Transcript The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom
of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
Belova Dasha
9 «a» form
United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
is known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain, is a
sovereign island country located off the northwestern coast
of mainland Europe which is consist of the four constituent
countries; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern. Northern
Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing
it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border,
the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea,
the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island,
Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.
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The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy with its
seat of government in London, the capital. It is a
constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II the head of
state. The UK has fourteen overseas territories. As a direct
result of the empire, British influence can be observed in the
infrastructure, culture, sporting preferences and language of
other leading countries including Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, India, South Africa, and the United States of
America as well as in less globally influential independent
states. Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the
Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of the
Commonwealth realms. The UK is a developed country, with
the fifth or sixth largest economy depending on source.
History
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England and Scotland had existed as separate sovereign and independent states with their own
monarchs and political structures since the 9th century. The once independent Principality of Wales
fell under the control of English monarchs from the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. Under the Acts of
Union 1707, England (including Wales) and Scotland, which had been in personal union since the
Union of the Crowns in 1603, agreed to a political union in the form of a unified Kingdom of Great
Britain. The Act of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland,
which had been gradually brought under English control between 1541 and 1691, to form the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.
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Over the next century the United Kingdom played an important role in developing Western ideas of
parliamentary democracy with significant contributions to literature, the arts and science. The UK-led
Industrial Revolution transformed the country and fuelled the British Empire. During this time, like
other Great Powers, the UK was involved in colonial exploitation, including the slave trade, though
the passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act made the UK the first country to prohibit trade in slaves.
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After the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars, Britain became the principal naval power of the 19th century. At
its peak the British Empire controlled large amounts of territory in Asia, Africa, Oceania and America.
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At the end of the Victorian era the United Kingdom lost its industrial leadership, particularly to the German Empire,
which surpassed the UK in industrial production and trade in the 1890s, and to the United States. Britain remained an
eminent power and its empire expanded to its maximum size by 1921, gaining the League of Nations mandate over
former German and Ottoman colonies after World War I.
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Long simmering tensions in Ireland led to the partition of the island in 1920, followed by independence for the Irish
Free State in 1922. Six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster remained within the UK, which then changed to
the current name in 1927 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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After World War I, the world's first large-scale international broadcasting network, the BBC, was created. In 1924 the
country's Labour movement, which had been gaining strength since the late 1890s, formed the first Labour
government. Britain fought Nazi Germany in World War II, with its Commonwealth allies including Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, later to be joined by further allies such as the United States. Wartime
leader Winston Churchill and his peacetime successor Clement Atlee helped create the post-war world as part of the
"Big Three". World War II left the United Kingdom financially damaged. Loans taken out during and after World War
II from both Canada and the United States were economically costly but, along with post-war Marshall aid, the UK
began the road to recovery.
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The immediate post-war years saw the establishment of the British Welfare State and one of the
world's first and most comprehensive public health services, while the demands of a recovering
economy brought people from the Commonwealth to create a multi-ethnic Britain. Although the new
post-war limits of Britain's political role were confirmed by the Suez Crisis of 1956, the international
spread of the language meant the continuing impact of its literature and culture, while at the same
time from the 1960s its popular culture found influence abroad. Following a period of economic
stagnation and industrial strife in the 1970s after a global economic downturn, the 1980s saw the
inflow of substantial oil revenues, and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, under whom there was
a marked break with the post-war political and economic consensus. Her supporters credit her with
economic success, but her critics blame her for greater social division. From 1997 onward, these
trends of growth largely continued under the leadership of Tony Blair.
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The United Kingdom was one of the 12 founding members of the European Union at its launch in
1992 with the signing of the Treaty on European Union. Prior to that, it had been a member of the
EU's forerunner, the European Economic Community (EEC), from 1973. The attitude of the present
Labour government towards further integration with this organisation is mixed, with the Conservative
Party favouring a return of some powers and competencies to the state, and the Liberal Democrats
supportive of current engagement.
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The end of the 20th century witnessed a major change to the government of
the United Kingdom with devolution to Scotland and Wales taking effect in
1999. The creation of the devolved Scottish parliament in particular, with
powers to legislate over a wide range of issues, is beginning to add to
differences between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It has
brought to the fore the so-called West Lothian question which is a complaint
that devolution for Scotland and Wales but not England has created a situation
where MPs in the UK parliament can vote on matters affecting England alone
but on those same matters Scotland and Wales can make their own decisions.
In 2007, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the Scottish parliament
elections and formed a minority government. New First Minister, Alex
Salmond, hopes to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence before 2011,
though the SNP may be unable to get a Bill to hold such a referendum
approved by the Scottish parliament due to the minority position of the SNP
government. If a referendum is held, an opinion poll in late 2007 suggested the
result could be close as support for independence had reached 40% with just
44% supporting retention of the Union. The response of the unionist parties
has been to call for the establishment of a Commission to examine further
devolution of powers,a position that has the support of the Prime Minister.
Geography
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland comprises the island of Great
Britain (most of England, Scotland and Wales)
and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of
Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with smaller
islands. The mainland lies between latitudes 49°
and 59° N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly
61° N), and longitudes 8° W to 2° E. The Royal
Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the
defining point of the Prime Meridian. The
United Kingdom has a total area of
approximately 245,000 square kilometers
(94,600 sq mi). The UK lies between the North
Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes
within 35 kilometers (22 mi) of the northwest
coast of France, from which it is separated by
the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a
360-kilometre (224 mi) land boundary with
Ireland. The Channel Tunnel ("Chunnel") now
links the UK with France beneath the English
Channel.
