Physical Characteristics

Scotland is a marine nation. The country is surrounded by 462,263 square kilometres of seas (within Scotland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)) which have shaped, and continue to shape, our coastline and our climate. They have also shaped our economy as their natural resources have been exploited for food, transport and energy.

The seas around Scotland are very complex. They range from gently sloping shallow waters on the east coast, through sheltered deep sea lochs on the west, to truly oceanic depths further off the north and west coasts.

These pages provide information and data about the various physical parameters of our seas, such as waves, tides, currents and seabed geology as a basis for understanding our seas.