The Scottish Republic, sometimes alternately referred to as the Republic of Scotland, and commonly known as Scotland, is a small European country located on the island of Great Britain. As of its 2008 census the population of Scotland was just shy of eight million. It is bordered to the south by England, and on all other sides by the North Sea. The official language is English, but in 1990 Scottish Gaelic was introduced as an "alternate" language that was equally recognized in government correspondence. The primary religion of Scotland is Protestant Christian, although Roman Catholicism is common as well.