1. The first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster, known as “Nessie,” was in 565 AD by St. Columba, who encountered a “water beast” attacking his servant.
2. Scotland is home to approximately 3,000 castles, equating to one castle for every 100 square miles... and Edinburgh Castle is built on an extinct volcano. That a lot of stone!
3. Scotland has the highest proportion of red-haired people in the world, with 13% of the population having red hair and 40% carrying the recessive redhead gene. Additionally, Scots are more likely to have blue eyes than people in the rest of the UK.
4. The official animal of Scotland is the unicorn, symbolizing nobility, purity, and power in Celtic mythology. The unicorn has been featured on the Scottish royal coat of arms since the 12th century
5. The world's shortest flight is between Westray and Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. The flight is only 1.7 miles long and in favorable conditions, can take less than a minute.
6. Scotland has three officially recognized languages: English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic, with only 1% of the population using Gaelic.
7. The oldest tree in Europe is the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, Scotland, is estimated to be between over 5,000 years old.
8. Scotland is the birthplace of golf, played there since the 15th century and evolving into modern golf. St. Andrew's Links is known as the "home of golf".
9. Celebrated since the 11th century, the Highland Games showcase skills in events like hammer throw and haggis-hurling.
10. Scotch whisky, the national drink of Scotland since 1494, is one of the finest and most sought-after whiskies globally. It must be made and matured in Scotland to be labeled as such. Scotland is home to 130 different whisky distilleries, making it the country with the highest concentration of whisky production in the world and is known as “water of life” (or “uisge beatha” in Gaelic).
