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==   Finland !!! Back ground Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union – albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. Location Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia Cool places

St. Olaf's Castle, Olavinlinna
Balanced on the edge of a tiny green island in a lake, this beautiful 500-year-old castle resembles something from a fairytale. Founded in 1475, it is comprised of the main castle as well as three towers and a bailey with a surrounding wall reinforced by towers. It is among Finland's most well-known tourist attractions. There is a very interesting orthodox museum in the castle grounds displaying Russian Orthodox artifacts from Finland and Russia. Turku is the oldest and most fascinating of Finland's medieval towns. Once the capital of Finland, this 750-year-old town has a fully restored 13th-century castle which is now a Viking museum. Its medieval Gothic cathedral is one of the most impressive in Finland. The Handicrafts Museum is located in the quaint old town where most of original medieval houses still stand. Make sure to visit the thirty workshops which represent different trades and that tell the story of the old professions. If you happen to visit near Christmas, Turku is regarded as Finland's Christmas City. In the old great square at 12 noon every Christmas Eve, a crowd of several thousand people gather to listen to the proclamation of a Christmas peace declaration which has resounded throughout Finland since the middle ages.

The Åland Islands
The Åland Islands are a unique, self-governing set of islands off the Finnish coast. With their own distinct culture, flag and postage stamps, they are dotted with medieval churches and old-world fishing villages and are particularly ideal for get-away-from-it all cycling, camping and cabin holidays.

Lapland
Land of the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights, the Finnish province of Lapland is one of the world’s most wild and unspoiled regions, sparsely populated with truly friendly and welcoming people. Blessed with wide open fells and hills, uninhabited forests, magnificent lakes as clear as crystal, quietly babbling brooks and foaming rapids, this region offers the tourist the holiday of a lifetime. Lapland is also the home of Santa Claus. Pay a visit to Santapark – Santa’s theme park – and meet with Santa himself! Defenses F/A-18 fighter plane of Finland. This plane was used when Russia attacked Finland. This is also the planes that are known as the blue angels. This plane was designed for the united states marine core but is also used by many other nations. This plane went 3 miles in 3 minutes according to Finland’s defense ministry. 
 * // Weapons // ||
 * || Finnish   ||  Russian   ||
 * Rifles ||  11,000   ||  14,000   ||
 * Submachine Guns ||  250   ||  none   ||
 * Machine Guns (7.62mm) ||  116   ||  200   ||
 * Automatic Rifles ||  250   ||  419   ||
 * AA Machine Guns ||  none   ||  32   ||
 * Machine Guns (12.7mm) ||  none   ||  6   ||
 * Rifle mortars ||  none   ||  261   ||
 * Mortars (81- to 82mm) ||  18   ||  18   ||
 * Mortars (120mm) ||  none   ||  12   ||
 * Field artillery (37 to 45mm) ||  18   ||  48   ||
 * Field artillery (75 to 90mm) ||  24   ||  38   ||
 * Field artillery (105 to 152mrn) ||  12   ||  40   ||
 * Tanks ||  none   ||  40 - 50   ||
 * Armored Cars ||  none   ||  15   ||
 * //Germany//**

