A brief introduction to uk

Unit1ABriefIntroductiontotheUnitedKingdomAcomplicatedcountrywithacomplicatedname•England•Britain/GreatBritain•theBritishIsles•theUK/theUnitedKingdom•theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIrelandgeographicalnamesofficialnamefullnametheBritishCommonwealthofNationseffectsofitsimperialpasttheEuropeanUnionin1973ABriefIntroduction•ThetotalareaofGreatBritainis244,820squarekilometres.Londonistheworld'sseventhbiggestcity.•ThepopulationofGreatBritainis59,647,790(2001estimate).•ThemainareasofhighlandareinScotland,WalesandCumbria.InthecentreofEnglandisarangeofhillscalledthePennines,whicharealsoknownasthe'backboneofEngland'.ThehighestmountainsareinScotlandandWales:BenNevisis4,406feet(1,343m.)andSnowdonis3,560feet(1,085m.).•ThelongestriveristheSevern(220miles,354km.)andthesecondoneofmuchmoreimportanceistheRiverThames(215miles,346km).ABriefIntroductionLocation:•anislandcountry;•ItliesinthenorthAtlanticOceanoffthenorthcoastofEurope.ItisseparatedfromtherestofEuropebytheEnglishChannelinthesouthandtheNorthSeaintheeast.Climate:maritimesteadyrainfallNationalFlag•FlagDescription:bluefieldwiththeredcrossofSaintGeorge(patronsaintofEngland)edgedinwhitesuperimposedonthediagonalredcrossofSaintPatrick(patronsaintofIreland),whichissuperimposedonthediagonalwhitecrossofSaintAndrew(patronsaintofScotland);properlyknownastheUnionFlag,butcommonlycalledtheUnionJack;thedesignandcolors(especiallytheBlueEnsign)havebeenthebasisforanumberofotherflagsincludingotherCommonwealthcountriesandtheirconstituentstatesorprovinces,andBritishoverseasterritoriesTheOfficialCoatofArmsoftheUKThemainelementoftheArmsistheshieldwhichisdividedintofourquarters.ThefirstandfourthquadrantsrepresentEnglandandcontainthreegoldlionspassantonaredfield;thesecondquadrantrepresentsScotlandcontainsaredlionrampantonagoldfield;thethirdquadrantrepresentsIrelandandcontainsthegoldharpofIrelandonabluefield.Ontheleft,theshieldissupportedbytheEnglishLion.OntherightitissupportedbytheUnicornofScotland.ThecoatfeaturesboththemottoofBritishMonarchs:Dieuetmondroit(Godandmyright)andthemottooftheOrderoftheGarter:Honisoitquimalypense('Eviltohimwhoevilthinks')onarepresentationoftheGarterbehindtheshield.TheOfficialCoatofArmsoftheUKABriefIntroduction•Asthedominantindustrialandmaritimepowerofthe19thcentury,theUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIrelandplayedaleadingroleindevelopingparliamentarydemocracyandinadvancingliteratureandscience.Atitszenith,theBritishEmpirestretchedoverone-fourthoftheearth'ssurface.•Thefirsthalfofthe20thcenturysawtheUK'sstrengthseriouslydepletedintwoWorldWarsandtheIrishrepublicwithdrawfromtheunion.ThesecondhalfwitnessedthedismantlingoftheEmpireandtheUKrebuildingitselfintoamodernandprosperousEuropeannation.•AsoneoffivepermanentmembersoftheUNSecurityCouncil,afoundingmemberofNATO,andoftheCommonwealth,theUKpursuesaglobalapproachtoforeignpolicy;itcurrentlyisweighingthedegreeofitsintegrationwithcontinentalEurope.ABriefIntroduction•AmemberoftheEU,itchosetoremainoutsidetheEconomicandMonetaryUnionforthetimebeing.ConstitutionalreformisalsoasignificantissueintheUK.TheScottishParliament,theNationalAssemblyforWales,andtheNorthernIrelandAssemblywereestablishedin1999,butthelatterissuspendedduetowranglingoverthepeaceprocess.Nationalanthem:GodSavetheQueenLanguages:English,Welsh,ScotsandGaelicReligions:ChurchofEngland(establishedchurch),ChurchofScotland(establishedchurch),ChurchofWalesandChurchofIreland.ABriefIntroductionPeople:Recently,therehavebeenmanywavesofimmigrationintoBritainandmovementwithintheUK.Forexample,manypeoplefromWales,ScotlandandIrelandhavesettledinEngland;andJews,Russians,Germans,andPoleshavecometoBritain(particularlyLondon)duringpoliticalchangesintherestofEurope.Society:Britishcultureisbeingenrichedthroughitscontactwithothercultures.Forexample,theBritisharebecomingmoreadventurousintheircookingandeatinghabits,andChinese,IndianandPakistanirestaurantsareverypopular.AnotherexamplecanbefoundinthepopmusicscenewhereWestIndianreggaemusichasbecomeveryinfluential.fourpartswithintheonenation-state:•England•Scotland•Wales•NorthernIrelandTherearesomeautonomousareasbelongingtotheUnitedKingdom.ThefirstistheIsleofMan,thesecond-theChannelIslands.Englandthelargestofthefour;aculturalandeconomicdominance;capital:LondonHistory:ahistoryofinvasiontheCelts:700BCtheRomanInvasion:55BC&43ADtheAnglo-SaxonConquest:446ADtheVikingInvasionsAlfredtheGreattheNormanConquest:(1066)WilliamtheConquerorBigBenThePalaceofWestminster(HousesofParliament)No10DowningStreetScotlandthesecondlargestofthefour;ofthemostdistinctiveidentity;theHighlandsinthenorth;theSouthernUplandsinthesouth;thelargestcity:Glasgow(aportandtheBritishshipbuildingcenter)captial:EdinburghtheScotsindependenceofScotlandfor300yearsunionwithEnglandin1707WalesthesmallestamongthethreenationsontheBritishmainland;capital:CardiffWelshthePrinceofWalesNorthernIreland•thesmallestofthefournations;•capital:Belfast•History:conflictbetweenProtestantsandtheRomanCatholics;campaignforhome-rule;IRA(IrishRepublicanArmy):in1919;theSinn