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A second Scottish independence referendum could happen by the year 2021, according to first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

She's in charge of the Scottish parliament, called Holyrood, which makes decisions on things like education, police and transport in the country.

The referendum would give Scottish voters the chance to have their say on whether Scotland should break from the UK to become an independent country.

Scotland has been united with England for more than 300 years.

There has already been one Scottish independence referendum, back in 2014. Then, more than 2 million voters said they wanted to remain a part of the UK.

So why hold a second independence referendum now?

Well, it's partly because of Brexit.

In the 2016 EU referendum, the majority of voters in the UK overall said they wanted to leave the club of countries called the European Union.

But the results in Scotland were different. There, a majority of 62 percent of voters said they'd prefer to remain.

So by offering people in Scotland another chance to have their say over independence, there could be a way for the country to remain a member of the EU even after the UK leaves.

To call a second independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon would need the agreement of the UK government.

In the past, the UK government have said they would not do this again.

But the Scottish first minister thinks that, with enough demand, the will of the people would have to be heard, and says she will start the process of trying to get another independence referendum vote.