■蘇格蘭原是獨立王國，與英格蘭關係惡劣，雙方多次開戰，直到17世紀才和英格蘭受同一君主統治，並在18世紀組成聯合王國。 資料圖片In another way to see it, the above-mentioned shows that the tie between different nations of the United Kingdom is actually quite loose（鬆散）. This loose tie does not only show from sports competitions but also politics. A recent remarkable example is, I believe you must remember, the referendum on Scottish independence（蘇格蘭獨立公投） in 2014. The Scottish wish for leaving the United Kingdom does not pop out on the spur of the moment（一時興起）. It has a long history and continues even though the result of the referendum was in favour of staying in the United Kingdom, especially after the decision of Brexit（英國脫歐）has been made.
You may think that this wish for independence is because of the economic interest of Scotland. Yet, this wish actually goes as deep as the Scottish culture and self-identity. Scotland and England had considered each other as an enemy（敵人） until the 18th century. They became one united（統一的） kingdom（王國） just because of a "coincidence": The same person was in succession of the thrones of the two nations. This and the following events, such as the world wars（世界大戰）, help to unit these two nations together as one single country. However, cracks（裂痕） are always there between England and Scotland.
Take Wales as another example. Looking at a map, you will find that its eastern border is connected with England. Hence, you may think that its connection with England must be close. It may seem to be right, for, in a loose sense, Wales has been ruled by the King or Queen of England since the late-13th century. However, when you look deep inside, you will still find signs which can show you how unique this nation is.
For example, there are two official languages in Wales: besides English, the Welsh language（威爾斯語） is another one, which has become official since 1993. This change happened in a modern time indicates that the uniqueness of Wales apart from other nations does not vanish over time. So as the other nations.
All in all, for each nation, it has its own different story, but one thing is the same: all four nations have their own characters, traditions and histories that are not as same as the others'. So, next time, when you think about visiting the United Kingdom, try to travel all four nations or at least two of them. You will experience a rather significant different world in terms of landscape, food, accent and culture.■米奇 中大通識碩士，工作數年又跑去英國留學，順道看看外國文化
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