Hype for the Future 87B: The Isolated Islands of Europe

Introduction

The North Sea is home to the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Island territories. Orkney and Shetland are today part of Scotland, while the Faroe Islands are today part of Denmark. However, all three (3) island chains effectively appear the same geographically, with mostly cultural differences separating the three island chains. The Orkney Islands are the furthest south and are immediately north of Caithness on the Scottish mainland, while the Shetland Islands to the north represent the northernmost territory associated with Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. The Faroe Islands, however, are a territory of Denmark with relative autonomy, such as the island region opting out of the European Union to protect associated fisheries and related Faroese cultural traits.

Populations

The Orkney and Shetland Islands of Scotland are around 21,000 to 22,000 residents by population per territory, while the Faroe Islands are around 59,000 residents by population. Just as the islands themselves are on the relatively smaller and more isolated side, the overseas territorial populations are similarly small, with similar population dynamics also occurring in the significantly larger Iceland (population approximately 390,000).

Hype for the Future 81F: Typical British Amenities

Overview

In a typical British or Commonwealth city, there usually exist any number of art galleries, historical museums, and local festivities even in the slowest-paced of communities. Even in the British Overseas Territories, such as Bermuda, such national amenities also exist under similar circumstances.

Hype for the Future 75M: Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Overview

Located toward the eastern end of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada 🇨🇦, the community of Antigonish is most notable as home to St. Francis Xavier University as well as the oldest continuous Scottish Highland Games outside Scotland itself, thanks to the relatively large and developed Scots community from the Highland Clearances into the region.

Hype for the Future 75D: The Union Jack 🇬🇧

Introduction

The Union Jack, though representative of territories far beyond the territories symbolized on the flag, is of particular importance as the official flag of the United Kingdom. Combining the crosses and saltires of Saint Andrew, Saint George, and Saint Patrick, representing Scotland, England, and Ireland, respectively, the modern Union Jack is most clearly identified by a combination of three (3) distinctive crosses. While the white outline also exists in the standard render of the British flag, the only representative countries are those of England, Scotland, and Ireland; Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Crown Dependencies may not necessarily be identified in their respective modern terms.

Flag

The Union Jack does not contain white on all eight angles, but rather with white only on the angles to the corners of the flag, representative of the fact that the flag is derived from two (2) saltires but only one (1) cross.

Hype for the Future 75A: The Four Saints of the British Isles

Overview

The historic arrival of Christianity to the general region of the British Isles is largely associated with Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, and Saint Patrick, depending on the specific country in question. Though now divided between the United Kingdom and Ireland, each of the historic saints continue to be celebrated on associated days, though Saint George is occasionally moved when the Church of England identifies the date as potentially conflicting with the Easter holiday.

Associated Holidays

To celebrate the different saints on the British Isles, the most important dates for the United Kingdom and Ireland include March 1 for Saint David 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, March 17 for Saint Patrick 🇮🇪, April 23 for Saint George 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, and November 30 for Saint Andrew 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿.

Traditional Flags (Where Applicable)

The traditional flags of England and Scotland continue to be celebrated in their respective countries to this day. However, England is the red-on-white Saint George’s Cross while Scotland and Ireland are each identified with saltire flags. Though Ireland is today referred to by the tricolor arrangement by Irish Nationalists, the historic flag representing Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Saltire, had actually been a red-on-white saltire flag design, only somewhat different from the situation with England. While the colors may match England, the design of the saltire more closely matches Scotland, with white on blue instead of red on white.

Hype for the Future 74H: Major Communities in the United Kingdom

Introduction

While the United Kingdom is most notable with the dominance of England, the countries of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland can also claim cultural values independently of the dominant nation. Even though London is the capital of the entire United Kingdom, as well as of just England, the city does not provide much in terms of the cultural values of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or even locations elsewhere within England, especially beyond Middlesex and East Anglia.