GERMANY Germany had three natural boundaries the Baltic’s to the north the Rhine to the west and the Danube or Alps to the south only east there are boundaries From the 2nd century B.C. Germany has been at war with Rome the reign of Augustus Caesar sees a trial in strength between the empire and tribes When the Roman’s cross the Danube they quickly defeated the Germanic tribes their then for 5 years extended the empires borders But these borders were hard to control and hold on to they stopped at the Elbe their Armenian a German Chieftain leading an army defeated three roman legions __PRUSSIA__ __AND NAPOLEONIC WARS__ Prussia (Northern Germany) consisted of the west Slavic tribes the ancestors of modern poles in the west w ANCIENT est and Baltic tribes and Lithuanians of the East In 1226 Prussia was conquered by Teutonic Knights a military religious cult who converted the Prussians to Christianity the knights were over thrown in 1454 the Prussia was divided in west Royal Prussia and East Ducal Prussia Ducal Prussia was incorporated into Poland providing it with a corridor to the Baltic Sea (Danzig corridor) Ducal Prussia became part of Poland The Pros tenant reformation in the 1500’s led to most Prussian’s becoming pros tenant well Poland was Roman Catholic In 1675 after an invasion by the Swedes made Poland surrender control of Ducal Prussia which became the Prussian Kingdom which was headed by Hohenzollern line Having come out of seven year’s of war Frederick with his great military success made Prussia a Major power in Europe Frederick William III was fired after giving up Prussian Territory to the French After Napoleon’s defeat in Russia he returned and defeated again and banished too a remote island in the Mediterranean 100 days later he came back and took control of France with the entire French army behind him British met Napoleon at waterloo a few miles away from Brussels this battle determined the fate of Europe 100,000’s were their and 125,000’s Prussian’s were coming against 250,000 French Napoleon was defeated and Banished to Mt. St Helen in the Atlantic Ocean __ WORLD WAR I __ Tension in Europe was growing and alliances were being formed all around Europe the two biggest ones were Germany and Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman’s army known as the triple Alliance or Central Powers and the Britain France and Russia formed the Triple Entente These alliances were building up their army and navies and more Germany had trained 8.5 million Russia 4.5 million France over 3.5 million Austria-Hungary 3 million Britain didn’t have many soldiers but its navy was bigger then all four nations combined All the rulers of Europe were related Queen Victoria of Great Britain Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas of Russia were related On June 28th, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand next in line to the throne of Austria-Hungary went to the Bosnian capitol of Sarajevo review the Austrian Troops his wife Sophie accompanied him Austrian spies in Serbia warned him not to go because of Assassination attempt he ignored these and went any way as a motorcade made its way down Sarajevo’s main street guarded by 120 policemen on route six young Serbian men having hand guns and explosives provided by the Black Hand waited to try and kill the archduke The Archduke’s car passed two assassins with out incident then the car passed the third and he threw a bomb the bomb bounced off the car alerted to danger the car drove off to the town hall the assassins had missed their chance the archduke canceled his visit and return by a different route confused about the new plan the driver went down the wrong street into and ally the fourth assassin had come and shot the Archduke and his wife this had started WWI When WWI started the generals at the time introduced new types of warfare Total Warfare that didn’t just aim to destroy their military but to destroy their cities economy and people and Position warfare where you build up your defenses and make them so strong that break threw would be impossible especially with 18th century offensive tactics also the Ottoman empire came into the war on the Axis side and they were responsible for the lost at Gallipoli The Germans in 1915 the Germans introduced Biological warfare this was seen by the allies as inhumane for suffocating their men but the Germans thought it was humane and a less painful way to die the gas attacks also caused temporally blinded some people and killed few but gas makes also in 1915 air warfare was introduced first zeppelins were used to bomb London then Biplanes then dog fights came where Biplanes would shoot at each other In 1916 new vehicles such as the tank and motor cycle led to great victories on the western front In 1917 the Russians revolution over threw the Czar and the provisional government put in place still wanted to go to war but the Russian people eventually over threw that and put in the Bolshevik’s which then worked a peace treaty but the loss of Russia wasn’t a bad one because America had entered the wars on the allies side after Germany wanted and alliance with Mexico to attack America but the war still could be won with the veteran troops from the eastern front the western front had more men to fight but eventually Italy had defeated Austria and the Emperor abdicated power which ended the Austro-Hungarian empire then Britain had gone threw Palestine and destroyed the Ottoman empire by splitting up it’s empire between Britain and France and Germany low on Man power eventually signed and Armistice which led to their defeat

History seems to be repeating itself because Germany is climbing up the political ranks and is becoming head of the European Union. They are supporting strong political and military power and unity. The EU will become stronger and invade the Middle East soon. They will come in and it will look like a piece mission and than it will be very oblivious was the will do.

