The Year of Coasts and Waters will this year celebrate all these things with a new exhibition digging deep into the country's archive to help document our sea-loving nation.
1. Homes by the sea
The Jarlshof settlement in Shetland first appeared around 2,500 BC and was later developed by the Picts and the Vikings. The shallow bay here offered good trade links, stones for building and access to food. Photo: Historic Environment Scotland
2. On the edge of the earth
St Kilda sits around 40 miles west of its nearest neighbour in the Outer Hebrides. First visited around 4,000 years ago, its last permanent residents were evacuated in 1930 as life got too tough. Today it is home to MOD staff and conservationists. Photo: Historic Environment Scotland.
3. Building bridges across the water
The sea was for centuries the highway of Scotland but advances in engineering brought new alternatives. These men are pictured with mooring blocks for the Forth Bridge in 1885. Photo: Historic Environment Scotland
4. With water, comes pleasure
The seas were once crucial communication lines and the scene for many a battle, but later they became a source of pleasure for many, including these people boarding paddle steamers at Broomielaw for a trip down the Forth of Clyde. Photo: Historic Environment Scotland