Scotland, situated to the north of England, is a country that is also part of the United Kingdom. Scotland remained an independent nation until the early eighteenth century when the Act of Union was signed in 1707. Edinburgh is the country’s capital and the site of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Enlightenment in the eighteenth and nineteenth century was a period of notable intellectual and scientific advancement. Robert Burns is considered Scotland’s national poet. Other Scottish-born writers include Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, and J.M. Barrie.