The Communities

Of the communities within the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, the most important cities in terms of being locations of country governments are London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Cardiff, Wales; and Belfast, Northern Ireland. However, England also claims Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and a number of smaller communities of regional and cultural significance, while Scotland also claims Glasgow, Inverness, Elgin, Dundee, and Aberdeen quite similarly. While Wales is largely on the rural side, the major communities beyond Cardiff also include Newport in the Monmouthshire (Gwent) area as well as Swansea further west. Even more rural is the general area of Northern Ireland, though Londonderry also represents a cultural and central hub within the Six Counties in addition to Belfast in County Antrim and County Down.

The Crown Dependencies

The Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey each contain zero (0) communities at nearly the same scale of urbanization as the communities on Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, of the communities within the region, the capital cities are Douglas, Isle of Man; St. Helier, Jersey; and St. Peter Port, Guernsey.

British Overseas

Even smaller territories are identified within the British Overseas Territories, including the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and Montserrat—all within the general area of the Atlantic Ocean. While Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha are also located within the Atlantic, each of these territories is located in the South Atlantic, and the British also maintain Gibraltar in Europe; Akrotiri and Dhekelia on Cyprus; the British Indian Ocean Territory in the namesake Indian Ocean; the Falkland Islands of the Southern Ocean; and Pitcairn.

Today, of the communities with identifiable capital cities, most notably in the Caribbean and North Atlantic, the communities do not actually contain sizable cities, with George Town in the Cayman Islands representing the most populated community in the British Overseas. The other capitals include, but are not limited to, Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos; Road Town, British Virgin Islands; The Valley, Anguilla; Hamilton, Bermuda; and Plymouth, Montserrat, though the last capital city has recently recorded a population of zero (0) following the impacts of a volcanic eruption in the area.

Hype for the Future 74D: Galloway and the Scottish Lowlands 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Overview

The region known as Galloway, largely associated with the southwest of the country of Scotland, is related to the name for the central City of Glasgow located in Lanarkshire. Outside Lanarkshire, however, the region is also quite notable in a number of surrounding counties, including Ayrshire, Dumfries-shire, Renfrewshire, and possibly Kirkcudbrightshire. Elsewhere in the region, the significance of communities is largely determined by facing the Province of Ulster in Ireland across the Irish Sea and associated with the Scots-Irish and overall British colonization of Ireland. Today, the Counties Armagh, Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone could be identified as culturally continuous with Galloway, though the regions remain clearly distinct as one is in Ireland and the other is in Scotland. Today, the most notable communities on the Scottish side include Ayr, Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Renfrew, and Glasgow, with Kirkcudbright as a possible periphery community. Wigtown, further south, may or may not also be identified within the region, though Wigtownshire and surrounding shires represent the southern extent of Scotland, with Cumberland in modern England directly to the south beyond the Anglo-Scottish borderlands.

Hype for the Future 74C: The Scottish Highlands

Introduction

The Scottish Highlands, though historically most infamous for the Highland Clearances, have also resulted in the significant tradition of the Highland Games, for which the Highland Games of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, represent the first Highland Games abroad thanks to the Scots diaspora in the region of what is now Atlantic Canada. Though Lowland Scots have also been involved to lesser extents in settling the territories associated with Canada, the Scottish Highlands continue to represent the most notable portions of the country of Scotland to this day. Even beyond the Inner and Outer Hebrides and associated regions in the north of the nation, the general Highland region, including Nairn, Perth, Elgin, and Inverness, has been of cultural significance to the region of what is now the northernmost country of the United Kingdom.

Gaelic and Celtic Roots

Like Ireland, Scotland maintains a sense of Goidelic heritage, which has since evolved from Celtic heritage to the modern-day Gaelic heritage of the Highlands. While the Lowlands are more associated with Scottish English and the Scots language, the Scottish Highlands may also be identified by the Scottish Gaelic language, similar to the Irish Gaelic language on the less populated western side of Ireland which has continued to exist, though only barely, following the British colonization of Ireland and the use of the island as a testing ground for the British Overseas Territories which continue to span the entirety of the modern globe.

Hype for the Future 74B: The Hebrides

Introduction

Off the west coast of the constituent country of Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 within the United Kingdom, the associated islands can contain dramatic scenery and significant natural views and beauty. While the Inner Hebrides are already relatively notable for scenery, especially when associated with Ross and Cromarty, the Outer Hebrides may represent some of the most dramatic scenery in all of not just Scotland, but perhaps also all of the European continent, with striking similarities thanks to the geological connection with much of Atlantic Canada, now directly across the Atlantic Ocean and with the Viking influence of Leif Erikson throughout the region.

The Islands

While the Inner Hebrides contain perhaps the most notable of the isles associated with Ross and Cromarty, the Isle of Skye, the Outer Hebrides can get significantly more dramatic, containing the Isles of Barra, Lewis and Harris, and the Uists, just to name a few. Beyond the aforementioned outlying and inlying islands, a number of additional islands, largely to the north of Buteshire and the Islands of the Clyde, may also be included within the Inner Hebrides, including the Isles of Islay, Jura, Mull, Tiree, and Coll, just to name a few.

Hype for the Future 74A: Is Scotland a Nordic Country?

Introduction

While the short answer to the question posed is a clear and obvious “no,” with the fixed national and international borders of the modern day, portions of Scotland have indeed been considered at least somewhat Nordic in the past. If the Faroe Islands of Denmark can be considered Nordic, then so can the Shetland and Orkney Islands, both included within Scotland. Even further south are the Counties of Caithness and Sutherland, with Sutherland identifiable with a saltire overlaid on a Nordic cross on the modern flag.

Shetland Islands

Today, the Shetland Islands continue to celebrate the associated Nordic heritage of the region with a Nordic cross flag, white on the inside and blue on the outside. Though the flag is effectively inverted from the Finnish flag, the Shetland blue is supposed to be somewhat brighter than the Finnish blue, and the Shetland cross may be thinner as well, more akin to the Danish flag. Historically associated with the Kingdom of Norway and with general Norwegian rule, the region continues to represent a crossroads between modern Iceland, modern Norway, and the northern edge of the mainland of Scotland. Today, the county town of the Shetland Islands is known as Lerwick, also at least partly representative of the Nordic heritage of the region and general area.

Orkney Islands

To the south of the Shetland Islands are the Orkney Islands. While the modern population of the British Isles would not consider the Orkney Islands directly part of the Nordic realm, the historical context of the Orkney Islands was also related to the geographical position of the islands relative to the Scottish mainland. Immediately off the coast of Caithness, the Orkney Islands are perhaps most prominently identified by the county town of Kirkwall. If the Shetland Islands can be considered Nordic, then the Orkney Island culture may be identified quite similarly, though the Viking heritage of the general region has largely been diluted after over a millennium, firmly establishing the Orkney Islands as identifying within modern Scotland even if geographically more akin to the Faroe Islands of Denmark.

Caithness and Sutherland

The two northernmost counties on the Scottish mainland, north even of the Hebrides on the west coast of the country, are Caithness and Sutherland. While Caithness represents the absolute northernmost portion of the Island of Great Britain and uses Wick as the county town, Sutherland is located primarily to the south and west and is named using Norse terminology for “southern land” from the vantage points of either Caithness or the Orkney Islands.

Hype for the Future 74/284: The North of Scotland

Introduction

Though the vast majority of the Scottish population lives nearer the English border, the northern regions of Scotland are actually more attuned to Nordic customs for over a millennium, as much of the northern region was previously connected—quite strongly—to Norwegian control and subject to instability more than the regions even slightly further to the south, such as by the Urquhart Castle near Inverness.

The Counties

The Nordic regions of Scotland are largely determined by the Viking settlements of the region, most prominently associated with the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, Caithness, Sutherland, and the Inner and Outer Hebrides, from north to south. Each of the regions listed contains distinctive characteristics that set the respective counties apart from one another, and the Shetland Islands in particular are located in relative proximity to the Faroe Islands of Denmark to the northwest and the Orkney Islands to the south. The Shetland Islands are also within reach of the mainland of Norway.

