In Depth

Edinburgh and Glasgow are the principal cities in Scotland: The vast majority of the country's 5.25 million people live in these two cities (or somewhere around Edinburgh and Glasgow). The country occupies the northern one-third of Great Britain, covering about 78,725 sq. km (30,410 sq. miles), which is a bit bigger than the size of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire combined -- or not quite the size of Austria. It is about 440km (275 miles) long and 248km (154 miles) wide at its widest point. As it is a modestly sized country, its two main cities are inextricably tied to and key players in the nation's overall condition. Both cities are on tributaries to the sea, but across Scotland no denizen lives more than about 65km (40 miles) from salt water. Notwithstanding the size of their country, the Scots have extended their influence around the world.

Inventors Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) and John Logie Baird (television), as well as Africa explorers Mungo Park and David Livingstone, came from Scotland. Philosophers David Hume (law) and Adam Smith (economics) were key participants in the Scottish Enlightenment, which was based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. James Watt (steam engine pioneer) and John Muir (the world's first ecologist) were born near the two key cities. This country gave the world entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie; poet Robert Burns; actors Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, and Ewan McGregor; and rock singers Sheena Easton, Annie Lennox, and Shirley Manson. Edinburgh spawned novelists Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, while Glasgow gave the world architects Alexander "Greek" Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Today -- The key modern event shaping Edinburgh and Glasgow--indeed all of Scotland--was the renewal of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, which is based in Edinburgh near the Palace of Holyroodhouse. For the Scottish capital, it has meant a return to the forefront of governance in Scotland, rather than having things run from London, the U.K. capital. Even for Glasgow, its effects have been profound as voters in the city and its surroundings send the most Members of the Scottish Parliament--or MSPs--to Edinburgh. The Scottish Parliament, which is led by the party with the largest number MSPs, can enact laws regarding health, education, transportation, and public housing, and it has limited taxing powers. But it has no authority over matters of defense, immigration, and foreign policy.

Scotland has long been the stronghold of the left-leaning Labour Party, but in the last Parliamentary election in May 2007, the party garnering the most votes -- for the first time--was the Scottish National Party (SNP). Along with a few minor parties, and in contrast to the other big parties such as the Labour or Conservative Party, the SNP favors complete independence for Scotland.

It's important to remember that most Scots, even if they don't want independence, think of themselves as Scots first and British second. They feel particularly aggrieved if visitors call them English. The border between England and Scotland is just a line on a map; you'd hardly be aware of crossing it. And while the two countries have been joined constitutionally since 1707, Scotland is different from England and has its own identity.