Difference Between Scotland and Ireland

The main difference between Scotland and Ireland is that the Scotland is situated in the northern part of  Great Britain island while Ireland is situated as a separate island west to the island of Great Britain and also refers to the sovereign state of the Republic of Ireland.

North Ireland, Scotland, and Great Britain are the three countries that make up the United Kingdom since they share the same government system. Therefore, many people tend to consider Scotland and Ireland as similar countries. However, the geographical situation of Scotland and Ireland serves to draw a clear distinction between them.

Key Areas Covered

1. Scotland
      – Geography, Politics, Facts
2. Ireland
     – Geography, Politics, Facts
3. What is the Similarity Between Scotland and Ireland
    – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Scotland and Ireland
    – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Countries, Geography, Politics, Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland

Difference Between Scotland and Ireland - Comparison Summary

Scotland – Geography, Politics, Facts

Scotland is the country situated in the northern part of the Great Britain Island. Moreover, Scotland covers one-third of the island of Great Britain. Apart from that, Scotland also possesses over 790 islands under its jurisdiction such as the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Main Difference - Scotland vs Ireland

Even though Scotland or Kingdom of Scotland was initially a sovereign independent state having its own government system, it later decided to join the administration of Great Britain in 1707, thus, creating Parliament of Great Britain and eventually becoming a part of the United Kingdom.

However, despite Scotland sharing the same British parliament, it retains its cultural and national identity since its legal, educational and religious institutions still remain distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Difference Between Scotland and Ireland

Since Scotland comprises of the one-third of the land area of Great Britain, there is an abundance of diversity in flora and fauna in Scotland. The longest river of Scotland, the River Tay, flows for a distance of 190 km nourishing this rich land mass of greenery. Moreover, Scotland is also rich with ancient rocks and natural resources significantly, coal and iron bearing rocks in addition to its volcanoes. Moreover, the climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, which is very much changeable with much milder winters to also cooler, wetter summers on several regions. Overall, Scotland’s geography is a huge part of its appeal to the tourists.

Some Quick Facts about Scotland

Area: 77,933 km2

Status: Country under UK

Capital: Edinburgh

Largest City: Glasgow

Currency: Sterling Pounds

Languages: English, Scottish Gaelic

What is Ireland

Ireland, which is the third largest island in Europe, is an island situated in the North Atlantic sea west to the island of Great Britain. Therefore, it is separated from Great Britain by west and to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. 

Difference Between Scotland and Ireland_Figure 2

Following the Irish war and Ireland gaining independence from Great Britain, there were continuous conflicts between the North and South Ireland regarding an independent government system. However, North Ireland, consisting of six counties, decided to remain as a part of Great Britain and thus became a part of the United Kingdom with Scotland and Britain. On the contrary, the remaining counties making the Southern part of Ireland voted for an independent Ireland and established the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann) as an independent sovereign state.

Therefore, one should not consider the whole geographical island of Ireland as one state since it consists of two states with two distinct administrative systems or governments: one part standing as one independent sovereign state whilst the other part making up the United Kingdom, combined with Scotland, England and Wales. Therefore, the name ‘Ireland’ refers to the Republic of Ireland while the Northern part of Ireland combined with the United Kingdom is known as the ‘Northern Ireland’.

The island of Ireland has a moderate climate which is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean with milder winters although its summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. With concern to flora and fauna, Ireland has only fewer land animal and plant species.

Most Irish people are Catholics while there are also a considerable high number of Protestants (especially in the Republic of Ireland). Ireland is also well known for the spread of the pub culture in the world where they use pubs not only as a place of drinking but also as a place to meet people and enjoy. Famous products traded by Ireland internationally include Irish whiskey, and stout, a dark beer manufactured by a number of companies including Guinness.Difference Between Scotland and Ireland_Figure 3

Some Quick Facts about the Republic of Ireland

Area: 70,273 km2 

Status: Sovereign State

Capital: Dublin

Largest City: Dublin

Currency:  Euro (EUR)

Languages: Irish, English

Nothern Ireland

Area: 14,130 km2

Status: Country under UK

Capital: Belfast

Largest City: Belfast

Currency: Sterling Pounds

Languages: English, Irish

Similarity Between Scotland and Ireland

  • Both Scotland and Ireland, specifically the North Ireland, share the same administration of Great Britain, thus collectively making the United Kingdom along with England and Wales.

Difference Between Scotland and Ireland

Definition

Scotland is a country situated in the northern part of the island of Great Britain. On the other hand, Ireland is a separate island situated west to the island of Great Britain. However, the name Ireland usually refers to the Republic of Ireland, which is on the southern part of the island while the northern part of the island is known as Northern Ireland which is a part of United Kingdom.

Geography

The Scotland covers one-third of the area of the island of Great Britain while Ireland, on the whole, is an island though it is separated into two different states due to two different administrative systems.

Borders

Scotland shares its borders with England to the south and surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and the Irish Sea to the Southwest. In contrast, the island of Ireland is surrounded by the Celtic Sea, Irish Sea and The Atlantic Sea.

Government

Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales) thus has the British parliamentary and administrative system. Ireland, on the other hand, consists of two states having two governments or administrative systems: Northern Ireland under the British parliament (part of United Kingdom) and the Republic Kingdom having the democratic form of a government system.

Capital

The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh while the capital of Republic of Ireland is Dublin and the capital of Nothern Ireland is Belfast.

Conclusion

Due to the political overlapping nature of Scotland and Ireland, most people tend to find it confusing to distinguish these two countries. The main difference between Scotland and Ireland is that the Scotland is situated in the northern part of Great Britain Island while the Ireland is situated as a separate island west to the island of Great Britain. However, part of Ireland (Northern Ireland) has combined with the British parliament like Scotland to collectively make up the United Kingdom.

Reference:

1.“Ireland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 July 2018, Available here.
2. “Scotland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 July 2018, Available here.
3. “Republic of Ireland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2018, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Kingdom of Scotland Map -2” By Rab-k (talk) 11:11, 1 April 2008 (UTC) – Image:Uk map scotland.png (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “540122” (CC0) via Pixabay
3. “Map Of Ireland” by Michael 1952 (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
4. “Pub In Dublin, Ireland” (CC0) Public Domain Pictures

About the Author: Upen

Upen, BA (Honours) in Languages and Linguistics, has academic experiences and knowledge on international relations and politics. Her academic interests are English language, European and Oriental Languages, Internal Affairs and International Politics, and Psychology.

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