The geography of Scotland is highly varied, from rural lowlands to barren uplands, and from large cities to uninhabited islands. Located in north-west Europe, Scotland comprises the northern one third of the island of Great Britain and over 790 surrounding islands and archipelagoes.

The topography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault – a geological rock fracture – which traverses the Scottish mainland from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. The faultline separates two distinctively different physiographic regions; namely the Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east. The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous terrain, including the highest peak, Ben Nevis. Lowland areas, in the southern part of Scotland, are flatter and home to most of the population, especially the narrow waist of land between the Firth (устье реки) of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central Belt. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, although Edinburgh is the capital and political centre of the country.

are, respectively, the second and third tallest peaks in Scotland. Ben Macdui and Braeriach are, respectively, the second and third tallest peaks in Scotland.

Southern Uplands Central Lowlands Highlands The southern 20% or so of the country makes up the Southern Uplands, a pastoral upland area characterised by lines of hills divided by broad valleys. The Pentland Hills and the Lammermuir Hills are several of the local ranges which make up the Southern Uplands. In addition to the main upland zones in southern Scotland there are many individual hills, not part of any range. Several of these elevations are volcanic in origin. Central Lowlands The Central Lowlands can be thought of, very roughly, as the next 20% of the country as you progress north from the English Border and include the Forth-Clyde valley. Highlands By far the largest zone, the Highlands comprises the north western 60% of Scotland. Technically this includes everywhere north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. Scotland's third largest city, Aberdeen, lies just to the north of the Highland Boundary Fault, but like the fertile plains of eastern Aberdeenshire it has more in common with the Central Lowlands than with the rest of the Highlands.

Mainland Scotland has 9, 911 km (6,158 miles) of coastline Mainland Scotland has 9, 911 km (6,158 miles) of coastline. Including the numerous islands, this increases to some 16, 490 km (10,246 miles). The west coast in particular is heavily indented, with long promontories (мыс) separated by fjordlike sea lochs. The east coast is more regular, with a series of large estuarine inlets, or firths, and long sandy beaches, for example at Aberdeen.

Hebrides Scotland has some 790 islands, most of which are located off the northern and western coast of the country. The northern and western islands of Scotland can be found in three main groups: Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides which can be divided into the Inner Hebrides and the Outer Hebrides. Shetland and Orkney, together with Fair Isle and Stroma are referred to as the Northern Isles.

Tay River Lake of Menteith The ten major rivers of Scotland, in order of length, are: River Tay 193 km (120 miles) River Spey 172 km (107 miles) River Clyde 171 km (106 miles) River Tweed 156 km (97 miles) River Dee 137 km (85 miles) River Don 132 km (82 miles) River Forth 105 km (65 miles) River Findhorn 101 km (63 miles) River Deveron 98 km (61 miles) River Annan 79 km (49 miles) Freshwater bodies in Scotland are known as lochs, with the exception of the Lake of Menteith and one or two man-made "lakes". 90% of the standing fresh water volume of Great Britain lies within Scotland. Lake of Menteith