There are few plains in Scotland, mainly hills, so Scots living in this land are also called "mountain people" in Britain. The total area of Scotland is more than half that of England, but its population is only 5.22 million, accounting for 10.4% of the population of England. Most of these people are concentrated in the capitals Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, while many hills and mountains are almost barren.

Scots account for about112 of the total population of Britain, and they are the main members of the British national family. However, in British history, until l603, Scotland was still an independent kingdom bordering on England, and there were frequent wars with England. The Scots living in this land are also a relatively independent people.

The ancestors of modern Scots are mainly Picts who immigrated from the European continent around l000 BC, Celts who later fled to Britain, and some Germans in Europe. After a long period of integration, Picts, Celts and Germans finally formed the main body of the Scottish nation.