Plans to increase the profile of Scotland across the world are afoot with its own top-level internet domain and Scotland Week celebrations, currently under way, heading Down Under.
Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed the Scottish Government was investigating the possibility of a ".sco" web suffix rather than the current ".uk". While Culture Minister Linda Fabiani has raised the prospect of Scotland heading to Australia and New Zealand, following the success in North America.
The web change idea follows the award of local suffixes to Jersey and the Isle of Man, while the Spanish region of Catalonia has the right to end its websites ".cat".
A spokesman for Mr Swinney said: "We are giving careful consideration to the issues that would be raised by the introduction of the sco' abbreviation. So that, should the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) call for proposals for new generic top-level domain names, the Scottish Government will be able to make an informed decision about whether to support a sco' abbreviation."
The campaign for the .sco suffix has been led by Nationalist MSP Christine Grahame.
It could result in most Scottish Government departments and agencies changing website suffixes.
She gave her support to the DotSco campaign group who submitted a 1000-strong petition to the Scottish Parliament. She claimed it would enhance the Scottish brand at an official level.
Last week The Herald reported how tourism agency VisitScotland was hosting the first Scotland in Toronto Week to tap into the Scottish ancestry of many Canadians, and chief executive Peter Lederer also said the campaign could be beneficial if extended to other countries with a history of Scottish migration.
Now Ms Fabiani said that reaching further afield could be part of Scotland's international strategy to be announced later this year.
She said: "I am particularly keen to strengthen links with these two countries.
"If there is demand for that to happen then we could end up with a Scotland Week in Australia. It could only be good for Scotland."
The New York Parade, along Sixth Avenue, will be headed by Lawrence Tynes the Scots-born kicker with American Football Superbowl winners New York Giants.
Ms Fabiani and First Minister Alex Salmond are in the US for Scotland Week. The SNP administration has changed the name of the event from Tartan Week to focus on the modern aspects of Scotland and reduced the budget from £800,000 to around £400,000 with the aim of a tighter, targeted operation with tangible benefits to forge business and investment links.
Mr Salmond said Scotland Week was about more than one week of celebrations.
He said: "The history and common values we share with North America are strong. Scottish culture is right at the heart of Scotland Week.
"It's about the relationships and interest that will grow throughout the year fostering real prosperity for Scotland."
The British Council Australia is believed to be in support of an event to promote Scotland Down Under with some cultural and educational organisations also lending support.
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