Is scotland a country or a state?

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A Nation. via About.com: "There are eight accepted criteria used to determine whether an entity is an independent country (also known as a State with a capital "s") or not. A country need only fail on one of the eight criteria to not meet the definition of independent country status. Scotland does not meet all eight criteria; it fails on six of the eight criteria..." "... Scotland (nor Wales, nor Northern Ireland, nor England itself) is not an independent country nor is it a State. However, Scotland is most certainly a nation of people living in an internal division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."

Its officially part of the UK, but if you talk to the locals, they wish things were separate.

country

It's a country. There is no separate passport. The Queen is the sovereign in Scotland as in the rest of the UK, and Tony Blair is Prime Minister, but Scotland also has its own First Minister, Jack McConnell. The criteria for statehood that Fred mentions are interesting, and it's true that Scotland does not fully meet them. However, Scotland has its own legal system (Scots law), its own church (the Church of Scotland, or Kirk) and its own system of education. Also, while the pound sterling is the currency of the United Kingdom, three of Scotland's banks issue their own banknotes, and these circulate alongside those issued by the Bank of England.

Its a country which happens to be part of the British Isles. We do not have full independance yet, only devolution. Holyrood is our parliment and the First Minister is Jack McConnell. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/

country isnt it?

country

Scotland is a country within the United Kingdom. (The UK is England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland).