 | Scotland is generally hilly, and it is traditionally divided into three geographic regions from north to south: the Highlands, the Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands are bisected from northeast to southwest by the fault line of the Great Glen, which is occupied by a series of lochs.
The North West Highlands lie to the north of the Great Glen, and the more extensive Grampian Mountains lie to the south. The Lowlands region is low by comparison with adjoining areas but is by no means flat. The Southern Uplands are not as high in elevation as the Highlands or as fractured in appearance. Glaciation has led to narrow, flat valleys separating table mountains throughout much of the region. Toward the southeast the Uplands open out into the Tweed Valley, which broadens into rich alluvial farmland, and to the southwest they slope toward the Galloway Peninsula. Most of Scotland's hills and mountains are covered with grasses and shrubs.
Scotland's climate is a temperate oceanic one that is milder than might be expected given Scotland's northerly latitude. |
