A diverse but unique tradition Scotland's culture is dynamic and diverse. It has developed and been shaped over many years by the experiences of Scotland's inhabitants and their contacts with others.
Culture is notoriously difficult to define.
In its widest sense, culture may now be said to be the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterise a society or group. This strategy therefore takes a broad view of Scotland's culture. It includes ideas, customs and traditions, beliefs, habits of thinking, religions, languages, identities, mythologies and histories, and the expression of these in myriad forms such as poetry and prose, visual arts, music, song, theatre, comedy, dance, architecture, design, costume, film, photography and a range of crafts. It includes aspects of lifestyle, such as sport and leisure. Not only have new technologies dramatically widened global access to Scotland's culture, but they have also widened our understanding of what that culture is.