Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. By inheritance in 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the 9th century and continued to exist until 1707. Scotland is the second-largest country in the United Kingdom, and accounted for 8.3% of the population in 2012. Limited self-governing power, covering matters such as education, social services and roads and transportation, is devolved from the Scottish Government to each subdivision. Glasgow City is the largest council area in terms of population, with Highland being the largest in terms of area.
Scotland is divided into 32 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, known as council areas. Most of the population, including the capital Edinburgh, is concentrated in the Central Belt-the plain between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands-in the Scottish Lowlands. It also contains more than 790 islands, principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154-kilometre) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. Scotland ( Scots: Scotland, Scottish Gaelic: Alba ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. scot is not a ccTLD, but a GeoTLD, open to use by all with a connection to Scotland or Scottish culture.uk as part of the United Kingdom is also used.