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Most of England consists of lowland terrain,
and mountainous terrain north-west of the
Tees-Exe line. Mountain chains are found in
the north-west (Cumbrian Mountains of the
Lake District), north (the upland moors of the
Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak
District) and south-west (Exmoor and
Dartmoor). Lower ranges include the
limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck,
Cotswolds and Lincolnshire Wolds, and the
chalk downs of the Southern England Chalk
Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are
the Thames, Severn and the Humber Estuary.
The largest urban area is Greater London.
England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike,
which is in the Lake District 978 meters
(3,209 ft).
Scotland's geography is varied, with lowlands
in the south and east and highlands in the
north and west, including Ben Nevis, the
highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344
meters (4,409 ft). There are long and deep-sea
arms, firths, and lochs. There are nearly eight
hundred islands in Scotland, mainly west and
north of the mainland, notably the Hebrides,
Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. In total,
it is estimated that the UK includes around
one thousand islands.
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Wales is mostly mountainous, the
highest peak being Snowdon (Yr
Wyddfa) at 1,085 meters (3,560 ft)
above sea level, however South Wales
is less mountainous than North and Mid
Wales. North of the mainland is the
island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn).
Northern Ireland, making up the
northeastern part of Ireland, is mostly
hilly. It includes Lough Neagh, at 388
square kilometers (150 sq mi), the
largest body of water in the UK and
Ireland. The highest peak is Slieve
Donard at 849 meters (2,785 ft) in the
province's Mourne Mountains.
The greatest distance between two
points on the UK mainland of Great
Britain is 1,350 kilometers (840 mi)
between Land's End in Cornwall (near
Penzance) and John O'Groats in
Caithness (near Thurso), a two day
journey by car. When measured directly
north-south it is a little over 1,100
kilometers (700 mi) in length and is a
fraction under 500 kilometers (300 mi)
at its widest.
Government and politics
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The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland, as head of state; the monarch
of the UK serves as head of state of fifteen other
Commonwealth countries, putting the UK in a personal
union with those other states. The Crown has sovereignty
over the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and
Guernsey. Collectively, these three territories are known as
the Crown dependencies, lands owned by the British
monarch but not part of the United Kingdom. They are not
part of the European Union. However, the Parliament of
the United Kingdom has the authority to legislate for the
dependencies, and the British government manages their
foreign affairs and defense.
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The UK has a parliamentary government based on strong
democratic traditions: the Westminster system has been
emulated around the world - a legacy of the British
Empire.
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The Parliament of the United Kingdom
that meets in the Palace of Westminster,
is the ultimate legislative authority in
the United Kingdom. Devolved
parliaments in Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, were established
following public approval as expressed
in referenda, but according to the
doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty,
these could be abolished by the UK
parliament. The UK parliament is made
up of the Queen and two houses: an
elected House of Commons and an
appointed House of Lords. For elections
to the House of Commons, the UK is
divided into 646 constituencies, with
529 in England, 59 in Scotland, 40 in
Wales and 18 in Northern Ireland. Each
constituency elects one Member of
Parliament by simple plurality. General
Elections are called by the Monarch
when the Prime Minister so advises.
Though there is no minimum term for a
Parliament, a new election must be
called within five years of the previous
general election.
Cities
• London is the capital of the UK
as a whole., its economic,
political and cultural center. It is
one of the world’s most
important ports and one of the
largest cities in the world.
London with its suburbs has a
population of about 11 million
people.
• London has been a capital for
nearly a thousand years. Many
of its ancient buildings still
stand. The most famous of them
are the Tower of London,
Westminster Abbey and St.
Paul’s Cathedral. Most visitors
also want to see the Houses of
Parliament and the many
magnificent museums.
The capitals of the United
Kingdom's constituent countries are:
Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Cardiff (Wales)
Edinburgh (Scotland)
London (England)
Symbols of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
National Personification
United Kingdom
National Animals
Britannia
Coat of Arms
John Bull
Constituent Countries:England
Patron Saint - St. George
National Flower Tudor Rose
England
National Animal - lion
Coat of Arms
of England
Motto is Dieu et mon droit
(French)
"God and my right"
Northern Ireland
There is no official National flag of Northern Ireland following
the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 or any unofficial flag
universally supported in Northern Ireland.
The use of various flags in Northern Ireland is contentious.
See Northern Ireland flags issue for more information.
National Flower
Patron Saint - St. Patrick
Flax
Coat of Arms of
Northern Ireland
(obsolete)
Shamrock
Motto is "Londonderry Air"
(de facto)
Scotland
Scotland
National Flwer
National Animal
Patron Saint - St. George
Thistle
Unicorn
Nemo me impune lacessit
(Latin)
"No one provokes me with
impunity"
Coat of Arms
of Scotland
Wales
Wales
Patron Saint - St. David
Coat of Arms
of Wales
National Flower
National Animal
Daffodil
Leek
Red Dragon
Motto is Cymru am
byth
(Welsh)
"Wales Forever"
THE END