The United Kingdom

Background:

long form of the country name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
first inhabitans 3000 BC; Romans from 43 BC until 5th century,
Great britain was dominant industrial and maritime power of 19th century.
At it’s zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth’s surface.
UK depleted it’s strength during two world wars in 20th century.
In the first half of 20th century UK rebuilded itself into modern European nation.
UK is a founding member of NATO and of the Commonwealth, member of EU except the European Monetary Union.

location: islands including one-sixth of the island of Ireland located in Western Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, 35 km from France
area, land boundaries: 244,820 sq km, border with Ireland (360 km)
climate: temperate, more than one-half of the days are overcast
terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast; highest point: Ben Nevis 1343 m, lowest point: The Fens -4 m
natural resources: coal, natural gas, iron ore, lead, gold, zinc
natural hazards: winter windstorms, floods
largest cities: London, Birmingham, Liverpool

population: more than 60 mil.
ethnic groups: English (80%), Scottish (9.6 %), Irish (2.4 %), Welsh (1.9%), other
religions: Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 mil., Muslim 1.5 mil.
languages: English, Welsh, Scottish form of Gaelic

flag: Union Jack = Union Flag
- blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white
- superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (p.s. of Ireland)
- which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (p.s. of Scotland)

constitutional monarchy
executive branch:
- chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II.
- head of government: Prime Minister Gordon Brown (Downing Street 10)
- cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
- elections: none, the Monarchy is hereditary, leader of the majority party is usually the prime minister
legislative branch:
- Parliament:
  - House of Lords
  - House of Commons
- Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly
main paries
- Labour Party, Conservative Party

one of the strongest in Europe, low inflation and unemployment
currency: GBP British pound
labor force: services 74%, industry 25%, agriculture 1%
industries: motor vehicles and parts, electronics, machine tools, automation & railroad equipment
agriculture products: cereals, potatoes, vegetables
export partners: US, Germany, France

the British are very conservative (school uniforms, driving on the left, their system of weights and measures)
they call La manche channel as English channel and rest of Europe the Continent
they are polite and have good manners
they drink 25% of all tea which grows in the world each year
children under 14 can’t go inside a pub and pubs closes at 11 p.m.
they stay in line in queues
correct response to „how do you do?“ is repeat „how do you do?“

Pancake Day – to use up all the butter and eggs before Lent, which starts the following day
Remembrance Day honours veterans (second Sunday near 11th November)
St Patrick’s Day – (patron saint of Ireland) people often wear green, March 17th
Mothers Day
Easter
Halloween – children say „trick or treat“
Guy Fawkes Night – 5th November; fireworks; celebrate Fawkes‘ failure in his attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament
Christmas
- December 24th – Chrismas Eve – some children hang a stocking at the end of bed;
- 25th – Chrismas Day – presents from Father Chrismas (in stocking or around a Chrismas tree); mid-day dinner – Roust turkey & Mince pie (with spices and fruits) & Christmas pudding (with brandy)
Boxing Day – gentry would give presents to servants, trades people etc., tips
New years day, Good Friday, Eater Monday

was found by Romans in 43 AD
oldest part known as „the City“ is now business and banking center
London’s famous shops, theatres and hotels stretch from the City to West End
situated on the river Thames in south-east England
largest airport in Europe – Heathrow
in 19th century it was the largest city, port and financial center in the world
big fire in 1666 (Hollar’s drawings of London), heavily damaged during World War II.
Whitehall street, Globe theater
parks; Hyde park
transport
- Double-deckers
  - with open upper deck for sightseeing
- The Tube (Underground)
  - crowded and dirty, not safe to travel alone in night, the oldest underground
- Black taxies
  - very knowledgeable drivers, not overcharged
- cars
  - taxes for driving in the center, average speed 2-3 km/h in rush hour
- cycling becoming popular
Buckingham Palace
- home of Queen, she is at home when flag is flying
Trafalgar Square
- statue of Admiral Nelson who defeated the French at Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
- National Gallery
Piccadilly Circus
- meeting point of six main streets, in the middle is a famous statue of Ero (the Greek god of love)
The house of Parliament
- Big Ben = bell inside the clock tower
Westminster Abbey
- since 1066 all English kings and queens have been crowned here
- tombs of kings and famous people
The Tower of London
- build as fortress, later became a prison
St Paul’s Cathedral
- Whispering Gallery
Tower Bridge

Plymouth – west-south historic seaport, departure point of the Mayflower
Stonehenge with prehistoric monuments (circles of huge stones, 3500 BC)
Brighton – a beach resort with Royal pavilion
Oxford, Cambridge
Hadrian’s wall in the north
Edinburgh – capital of Scotland and seat of Scottish parliament, birthplace of Walter Scott
Cardiff – capital of Wales
Belfast – capital of Northen Ireland, originaly center of ship-building

group of 51 countries with around 1100 mil. people (a quarter of the population of the world)
17th, 18th centuries – a lot of overseas colonies
giving colonies a larger degree of self-rule, most countries became independent
Queen Elizabeth II. is Head of the Commonwealth
English language