12 things you need to know about Scotland

Yes, it's not a real animal. But Scottish culture is rich in myths and legends - so the unicorn seems to be a fitting choice as the country's national animal. It has been used in royal Scottish coats of arms since the 12th century. This specimen can be found on the walls of Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh in the east of Scotland is the capital, but goes about its business quietly. While Glasgow may be the largest city, Scotland's houses of parliament and many national institutions are in Edinburgh.

Edingburgh is not quiet when the Fringe arrives, the world's largest arts festival. The 25-day event features more than 2,500 shows in 200-plus venues. It's one of the capital's most famous attractions, after Edinburgh castle and the huge hills in the city. More than one million tickets are sold for the event, which brings some of the UK's best comedians and theater actors to town.

There's more to Scottish literature than J.K. Rowling's Hogwarts - Robert Louis Stevenson came up with the Jekyll and Hyde series. But the father of Scottish literature is arguably Robert Burns who some consider the national poet. Scots around the world continue to celebrate the eighteenth century poet's birthday on January 25.

Scots are also among some big names on the silver screen - like Sean Connery, who spent nearly two decades as James Bond and somehow survived all of those famous dangerous missions. These days, there's Ewan McGregor from Star Wars, Robbie Coltrane, James McAvoy, Robert Carlyle and Gerard Butler, to name a few.

In 2013, tennis player Andy Murray became the first British man to win the Wimbledon Championships since Fred Perry, 77 years earlier. Of course, when he loses, he's Scottish. But he has been very successful and won two medals for tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Britain's most decorated Olympian is also a fellow Scot, track cyclist Chris Hoy.

Scottish Premiership teams may not be quite as famous as their counterparts south of the border. Still, teams like Celtic and Rangers attract a loyal following. These days, the Scottish national team's fans, the "Tartan Army," are known for wearing kilts and said to consume a lot of alcohol.

Scots do consume more alcohol than their neighbors - the figures for 2012 were 19 percent higher in Scotland than in England and Wales. So it's no surprise that life expectancy in some parts of Glasgow is among the lowest in the UK and is even on par with the Gaza Strip.

Despite having some of the poorest areas in the UK, a 2014 study suggests Scotland is the most highly educated nation in Europe. There are 15 universities across the country. Prince William studied at St. Andrews University where he met Kate Middleton, who would later become his wife and the Duchess of Cambridge. The royal couple bears the Scottish title of "Earl & Countess of Strathearn."

Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads of any country - some say it's because of a lack of sunlight. With around 15 percent of the country's population having "ginger" hair, they've clubbed together to even have their own "Ginger Pride" march in Edinburgh.

The British Pound is printed by the Royal Bank of Scotland, and this causes confusion for some Englishmen, because they think the Scottish pound is a separate currency. Some shopkeepers have even been known to turn down British pound notes printed in Scotland. Depending on the result of the upcoming referendum, Scotland may really end up with its own currency.

All of Hadrian's Wall, built during the Roman Empire, is actually south of the border between Scotland and England. Emperor Hadrian decided it was sensible to build a wall to keep the barbaric Scots out of the Empire. Could this be a border dispute in the making?