__Germany has Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation__ Germany has a powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - and it grew in 2007 with 2.6% growth. Germany had high unemployment and this stronger growth led led to decreased unemployment in 2007. Modernizing eastern Gemany continues to be a costly process and has annual transfers from west to east of about $80 billion.The former government of Chancellor Gerhard Scroeder started reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor Angela Merkel started other reform measures, like the gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to boost female participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population and high unemployment has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are starting to help Germany meet the long-term goals of European economic integration and globalization. Germanys economy had some challenges in 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit markets, and slowing growth abroad took their toll. //__ Germany __////__ in World War II~ __//

Field marshal Hindenburg was elected president in 1925. Adolf Hitler joined the German Workers or Nazi party in 1919. In the 1933 election he played on the emotions of the German people that Germany was a scapegoat for the Great War. He blamed losing the war on the leaders of the allies, on Russia, and on the Jews who controlled finances. Hitler promised a Third Reich that would last 1000 years. The German people were desperate and would accept any solution that would end their problems and restore Germanys’ former glory. Hitler finished second in the 1933 election after Hindenburg. Hindenburg made him chancellor. As chancellor he passed the enabling act that gave him dictatorial powers. He made himself the new leader or Furher of Germany. Then Hitler started to take Jews civil liberties and privileges away. When in 1939 Hitler started exterminating Jews he had also fixed German industry, restored the military, fixed unemployment, and taken over Austria and Czechoslovakia. This justified his actions and when people started realizing what Hitler was really doing he was already too powerful and killed those who spoke against him. He exterminated six million Jews, Poles, Gypsies, and other unwanted peoples. In September 1939 he invaded Poland causing Britain and France to declare war. France fell soon after to the Blitzkrieg. Then Germany invaded Russia. The United States entered in war in December 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Germany coundn’t support a war of such size and was pushed back by the Allied invasion of Europe on one front and Russia on the other. Hitler encouraged his army to fight to the death to defend Germany. In April 1945 Hitler killed himself as Russia overran Berlin.


 * //__ Legends and Myths  __//**

~Some Nazis thought that the German race who were Aryan had come from Atlantis.

~There are many legends of ghosts in local castles.

~There are also many myths about elves in German forests.


 * //__ Hot Spots  __//**

~ Neuschwanstein Castle is a big attraction.

~Oktoberfest, this is the place to be if you like beer.

~There are many concentration camps still open to visit.

~The Black Forest is another popular vacation spot. ~The city of Cologne.

 Ruler - Germany has a prime minister and a parliament.

