After years of planning, months of campaign, weeks of debates and days of reckoning, the hours of destiny are upon Scotland. Polls opened across Scotland at 7am local time to overcast skies here.
According to officials, 4,285,323 Scots aged 16 upwards have registered to vote. That's 97 per cent of the full number of Scot who could do so. And turnout is expected to exceed 80 per cent.
Scots are being asked to answer 'yes' or 'no' to the question: Should Scotland be an independent country. A simple majority 'yes' would end the 307-year old union between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It would also set the stage for unprecedented change and 18 months of tough negotiations between Edinburgh and London. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond wants independence to take effect on March 26, 2016.
A simple majority 'no' would also bring change, Westminster says, promising more tax and spend powers for the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh.
The three main political parties in the UK, however, have been unable to agree on the exact nature of those devolved powers.
Prime Minister David Cameron has made two trips north to Scotland in five days in a last-ditch appeal to keep the UK together.
Now, Scots are making up their minds at 5,600 polling booths.
Polling closes at 22:00 local time, and Scotland's election officials say that deadline could be extended if there are still Scots waiting to vote.
Already 789,042 Scots have opted to vote in advance, using postal ballots.
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