Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Alba, Scots: Scotland) is a nation in northwest Europe and one of the four constituent countries[3] of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. Apart from the mainland, Scotland consists of over 790 islands.[4]