Riechstag in Berlin Germany

Cologne Germany

German Countryside

Castle in Bavarian Alps

More Bavarian Alps

Since it is mostly snow in Finland, there army troops only wear white armor. __ ANCIENT GERMANY __ Germany had three natural boundaries the Baltic’s to the north the Rhine to the west and the Danube or Alps to the south only east there are boundaries From the 2nd century B.C. Germany has been at war with Rome the reign of Augustus Caesar sees a trial in strength between the empire and tribes When the Roman’s cross the Danube they quickly defeated the Germanic tribes their then for 5 years extended the empires borders But these borders were hard to control and hold on to they stopped at the Elbe their Armenian a German Chieftain leading an army defeated three roman legions __PRUSSIA__ __AND NAPOLEONIC WARS__ Prussia (Northern Germany) consisted of the west Slavic tribes the ancestors of modern poles in the west and Baltic tribes and Lithuanians of the East In 1226 Prussia was conquered by Teutonic Knights a military religious cult who converted the Prussians to Christianity the knights were over thrown in 1454 the Prussia was divided in west Royal Prussia and East Ducal Prussia Ducal Prussia was incorporated into Poland providing it with a corridor to the Baltic Sea (Danzig corridor) Ducal Prussia became part of Poland The Pros tenant reformation in the 1500’s led to most Prussian’s becoming pros tenant well Poland was Roman Catholic In 1675 after an invasion by the Swedes made Poland surrender control of Ducal Prussia which became the Prussian Kingdom which was headed by Hohenzollern line Having come out of seven year’s of war Frederick with his great military success made Prussia a Major power in Europe Frederick William III was fired after giving up Prussian Territory to the French After Napoleon’s defeat in Russia he returned and defeated again and banished too a remote island in the Mediterranean 100 days later he came back and took control of France with the entire French army behind him British met Napoleon at waterloo a few miles away from Brussels this battle determined the fate of Europe 100,000’s were their and 125,000’s Prussian’s were coming against 250,000 French Napoleon was defeated and Banished to Mt. St Helen in the Atlantic Ocean __ WORLD WAR I __ Tension in Europe was growing and alliances were being formed all around Europe the two biggest ones were Germany and Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman’s army known as the triple Alliance or Central Powers and the Britain France and Russia formed the Triple Entente These alliances were building up their army and navies and more Germany had trained 8.5 million Russia 4.5 million France over 3.5 million Austria-Hungary 3 million Britain didn’t have many soldiers but its navy was bigger then all four nations combined All the rulers of Europe were related Queen Victoria of Great Britain Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Czar Nicholas of Russia were related On June 28th, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand next in line to the throne of Austria-Hungary went to the Bosnian capitol of Sarajevo review the Austrian Troops his wife Sophie accompanied him Austrian spies in Serbia warned him not to go because of Assassination attempt he ignored these and went any way as a motorcade made its way down Sarajevo’s main street guarded by 120 policemen on route six young Serbian men having hand guns and explosives provided by the Black Hand waited to try and kill the archduke The Archduke’s car passed two assassins with out incident then the car passed the third and he threw a bomb the bomb bounced off the car alerted to danger the car drove off to the town hall the assassins had missed their chance the archduke canceled his visit and return by a different route confused about the new plan the driver went down the wrong street into and ally the fourth assassin had come and shot the Archduke and his wife this had started WWI When WWI started the generals at the time introduced new types of warfare Total Warfare that didn’t just aim to destroy their military but to destroy their cities economy and people and Position warfare where you build up your defenses and make them so strong that break threw would be impossible especially with 18th century offensive tactics also the Ottoman empire came into the war on the Axis side and they were responsible for the lost at Gallipoli The Germans in 1915 the Germans introduced Biological warfare this was seen by the allies as inhumane for suffocating their men but the Germans thought it was humane and a less painful way to die the gas attacks also caused temporally blinded some people and killed few but gas makes also in 1915 air warfare was introduced first zeppelins were used to bomb London then Biplanes then dog fights came where Biplanes would shoot at each other In 1916 new vehicles such as the tank and motor cycle led to great victories on the western front In 1917 the Russians revolution over threw the Czar and the provisional government put in place still wanted to go to war but the Russian people eventually over threw that and put in the Bolshevik’s which then worked a peace treaty but the loss of Russia wasn’t a bad one because America had entered the wars on the allies side after Germany wanted and alliance with Mexico to attack America but the war still could be won with the veteran troops from the eastern front the western front had more men to fight but eventually Italy had defeated Austria and the Emperor abdicated power which ended the Austro-Hungarian empire then Britain had gone threw Palestine and destroyed the Ottoman empire by splitting up it’s empire between Britain and France and Germany low on Man power eventually signed and Armistice which led to their defeat