Hype for the Future 73I: The Nordic Cross in Scotland

Introduction

Even though Scotland itself is not a Nordic country, portions of the territory now claimed by Scotland have historically been identified as Norwegian territory in particular. Following the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway and associated unions, most notably the Kalmar Union with Sweden, the Kingdom of Denmark would continue to claim the Faroe Islands, Iceland (now a sovereign state), and Greenland, in order from southeast to northwest.

Norse Heritage

While not all of Scotland is particularly notable for providing claim to Norse territory, particular counties have provided insights and interest into the Nordic crosses associated with select counties in the northern Scottish Highlands, including the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, and select counties claiming the Hebrides.

Today, the flag of the Shetland Islands is a Nordic bicolor flag, with white on the inside and blue on the outside, effectively the inverse of the Finnish flag, except with a lighter blue color. For the Orkney Islands to the south, the order of the colors is blue on the inside, yellow on the outline, and red on the outside, effectively identical to the Norwegian flag except with a yellow outline in place of the white outline.

Further south, now on the Scottish mainland, the Counties of Caithness and Sutherland are also identified as Nordic counties following Norse rule for over a millennium prior. Regionally within the County of Caithness, the galley is identified as the county symbol and is depicted in addition to the Nordic cross design, with the galley in red and yellow. Overall, however, the flag design is a Nordic tricolor, with blue on the inside, yellow on the outline, and black on the outside. Even further south and west, Sutherland, named for the “southern land” relative to the Orkney Islands from Viking control, is depicted with a Nordic cross combined with a Scottish-style saltire, with the intersection of the black saltire and cross on a white background forming an eight-pointed star symbolizing the southern land, the East Coast sunrises, and the West Coast sunsets on the county.

Hype for the Future 73C: Scotland’s Nordic Heritage

Introduction

While Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 is not a strictly Nordic country, centuries of rule by the Norwegians and other historic Nordic groups north of the Teutonic peoples have resulted in special Nordic treatment for the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, and the Counties of Caithness and Sutherland, all from north to south. To the west are the Inner and Outer Hebrides, including notable islands such as the Isles of Skye, Barra, and the Uists, just to name a few.

Nordic Crosses

Today, the Nordic Cross is featured as the most prominent feature on the flags of Shetland and Orkney, while the Flag of Caithness adds a galley to symbolize the county atop the flag design. Sutherland also adds additional symbols, further deviating the flag design from the general Nordic cross.

Hype for the Future 73B: European Subdivisions, Nation by Nation, with the United Kingdom Split (Part 1)

Introduction

The contents of this post intend specifically to represent the subdivisions of each European state, including the split countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Historic counties are to be preferred, if and when possible, but especially in the case of the British Isles.

Ireland 🇮🇪

• Munster
  • Kerry
  • Cork
  • Tipperary
  • Limerick
  • Waterford
  • Clare
• Leinster
  • Kilkenny
  • Wexford
  • Carlow
  • Wicklow
  • Offaly
  • Laois
  • Kildare
  • Dublin
  • Longford
  • Westmeath
  • Meath
• Connacht (Connaught)
  • Galway
  • Mayo
  • Sligo
  • Roscommon
  • Leitrim
• Ulster
  • Donegal
  • Cavan
  • Monaghan

Northern Ireland 🇬🇧

• Armagh
• Antrim
• Down
• Fermanagh
• Londonderry
• Tyrone

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧

• Anglesey
• Caernarfonshire
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Merioneth
• Montgomeryshire
• Cardiganshire (Ceredigion)
• Radnorshire
• Pembrokeshire
• Carmarthenshire
• Brecknockshire
• Glamorgan
• Monmouthshire (Gwent)

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧

• Cornwall
• Devon
• Somerset
• Dorset
• Wiltshire
• Hampshire
• Surrey
• Kent
• Sussex
• Gloucestershire
• Oxfordshire
• Berkshire
• Buckinghamshire
• Bedfordshire
• Hertfordshire
• Middlesex
• Essex
• Suffolk
• Norfolk
• Herefordshire
• Worcestershire
• Warwickshire
• Northamptonshire
• Huntingdonshire
• Cambridgeshire
• Rutland
• Shropshire
• Cheshire
• Staffordshire
• Derbyshire
• Nottinghamshire
• Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Cheshire
• Lancashire
• Yorkshire
• Westmorland
• Durham
• Cumberland
• Northumberland

