Most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom

Transportation
Public transport was formerly largely state-owned, but much of it has now been privatized. Bus services were deregulated in the 1980s, which led to greater competition, and the Scottish Transport Group, formed in 1968 to control bus and steamer services on the west coast, was dissolved in 2002. The proliferation of automobiles has made it difficult for bus companies to maintain profitable services in rural areas, where they are being either subsidized by local authorities and the government or withdrawn. Ship services from mainland ports to island towns have been curtailed and replaced by car ferries using short crossings; such ferries operate from several west coast towns to the Hebrides and other islands and from north and east coast ports to the Orkney and Shetland islands.
The Scottish road and bridge network has improved considerably, as some main routes have been upgraded to motorway standard and many single-lane roads in the Highlands have been widened. Improvements in the east and north were speeded up to cope with increased traffic generated by North Sea oil production, and bridges have been built over the Cromarty and Moray firths.
Railway services have been severely reduced since the mid-20th century, when more than 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of track were open to passenger and freight traffic. Many branchlines and stations have been closed, and the route mileage has shrunk to less than two-thirds of the former total. There has been significant electrification of Scotland’s train lines, including for the suburban lines and the main line from London (Euston) to Glasgow.
Scottish ports handle many more imports than exports, as a large proportion of Britain’s exports are sent abroad via English ports. Glasgow, the largest port, is under the administration of the Clyde Port Authority. The ports of Grangemouth, Dundee, and Leith, among others, are grouped under Forth Ports Limited, whereas Aberdeen is independent. Important oil ports are located in Shetland (Sullom Voe), in Orkney (Flotta), and on the east coast. Greenock and Grangemouth are equipped for container traffic, and extensive improvement schemes have been carried out at Leith and other ports. Coastal trade has dwindled because of the competition of motor transport, and inland waterways have never been a commercial success.
Air travel has increased markedly, with a substantial growth in direct services to Europe, including a large number of charter flights. Scotland has major airports at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Prestwick on the west coast, which also serves Glasgow. As Prestwick is remarkably fog-free, it is used for transatlantic flights.