Scotland independence referendum date set for Sept 18, 2014

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland will hold its independence referendum on Sept 18, 2014, First Minister Alex Salmond said on March 21, starting the countdown to a vote he hopes will take his nation of 5 million out of the United Kingdom.

Mr Salmond's pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) won a majority in the Scottish parliament in the May 2011 elections, giving the charismatic politician what he has called a"once-in-a-generation" chance to break ties with London.

The SNP faces an uphill battle to win the referendum, whose terms were agreed with the British government last October.

Opinion polls put support for independence at about 30 per cent of the electorate in Scotland while about 50 per cent favour the status quo.