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇬🇧

• Wigtownshire
• Kirkcudbrightshire
• Dumfries-shire
• Ayrshire
• Renfrewshire
• Lanarkshire
• Roxburghshire
• Berwickshire
• Selkirkshire
• Peeblesshire
• West Lothian (Linlithgowshire)
• Midlothian
• East Lothian (Haddingtonshire)
• Buteshire
• Argyllshire
• Dumbarton
• Stirlingshire
• Clackmannanshire
• Kinross-shire
• Perthshire
• Fife
• Angus
• Kincardineshire
• Aberdeenshire
• Inverness-shire
• Nairnshire
• Morayshire
• Banffshire
• Ross-shire and Cromartyshire
• Sutherland
• Caithness
• Orkney
• Shetland

Other British 🇬🇧

• Jersey
• Guernsey
• Mann (Isle of Man)

Portugal 🇵🇹

• Faro
• Beja
• Setúbal
• Évora
• Lisboa
• Santarém
• Portalegre
• Leiria
• Coimbra
• Castelo Branco
• Aveiro
• Viseu
• Guarda
• Porto
• Braga
• Viana do Castelo
• Vila Real
• Bragança
• Azores
• Madeira

Spain 🇪🇸

• Galicia
• Principado de Asturias
• Castilla y León
• Cantabria
• País Vasco
• La Rioja
• Comunidad Foral de Navarra
• Aragón
• Cataluña
• Comunidad Valenciana
• Islas Baleares
• Comunidad de Madrid
• Castilla-La Mancha
• Extremadura
• Andalucía
• Región de Murcia
• Ceuta
• Melilla

France 🇫🇷

• Occitanie
• Nouvelle-Aquitaine
• Pays de la Loire
• Bretagne
• Normandy
• Centre-Val de Loire
• Île-de-France
• Hauts-de-France
• Grand Est
• Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
• Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur
• Corsica

Italy 🇮🇹

• Sardegna
• Liguria
• Piemonte (Piedmont)
• Valle d’Aosta
• Lombardia
• Trentino-Alto Adige
• Veneto
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Emilia-Romagna
• Toscana
• Umbria
• Marche
• Lazio
• Abruzzo
• Molise
• Campania
• Apulia
• Basilicata
• Calabria
• Sicily

Romania 🇷🇴

• Constanța
• Tulcea
• Călărași
• Ialomița
• București (Bucharest)
• Ilfov
• Giurgiu
• Teleorman
• Olt
• Dolj
• Mehedinți
• Caraș-Severin
• Timiș
• Arad
• Bihor
• Satu Mare
• Sălaj
• Cluj
• Maramureș
• Bistrița-Năsăud
• Mureș
• Harghita
• Suceava
• Botoșani
• Neamț
• Iași
• Bacău
• Vaslui
• Galați
• Brăila
• Buzău
• Vrancea
• Prahova
• Dâmbovița
• Covasna
• Brașov
• Argeș
• Sibiu
• Vâlcea
• Gorj
• Hunedoara
• Alba

Hype for the Future 72D: Traditional Counties of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, and Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Introduction

The historic counties of England, Scotland, and Wales have been of cultural significance as each county has determined the heritage of the people of the region and the descending diaspora related to every county. While Ireland and the Isle of Man also play large roles, along with Jersey and Guernsey, the primary settlements on Great Britain have also been of significance regarding the situation of a generally Celtic region.