History seems to be repeating itself because Germany is climbing up the political ranks and is becoming head of the European Union. They are supporting strong political and military power and unity. The EU will become stronger and invade the Middle East soon. They will come in and it will look like a piece mission and than it will be very oblivious was the will do. __Germany has Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation__ Germany has a powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world - and it grew in 2007 with 2.6% growth. Germany had high unemployment and this stronger growth led led to decreased unemployment in 2007. Modernizing eastern Gemany continues to be a costly process and has annual transfers from west to east of about $80 billion.The former government of Chancellor Gerhard Scroeder started reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor Angela Merkel started other reform measures, like the gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to boost female participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population and high unemployment has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are starting to help Germany meet the long-term goals of European economic integration and globalization. Germanys economy had some challenges in 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit markets, and slowing growth abroad took their toll. //__ Germany __////__ in World War II~ __// Field marshal Hindenburg was elected president in 1925. Adolf Hitler joined the German Workers or Nazi party in 1919. In the 1933 election he played on the emotions of the German people that Germany was a scapegoat for the Great War. He blamed losing the war on the leaders of the allies, on Russia, and on the Jews who controlled finances. Hitler promised a Third Reich that would last 1000 years. The German people were desperate and would accept any solution that would end their problems and restore Germanys’ former glory. Hitler finished second in the 1933 election after Hindenburg. Hindenburg made him chancellor. As chancellor he passed the enabling act that gave him dictatorial powers. He made himself the new leader or Furher of Germany. Then Hitler started to take Jews civil liberties and privileges away. When in 1939 Hitler started exterminating Jews he had also fixed German industry, restored the military, fixed unemployment, and taken over Austria and Czechoslovakia. This justified his actions and when people started realizing what Hitler was really doing he was already too powerful and killed those who spoke against him. He exterminated six million Jews, Poles, Gypsies, and other unwanted peoples. In September 1939 he invaded Poland causing Britain and France to declare war. France fell soon after to the Blitzkrieg. Then Germany invaded Russia. The United States entered in war in December 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Germany coundn’t support a war of such size and was pushed back by the Allied invasion of Europe on one front and Russia on the other. Hitler encouraged his army to fight to the death to defend Germany. In April 1945 Hitler killed himself as Russia overran Berlin. ** ~Some Nazis thought that the German race who were Aryan had come from Atlantis. ~There are many legends of ghosts in local castles. ~There are also many myths about elves in German forests. ** ~ Neuschwanstein Castle is a big attraction. ~Oktoberfest, this is the place to be if you like beer. ~There are many concentration camps still open to visit. ~The Black Forest is another popular vacation spot. ~The city of Cologne.
 * //__ Legends and Myths  __//
 * //__ Hot Spots  __//

__**Ruler-**__Germany has a prime minister and parlament.

= = = = =CZECH REBULPIC= = = =*Location* Central Europe Surrounded by Germany in the northwest, Poland in the northeast, and Slovakia in the southeast. *Legends* A women of beauty and wisdom who possessed prophetic powers. Obsessions to find treasures underground. They believed they could make giants out of clay. *History* 1310-1346, John of Luxemburg ruled all of Czech. Charles IV was John’s son and took over after his father. *Hot Spots/Attractions* Five star highly recommended Brno Castle. Ceske Budejovice tower and more to come inside, 5star recommended. Zdar nad Sazavou. A small village/town, 5star recommended.   <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">code code        =

CHRONOLOGY OF ALBANIA 1912 - Declared independence from Ottoman Empire. 1939 - Italy conquered Albania. 1944 - Communist partisans took over the country. 1960 - Allied themselves with the USSR. 1978 - Allied themselves with China. 1990’s - Ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule. 1991 - Multi party democracy was established. 1997 - Collapse of pyramid schemes 2005 – General elections. RULER Albania has a president named Alfred Moisiu. GEOGRAPHY A little smaller than Maryland. Countries that surround Albania are Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia Cool, wet winters; hot, dry summers. A lot of hills and mountains. NATURAL RESOURCES Petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber and hydropower are natural resources of Albania. 20.1% of Albania is arable land, 4.21% is permanent crop while 75.69% is used for other things. These facts were of as 2005. WARS There has been many wars in this country but there has only been four since the year 1945. Hot Spots In Albania people like going to Tirana Lake, Durres, Vlora, Shkodra, Elbasini, Korca, Saranda, and Gjirokastra. People learn about things and also get to swim at the beach. They also run by Tirana Lake. Russia The Russian Empire was a natural successor to the Tsardom of Muscovy Though the empire was only officially proclaimed by Tsar Peter 1 following the Treaty of Nystad (1721), some historians would argue that it was truly born when Peter acceded to the throne in early 1682. Russia is the largest and most powerful of the states emergefrom former Soviet Union. The soviet Empire exist for 70 years. the russians wielded tremendous power both within the U.S.S.R and in the international spere. The Ru ssians have Extended the boundories of thier country to include a wide variety of non-Russian people. The Russian Czarsand the Bolsheviks who come to power in 1917 long history of Expansionist policies on important part of the Russian national idntity is that of leader of a large empire. Russia in fact have jet from moscow in Russia they have over 1000 major cities with 16 having a metro population of a more than one million.
 * Albania **** ! **

