the Clan Murray of Atholl. The Clan Chief is Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl. He heads the  only private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. My Fleming lineage is through my Paternal 2nd Great Grandfather Henry Crosier Fleming born in 1801 in Pennsylvania.

In my own genealogy, King (Saint) David I of Scotland born 1084 is my 24th GGFather.  His parents King Malcolm III Canmore and his wife Queen (Saint) Margaret of Wessex are my 25th GGParents.