England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

• Cornwall: Truro, Bodmin, Launceston
• Devon: Exeter
• Somerset (Somerton): Taunton, Ilchester, Bath, Wells
• Dorset (Dorchester): Poole
• Wiltshire (Wilton): Trowbridge, Salisbury, Devizes
• Hampshire (Southampton): Winchester
• Sussex: Lewes, Chichester, Horsham
• Kent (Canterbury): Maidstone
• Berkshire: Reading, Abingdon
• Surrey: Guildford, Newington, Southwark
• Gloucestershire (Gloucester): Bristol
• Herefordshire: Hereford
• Shropshire: Shrewsbury
• Worcestershire: Worcester
• Oxfordshire: Oxford
• Buckinghamshire (Buckingham): Aylesbury
• Middlesex: Brentford, Clerkenwell, London, Westminster
• Hertfordshire: Hertford
• Bedfordshire: Bedford
• Huntingdonshire: Huntingdon
• Warwickshire (Warwick): Coventry
• Northamptonshire: Northampton
• Leicestershire: Leicester
• Rutland: Oakham
• Cambridgeshire (Cambridge): Ely
• Derbyshire: Derby
• Nottinghamshire: Nottingham
• Staffordshire (Stafford): Lichfield
• Essex: Chelmsford
• Suffolk: Ipswich
• Norfolk: Norwich
• Lincolnshire: Lincoln
• Cheshire: Chester
• Lancashire (Lancaster): Preston
• Yorkshire (York): Kingston upon Hull
• Westmorland: Appleby, Kendal
• Durham (Durham): Bishop, Auckland, Sadberge
• Cumberland (Carlisle): Cockermouth, Penrith
• Northumberland: Alnwick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Morpeth, Berwick upon Tweed

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

• Shetland: Lerwick
• Orkney: Kirkwall
• Caithness: Wick
• Sutherland: Dornoch
• Ross-shire and Cromartyshire: Dingwall (Cromarty was the county town of Cromartyshire prior to unification)
• Inverness-shire: Inverness
• Nairnshire: Nairn
• Morayshire: Elgin
• Banffshire: Banff
• Aberdeenshire: Aberdeen
• Kincardineshire: Stonehaven
• Argyllshire: Lochgilphead (formerly known as Inveraray)
• Perthshire: Perth
• Angus: Forfar
• Fife: Cupar
• Clackmannanshire: Alloa
• Kinross-shire: Kinross
• Dumbarton: Dumbarton
• Renfrewshire: Renfrew
• Buteshire: Rothesay
• Stirlingshire: Stirling
• West Lothian: Linlithgow
• Midlothian: Edinburgh
• East Lothian: Haddington
• Ayrshire: Ayr
• Lanarkshire: Glasgow
• Peeblesshire: Peebles
• Selkirkshire: Selkirk
• Wigtownshire: Wigtown
• Kirkcudbrightshire: Kirkcudbright
• Dumfriesshire: Dumfries
• Roxburghshire: Jedburgh
• Berwickshire: Duns

Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

• Pembrokeshire: Haverfordwest
• Carmarthenshire: Carmarthen
• Cardiganshire: Cardigan
• Merioneth: Dolgellau
• Caernarfonshire: Caernarfon
• Anglesey: Beaumaris
• Glamorgan: Cardiff
• Monmouthshire: Monmouth
• Brecknockshire: Brecon
• Radnorshire: Presteigne
• Montgomeryshire: Welshpool
• Denbighshire: Ruthin
• Flintshire: Mold

Hype for the Future 72A: The British Empire, Explained

Introduction

While much of the British Empire has successfully dissolved, the vast majority of the global population, with notable exceptions such as China, have historical ties to the United Kingdom, however indirectly the ties may be. Today, the United Kingdom typically refers to England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The Constituent Countries

Within the United Kingdom, the constituent countries include England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The capital city of England, London, also represents the capital city of the entire United Kingdom. Scotland, further north, contains the capital city, Edinburgh, and another major city, Glasgow. For Wales, the Welsh capital is at Cardiff; and for Northern Ireland, the capital is at Belfast. Northern Ireland specifically refers to Counties Armagh, Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. The other counties of Ireland are identified as part of the Republic of Ireland, a separate sovereign state.

Common English names beyond London proper include Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Lancaster, Norwich, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, just to name a few. Wales, however, does not contain a significant community beyond the southern end of the country at Cardiff, though the Isle of Anglesey in the very northwest is a notable geographical feature of Wales.

