The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

● British Isles = everything (Great Britain + Ireland + Man)

● Physical division- Ireland, Great Britain
● Political division
○ Ireland = Republic of Ireland (Dublin) + Northern Ireland
○ Great Britain = England + Wales + Scotland
● The United Kingdom
○ lies on both islands
○ Great Britain + Northern Ireland
Capitals
● England: London
● Wales: Cardiff
● Scotland: Edinburgh
● Northern Ireland: Belfast
Symbols
● England
○ patron: St. George – St. George’s cross
○ national flower: rose
○ color: white
● Wales
○ patron: St. David – not in the flag – dragon in green and white field
○ national flower: leek and daffodil
○ color: red
● Scotland
○ patron: St. Andrew – St. Andrew’s cross
○ national flower: thistle
○ color: blue
● Ireland
○ patron: St. Patrick – St. Patrick’s cross
○ national flower: shamrock
○ color: green
● Anthem
○ God save the Queen
○ God save the King
● Currency: british pound
● Official language: English – not written
anywhere
● Recognized languages: regional languages of
Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, Cornish
UK flag
● The Union Jack
○ Britain + Scotland + Northern Ireland
○ St. George’s cross + St. Andrew’s cross + St.
Patrick’s cross
○ Original Union Flag: without Ireland, United
in 1606 for use at sea
○ Current Union Flag: Britain United with
Northern Ireland 1801 = new flag
Political map
● situated on archipelago British Isles = GB + Ireland
● only one land border – with Ireland
● maritime borders – Belgium, Denmark + Faroe Islands, France, Germany, the Netherlands and
Norway
● linked with France via Channel Tunnel beneath English Channel
● there are 9 official regions (Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, North East, North West,
Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, South East, East of
England, Greater London
● area of 242 900 km2 – half the size of Spain
● population 66 mil: 55.6 mil England, 5.4 mil Scotland, 3.1 mil Wales, 1.9 mil Northern Ireland
● life expectancy for both genders is 81.8 years
● religion: mostly Christianity (most common Anglicans, Catholics), Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism,
Judaism, Buddhism
Government
● unitary state
● Her Majesty’s Government
● led by Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak) who selects other ministers
● Cabinet = decision-making committee, PM + senior ministers
● residence of Parliament = Palace of Westminster
● Parliament = House of Commons & House of Lords
● House of Commons
○ the lower house
○ elected body consisting of 650 members of Parliament
● House of Lords = House of Peers
○ the upper house
○ membership by appointment or heredity or official function, 785 members
● the Government is dependent on Parliament
● election is held every five years for the House of Commons
● after election current monarch selects the PM the leader of the party most likely to command
the confidence of the House of Commons
● monarch – no power, only official head, HEAD OF STATE
● multi-party political systém
○ two dominant parties: Labour and Conservative
● Common Law – not based on codes, based on precedences = something happend in the past,
they use the same approach on the current case
Economy
● more economically developed country
● highly developed social market and market-oriented
● sixth largest national economy measured by GDP
● one of most globalized economies
● London = second largest financial center in the world
● very service oriented (80.2 % services, 19.2 % industry, 0.6 % agriculture)
● part of UN and G7, January 2020 left EU
● Margaret Thatcher
● huge financial differences
● glass ceiling = if you are born poor – limited access to good education, can’t get to higher
places in companies, difficult to reach
● division north and south
○ south – agriculture
○ north – used to be industrial, now not that much
● Rolls Roys, Innocent, Tesco, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer, Salisbury
Natural resources
● used to be forested
● in 17th century trees used for ships, MT’s reforms – no more trees
● agriculture is intensive and highly mechanized
● large coal, natural gas and oil reserves
● land use:
○ arable land (land capable of being used to grow crops): 25 %
○ permanent pastures: 46 %
○ forests and woodland: 10 %
Geography
● capital: London
● the terrain is mostly flat
● highlands: north and west, lowlands: south and east
● Highest mountains
○ Ben Nevis (Scotland, 1344 m) – Grampian Mountains (south from Loch Ness)
○ Scafell Pike (England, 978 m)
○ Snowdon (Wales, 1085 m) – The Lake District
○ Slieve Donard (N. Ireland, 850 m) – Mourne Mountains
● Mountains
○ The Pennines
○ The Cambrian Mountains
○ The Highlands
○ Lake District
○ Exmoor
○ Dartmoor
● Lowlands = agricultural area
○ chalk and flat plains
○ very little wilderness left
● Rivers
○ The Thames
○ Avon – Stratford upon Avon – Shakespeare was born there
○ Mersey – Mersey club
○ Severn – longest, from Wales into England
○ most of them are short or turn into swamps
● Longest rivers
○ River Thames (England, 346 km)
○ River Tay (Scotland, 188 km)
○ River Bann (N. Ireland, 122 km)
○ River Tywi (Wales, 103 km)
● Lakes
○ Loch Ness – largest lake by volume (Scotland)
○ Lough Neagh – largest lake by surface (N. Ireland)
● Largest lakes by surface areas
○ Lough Neagh (N. Ireland, 381,7 km2)
○ Loch Lomond (Scotland, 71,1 m2)
○ Windermere (England, 14,7 km2)
○ Bala Lake = Llyn Tegid (Wales, 4,8 km2)
● National parks
○ Dartmoor – rich in archaeology, has been used as military firing ranges
○ Yorkshire Dales – people go for walks or cycle
○ Loch Lomond and the Tossachs (Scotland) – merpeople from Harry Potter live here
 ● Borders
○ insular character = group of islands – Shetlands, Hebridies, Isle of Man
○ bordered by four seas:
■ English Channel – separates from continental Europe
■ North Sea – east
■ Irish Sea – west
■ Atlantic Ocean – west
Cities
● London
● Edinburgh
● Belfast
● Cardiff
● Manchester – industry
● Liverpool – industry
● York – most historical city
● Brighton – promenade
Climate
● Oceanic climate – hotter than it should be – Gulf stream
● should be snowy, freezing – water stabilizes the temperature
● no snow coverage, but winter flooding
● temperature very stable, more rain than continental Europe
● rain – mist, fog, drizzle, shower than can go for days – no gales, not wild rain
● as you go North there’s ten times more rain than on the south

