Things you didn't know about... Clackmannanshire

Clackmannanshire is Scotland's smallest county

Clackmannanshire measures only 10 miles north to south and 11 miles east to west, covering a total of just 60 square miles. No wonder they call it "the wee county".

Alan Hansen is from Clackmannanshire

The former Liverpool footballer, now better known for his television punditry on the BBC, was born in Alloa, in Clackmannanshire.

Lord Charles Forte grew up Clackmannanshire

The hotel baron once owned a café in Alloa—called The Savoy.

Iain Banks was inspired by Clackmannanshire

The Scottish author says the Clackmannanshire landscape was the inspiration for his novel A Song of Stone.

Robert Burns wrote poems in Clackmannanshire

Scotland's most famous poet wrote The Banks of the Devon and Fairest Maid on Devon Banks at Tillicoultry in Clackmannanshire.

Clackmannanshire is at the forefront of education innovation

Clackmannanshire is one of the few British counties that teaches children to read using a system known as synthetic phonics. A seven-year study showed that, on average, these children were three years and six months ahead of their chronological age when it came to word recognition and reading ability.

Clackmannanshire used to mine silver

The glen near the Clackmannanshire town of Alva is still called the Silver Glen.

Scotland's oldest boarding school is in Clackmannanshire

Notables who have boarded at the Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire include BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston (who was taken hostage last year) and Sir James Dewar, the inventor of the vacuum flask.

The chair in which Mary Queen of Scots nursed King James I can be seen in Clackmannanshire

Following the birth of her son, Mary escaped to Alloa Tower, Clackmannanshire, amid fears for their safety. She had also spent some of her childhood here and the chair can still be seen in the tower.

Scotland's oldest artificial reservoir still in use is in Clackmannanshire

The Gartmore Dam, near Sauchie, is now also a nature reserve.

Clackmannanshire boasts the largest bottle manufacturing plant in Britain -

The Alloa Plant, owned by United Glass, makes bottles for brands including Smirnoff, WKD and Bacardi Breezer.