Beyond Great Britain proper, additional islands associated with the constituent countries include the Orkney Islands (Scotland), the Shetland Islands (Scotland), the Isles of the Clyde (Scotland), and the Isle of Anglesey (Wales), just to name a few.

Crown Dependencies

The three Crown Dependencies are not necessarily part of the United Kingdom proper; however, each of the islands remains part of the Commonwealth of Nations and is dependent on the British Crown, as the name applies. The three Crown Dependencies are Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, with the Isle of Sark and a few other associated islands part of Guernsey. The Isle of Man is also referred to as “Mann” and has the capital town at Douglas within the island. Manx is co-official with the English language throughout the island, located directly in between the Scottish Lowlands and Northern Ireland, though on the international stage, the Isle of Man may identify separately from the United Kingdom.

Both of the Channel Island territories, Jersey and Guernsey, are governed by bailiffs and are thus referred to as the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, respectively. While Jersey is effectively just the principal island, Guernsey also claims associated islands, including the car-free islands of Herm and Sark. Today, the capital towns of the bailiwicks of the Channel Islands are St. Helier, Jersey; and St. Peter Port, Guernsey.

British Overseas Territories

Within the European continent, the British Overseas Territories include the territories of Gibraltar and Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, with the Spanish community of La Línea de la Concepción located immediately to the north and the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, otherwise surrounded by Morocco, on the opposite side of the Strait of Gibraltar marking the western beginning of the Mediterranean Sea. Akrotiri and Dhekelia represent one British Overseas Territory, though the specific regions of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are located on different sections of the southern side of the island of Cyprus and may overlap with or otherwise be disputed with Cypriot territory.

Also related to the military are the Falkland Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory, with the Falkland Islands located nearby to the southern tip of South America and the northern peninsular tip of Antarctica. Civilian territories also exist throughout the British Overseas, including the Caribbean islands of the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Anguilla, and Montserrat; as well as the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda. Within the South Pacific are the Pitcairn Islands; within the Antarctic region the British Antarctic Territory. Elsewhere, the overseas include South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.

Of the most prominent inhabited territories, the territorial capitals include George Town, Cayman Islands; Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands; Road Town, British Virgin Islands; The Valley, Anguilla; Plymouth, Montserrat; and Hamilton, Bermuda. Outside the Caribbean and Atlantic regions, Jamestown is the capital of Saint Helena, and Stanley is the capital of the Falkland Islands.

Commonwealth Realms

Outside the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories, a number of sovereign states located elsewhere are also included within the definition of the Commonwealth, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, and South Africa, just to name a few. Of all the sovereign states attached to the British Commonwealth today, the island nations of Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago are located within the Caribbean region. Belize is also located in the Americas, though in Central America rather than in the Caribbean proper. Canada and Guyana also represent Commonwealth realms on the North American and South American mainlands, respectively. Interestingly, within Europe, the island nations of Malta and Cyprus are also represented within the Commonwealth.

Within the African continent, the outlying insular nations of Mauritius and Seychelles are each included within the Commonwealth; however, the Comoros are more attached to French and Francophone heritage and as such are not included within the scope of the Commonwealth of Nations. Within the African mainland, the nations of Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are all identified within the Commonwealth, and Burundi has requested to join the Commonwealth because of historical ties to Rwanda directly to the north, all in the region officially known as East Africa. Cameroon and Gabon are also located on the continent though in Middle Africa. Within the region of Southern Africa, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, and Botswana are all included. West Africa is also represented through the Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

For Oceania, the Melanesian nations of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu are included, along with the Micronesian nations of Kiribati and Nauru. Within the region of Polynesia are the island nations of Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

The Southeast Asian nations of Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore are also included within the definition of the Commonwealth, along with the Southern Asian nations of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

Hype for the Future 64J: Town of Windsor, Maine

Introduction

The Town of Windsor is located directly to the east of and adjacent to the City of Augusta in Kennebec County, Maine, home to the site of the Windsor Fair and the associated museum area. The Maine Highland Games represent Scottish heritage, particularly within the State of Maine, though the Scottish festival has previously been hosted at the site of Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, Maine.