History
● original inhabitants - Celts tribes (circa 3000 BC)
● Romans came to Britain in 55 BC
○ led by Julius Caesar
○ Britain became Roman province
○ called the country Britannia
● William the Conqueror
○ crosse the English Channel
○ won battle of Hastings (1066)
○ crowned King of England
● Hundred Years War
○ 1338 - 1453
○ against France
○ England wanted to conquer France
● The war of roses
○ civil war
○ between House of Lancaster (red rose) and House of York (white rose)
○ 1455 - 1485
○ Yorks won - earned the crown
● Henry VIII.
○ established the protestant Church of England
■ wanted to divorce his wife (Katherine of Aragon)
○ six wifes - some executed (they didn't give him son - Anne Boleyn)
○ connected Wales to England
● Queen Victoria
○ first to live in Buckingham palace
○ symbol of the continuity and stability of the Britain life
 ● Britain in first world war:
○ winning side (with France, Russia and Japan)
● Britain in second world war:
○ on winning side with USA, France, Soviet Republic
○ Winston Churchill
■ prime minister during the war
● Elizabeth II.
○ longest ruling Monarch of Britain history
Paces of interest
● Stonehenge: prehistoric monument, stones in circle
● Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham (second largest, industrial heritage)
● Edinburgh
○ Edinburgh castle, lakes and mountains area (Lochend Loch, Arhur's seat)
● Lake district: national park
● Oxford and Cambridge: old university town
● London:
○ London Eye
○ Big Ben (the bell of great clock of Westminster)
○ Tower Bridge
○ National Gallery
○ Buckingham Palace
Famous people
● Isaac Newton
○ physicist. mathematician
○ originator of universal gravitation
○ laws of classical mechanics, laws of motion
● John Lennon
○ frontman of the Beatles
○ musician, songwriter
○ from Liverpool
● Freddie Mercury
○ frontman of rock band Queen
○ singer and songwriter