<span style="display: block; font-size: 300%; color: #30df4b; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; text-align: center;">IRELAND;)

relative location: the island of irelandislocated both in the northern and western hemisphere. locatedoff the northwestern coasline of europe, directly west of the united kingdome and bordered by the alantic ocean dublin(capital city)

history of the country: about 94% ofthe people of ireland are roman catholics, and less than 4% are protestants. most believe thatireland was first occupied by neolithic people. these people were responsible for the formation of many stone castles and monuments that are still there today. wars taht they were involved in include jacobite war, the war of the two kings, and also the grorious revolution. the glorious revolution. the glorious revolution was a direct consequence of the war of ireland. many of these wars were fough with other countries such as england, and the dutch lands. past presedents of ireland

<span style="font-size: 60%; color: #46f157; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> <span style="font-size: 60%; color: #46f157; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">** Blarney **** stone: the blarney stone is set in the walls of blarney castle in the villige of blarney. Kissing the stone is supposed to bring the kisser the gift of persuasive eloquence (blarney).the castle was built in 1446 by Cormac Laidhiv McCarthy, the lord of Musketry. The origins of the Blarney Stone's magical properties aren't clear, but one legend says that an old woman cast a spell on the stone to reward a king who had saved her from drowning. Kissing the stone under the spell gave the king the ability to speak sweetly and convincingly.
 * <span style="font-size: 60%; color: #46f157; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;">Little known legacies/legends **

Cladagh ring: The meaning of the cladagh ring is a ring with ahnds holding a heart with a crown. Thehands represent friendship andthe togetherness, the heart itself signifies love and the crown ofthe ring means loyalty. ** <span style="font-size: 60%; color: #46f157; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive;"> Scotland! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 130%; color: #1e1ef6; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 150%; color: #00ff2b; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;"> ** The History Of Scotland: **One of the oldest nations of Western Europe is Scotland. Gaels, Picts, Scots, Britons, Anglo-Saxons, and Norsemen all took part in the formation of this current country. Dalriada is one of the first colonies in western Scotland, which was founded in the early sixth century. In the early fifth century, Scotland had its first contact with Christianity as a main religion. The main and most important mountain ranges in Scotland include the British Isles and Ben Nevis. Before there were all these mountains and high elevation levels, this area used to be highly populated in the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution also caused the population to decrease, which makes Scotland have one of the lowest populations in all of Europe. <span style="font-size: 150%; color: #13fb23; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;"> **Legends of Scotland:** A  good-natured, invisible brown elves or household goblins that live in farmhouses and other country dwellings in Scotland were known as Brownies. The Loch Ness Monster is a legendary animal which lives in the depths of Loch Ness, a lake in the Highlands of northern Scotland. The size of this monster, Nessie as it is fondly called, is 12-15 m (40-50 ft) and it has a long, snake-like neck. It is popularly believed to be female. Boobrie is a fabulous water-bird of Scottish Highland folk belief. The creature haunts lakes and salt well. The Fachan is a very ugly creature from the western highlands of Scotland. He is portrayed with one leg, one arm and one eye.
 * Loch Ness Monster **
 * <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"> <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">  [[image:http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:Y38wt8yxLbOzyM:http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/original/nessie.jpg width="232" height="151" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/original/nessie.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/exhibitions/loch_ness_monster_spotted_in_new_york_88237.asp&usg=__RhzsmGRtqL-PLWPmmE02BXg-ajo=&h=525&w=713&sz=43&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=Y38wt8yxLbOzyM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dloch%2Bness%2Bmonster%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive"]]                      ß  **
 * Brownie ** **<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">

<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">à  **<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 130%; color: #1ef149; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;"> **Hot Spot:** A hot spot in Scotland is the Edinburgh Castle because it dominates the city of Edinburgh like no other castle in Scotland. <span style="font-size: 130%; color: #1ef149; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">For thousands of years, a lot of history sat at the top of the Edinburgh volcanic rock. It is a sight that you will have to see and visit to understand why it is so breathe taking, and to understand all the history that lies within. The Edinburgh Castle is unequalled to all of the British Isles. This is the second tourist attraction to Scotland because of it’s breathe taking skyline. Human habitation for this castle goes all the way back to the 9th century. Many of the other castles have only been around for as long as the 16th century.