Windsor Fairgrounds

The Windsor Fairgrounds are known primarily for hosting the Windsor Fair in the State of Maine in the days leading up to Labor Day. However, just a few weeks prior to each session, the Windsor Fairgrounds also host the Maine Highland Games and Scottish Festival thanks to the sale of Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, thus resulting in an enlarged venue for the Scottish heritage festival.

Hype for the Future 50R: Appalachian Folk

Appalachian folk traditions are often related to Scots-Irish traditions, as well as to the traditions of the Melungeons, a mixed-race group associated with the region and without an obvious association with any given race in particular. Folk traditions, such as “Rocky Top” in East Tennessee, are often remnants of the cultural traits of Scots-Irish settlement to the present-day United States.

Hype for the Future 50Q: Greater Appalachian Scots-Irish

Overall, the Scots-Irish settlement of British Colonial America, overwhelmingly between 1717 and 1775, has largely been determined by numerous overlapping forces that had ultimately resulted in the migration of significant numbers of Scots-Irish to British Colonial America, and a significant majority of the settlers were originally associated with Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area. However, unlike the German settlers to the Lancaster area, including Amish and Mennonite communities, the Scots-Irish were often identified as frontiersmen by tradition and many were pushed to the frontier regions, including around Washington County, Pennsylvania, and into the western portions of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and even South Carolina. The Colquhoun family, which has largely evolved into the Calhoun (along with numerous alternate spellings) family, has largely represented the area in Upstate South Carolina around Abbeville, including by way of the notable John C. Calhoun descendant of the Scots-Irish.

Hype for the Future 50P: Scottish and Irish Differences

Though Scotland and Ireland are often confused with one another, especially historically, for strong Celtic connections, the separation of Scotland and Ireland had seemed to become less pronounced when Scottish settlers had become colonizers to Ulster en masse. Beyond Scottish settlers to Ulster, however, notable differences between Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and Ireland 🇮🇪 are largely determined by the differences between Great Britain and Ireland in general. Even though Northern Ireland remains with the United Kingdom following the partition of 1922, much of the independent Republic of Ireland has since developed a clearly distinct identity, even relative to the Gaelic heritage associated with Scotland for which the island shares a maritime border.

Hype for the Future 50O: Scots-Irish in Context

Though Óengus I is often identified with the very beginning of the modern-day identity of much of Scotland, and especially the southwestern part of Scotland where most of the Ulster Scots would eventually depart to the northern part of Ireland from, not all of Scotland would be identified as strictly nor inherently Scots-Irish by default. However, locales more commonly associated with the Scots-Irish include, but may not necessarily be limited to, the Lancaster area in Pennsylvania alongside the German communities (including Amish and Mennonites), the backcountry regions in Virginia and the Carolinas, and the extended region ultimately representing Appalachia at large. In rarer cases, Scots-Irish were also associated with the later settlements in the Tidewater region of the South, and in even rarer cases still, even New England settlements.

Hype for the Future 50N: More on Northern Ireland

In the modern day, the counties associated with Northern Ireland are typically identified as a mix of Scots and Irish influences, especially with the massive British colonization of Ireland, particularly from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Outside the context of Scotland, however, the British colonization of Ireland had also involved settlers from select portions of England as well, though the Anglo-Irish population was not nearly as significant as the Scots-Irish population, particularly in the context of the United States. For Newfoundland, now a part of Canada, however, the Anglo-Irish cultural traits represented the dominant heritage of the region.

While many of the settlers to the Ulster region were from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, the colonists to the Munster, Leinster, and Connacht regions were more often associated with England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿.

Hype for the Future 47E: Names Commonly Associated with Scotland

Numerous names are commonly associated with Scotland, sometimes Scots, other times Gaelic, but in any case, related chiefly to Celtic with partial Germanic influences in select areas. Within the Scottish realm, such names may include Aberdeen, Ross, Cromarty, Orkney, Shetland, Falkland, Kirkcaldy, Kirkcudbright, Ayr, Strathclyde, Clyde, Lanark, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Hamilton, Ogletree (related to Ochiltree), Oglesby (from Ogilvie), and Shetland.