In historic referendum, Scotland votes 'No' on independence
GLASGOW, Scotland (CNN) -- By 55%-45%, Scotland voted no to independence in a historic referendum Thursday night and decided to remain a part of the United Kingdom
With votes reported in 31 of 32 areas of Scotland, the no vote was 55.42% (1.9 million voters) to 44.58% (1.5 million voters) for yes, the BBC said.
"I accept verdict of the people and call on all of Scotland to follow suit," said Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond.
In a televised statement, he thanked Scotland "for 1.6 million votes for Scottish independence." A turnout of 86% is one of the highest in the democratic world for any such vote, he said.
Voters in Scotland made their choice Thursday -- remain part of the United Kingdom, or form their own independent nation.
Polls at more than 5,500 stations across 32 districts, from the remote highlands and islands to the big cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, closed at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Thursday ET). People still in line to vote at that time were allowed to cast ballots.
More than 4.2 million people registered to vote on the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
A vote for independence would mean Scotland, with its population of about 5.3 million, splits from the rest of the United Kingdom, made up of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, in addition to Scotland.
"The people of Scotland have engaged in this conversation," Phil MacHugh, a spokesman for the "Yes" camp, told CNN on Thursday night. "They have really gone out there, found out the information that they wanted to know, and made that choice today."
For the first time, the vote was extended to 16- and 17-year-olds living in Scotland. Nearly 110,000 people younger than 18 have registered to vote.
Voters in the referendum did not have to be British citizens; Commonwealth, Irish and EU citizens who live in Scotland and are registered to vote there can cast a ballot. However, Scots living outside Scotland do not have a say.
Nearly 790,000 people applied for a postal vote -- the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.