Environment of Scotland facts for kids
Scotland is a country that makes up the northern part of the British Isles. It has many different types of land. You can find rough mountains, flat farmlands, and lots of rivers and lakes, which are called lochs there.
Contents
Plants and Animals of Scotland
Scotland is home to many different plants and animals. Its plant life is like that found in other parts of northern Europe.
Scotland's Amazing Plants
Some of Scotland's special plant areas include the boreal Caledonian Forest, which is a type of northern forest. There are also wide areas of heather moorland and sandy coastal lands called machairs. Long ago, the Caledonian Forest covered almost all of Scotland. Now, only a tiny part (about 1%) of this forest is left in 35 separate spots.
Scotland's Wild Animals
Scotland's environment supports 62 types of wild mammals. These include wild cats, grey seals, and harbour seals. It also has the most northern group of bottlenose dolphins.
On the moorlands, you can find birds like the black grouse and red grouse. Scotland is also an important place for many seabirds to build their nests. The Scottish crossbill is the only animal with a backbone that is found only in the UK.
Scotland's seas are full of life. Scientists think that at least 40,000 different kinds of living things live in Scottish waters. About 14,000 types of insects live in Scotland, including some very rare ones. Sadly, many large mammals that once lived in Scotland disappeared a long time ago.
Scotland's Climate
Scotland's weather is known as temperate, which means it's usually mild. However, it can change very quickly! Warm air from the Gulf Stream makes Scotland much warmer than other places at the same latitude (distance from the equator). For example, in Labrador, Canada, the sea freezes in winter, and in Fort McMurray, Canada, temperatures can drop to -35°C.
Temperatures in Scotland
Since Scotland is in the cooler northern part of Great Britain, its temperatures are generally lower than the rest of the UK. In winter, the average highest temperatures are about 5.0-5.7°C. In summer, they are usually between 20-25°C.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK was -27.2°C. This happened in Braemar in the Grampian Mountains on January 10, 1982, and again in Altnaharra, Highlands, on December 30, 1985. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Scotland was 32.9°C. This was in Greycrook, Scottish Borders, on August 9, 2003.
Rain and Snow in Scotland
How much rain Scotland gets changes a lot depending on the area. The western highlands are one of the wettest places in Europe, with up to 4577mm of rain each year. This rain happens when wet, warm air from the ocean hits the mountains. The air is forced to rise, cools down, and forms clouds that drop a lot of rain. In contrast, much of eastern Scotland gets less than 870mm of rain annually. Snow is not very common in low-lying areas but becomes more frequent as you go higher up into the mountains.
Scotland's Geography
Scotland is located in north-west Europe. It makes up the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland also includes 790 islands. The main groups of islands are the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, and the Outer Hebrides.
Borders and Neighbors
Scotland's only land border is with England. This border is about 96 km (60 miles) long. It runs from the Solway Firth in the west to the North Sea on the east coast. The island of Ireland is about 30 km (19 miles) from Scotland's southwest tip. Norway is located about 305 km (190 miles) to the northeast of Scotland, across the North Sea.
Land Areas of Scotland
Scotland covers a total area of about 78,772 square kilometers (30,414 sq mi). It also has a very long coastline, stretching about 11,800 km (7,332 miles).
Scotland has three main geographical parts. These are separated by two natural lines called fault lines.
- The Highlands and Islands are in the north and west.
- The Central Lowlands are south of the Highlands.
- The Southern Uplands are south of the Central Lowlands.
The Highlands
The Highlands make up about 60% of Scotland. This area has many mountains that can reach about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) high. Scotland's mountains are not the tallest in the world. However, they can be very challenging because the weather changes quickly and is often unpredictable. This is due to air from Europe and the Atlantic Ocean meeting there. The Grampian Mountains are a mountain range east of the Great Glen. These mountains are known for their large flat areas at high altitudes. The city of Aberdeen and its nearby area are more like the Central Lowlands because they have fertile flat lands.
The Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands make up 20% of Scotland. This area includes the Forth-Clyde Canal. From the late 1700s, this region became a major industrial area. This was because it had large amounts of coal and iron ore. Canals and railways were built to help transport these resources.
The Southern Uplands
The remaining 20% of Scotland is the Southern Uplands. This is a hilly area used for farming, with lines of hills separated by wide valleys. Besides these main hilly zones, there are also individual hills that are not part of any ranges. Some of these hills were formed by volcanoes and are called law in the Scots language. Examples include the North Berwick Law and the Traprain Law.
Scotland's Coastline
The west coast of Scotland is very jagged, with many deep, narrow inlets of the sea called fjord-like sea lochs. The east coast is smoother, with large river mouths called firths and long sandy beaches. Much of Scotland's coastline has machairs. These are grassy dune lands that formed as sea levels went down.
Scotland's Water Resources
Scotland is bordered on the east by the North Sea. To the north and west, it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Scotland has many rivers, lochs (lakes), reservoirs, and estuaries (where rivers meet the sea). The River Tay is Scotland's longest river, stretching about 193 km (120 miles).
Most lakes in Scotland are called lochs. The only exception is the Lake of Menteith and a few lakes made by people. The largest loch is Loch Lomond. It covers an area of about 71.1 square kilometers (27.5 sq mi) and is Britain's largest freshwater body.
Water is very plentiful in Scotland. The many lochs and rivers provide all the water Scotland needs. Like in most countries, tap water is treated with chlorine to make it safe to drink. In Scotland, the cost of tap water is included in your council tax.
Climate Change in Scotland
Climate change is a big challenge for Scotland. The Scottish government is in charge of dealing with climate change issues in Scotland, separate from the UK government. In 2009, the Scottish Parliament passed a law called the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. This law sets out how the government will work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other duties for ministers.
Climate change has already started to affect Scotland. Over the last fifty years, the number of winter storms has doubled. The UK has also seen nine of its ten warmest summers since 1990. Sea levels in Scotland have gone up by 10 cm (about 4 inches) since 1900.
Protecting Scotland's Environment
Efforts to protect nature in specific places in the UK began in 1948 with the creation of the Nature Conservancy. This group later became the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC). It changed from being a research group to one that actively campaigned for nature.
The 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act did not include Scotland. However, it introduced the idea of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These sites became very important for managing nature protection. A group called Countryside Commission Scotland (CSS) was set up in 1967.
The SSSI rules were made stronger by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. For the first time, this law allowed payments to farmers for not doing certain things on specific sites. It also changed the rules so that landowners had to prove they were not causing harm, instead of conservationists having to prove harm was happening.
In 1991, the NCC was split up. In Scotland, it joined with CSS to create Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). This new group works under a UK-wide Joint Nature Conservation Committee. SNH is responsible for protecting both land and nature. It also has a duty to think about sustainability and the needs of the Scottish people.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was created by the Environment Act 1995. It took over the jobs of river purification boards, waste regulation groups, and the Industrial Pollution Inspectorate in Scotland. SEPA's responsibilities include protecting water, controlling air pollution, regulating waste, managing industrial pollution, dealing with radioactive substances, and helping with flood risk management.
