The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Location

• In the north-west of Europe

• It lies on British Isles.

• Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and The English Channel

Political system

• Constitutional monarchy

  • The head of the state is the Queen – Elizabeth II – mostly representative function.

• The Parliament

  • Two chambers

    • The House of Lords – upper house, appointed

    • The House of Commons – lower house, elected.

  • The head of the Parliament is The Prime Minister – Boris Johnson

  • Two main political parties

    • The Labour Party – left

    • The Conservative Party – right

• The UK has not been a member of European Union since January 2020

Division

• England – London

• Wales – Cardiff

• Scotland – Edinburgh

• Northern Ireland – Belfast

Geography

• Highest point is Ben Nevis in Scotland

• Often rainfalls

• Mild climate

• The longest rivers are the River Severn and the River Thames.

Population

• 65 million residents

Languages

• English is the official language.

Brief history

• 1066 William the Conqueror

• Second half of 16. century – The Queen Elizabeth I

National parks

• Hyde park – in London, royal park

• Regent’s park – open air theatre, ZOO

Scotland

• Patron is St Andrew

• Symbol is a thistle (=bodlák)

• Scots’ whisky, wearing kilts, playing the pipes

Wales

• Patron is St David

• Symbols are a leek and a daffodil (=narcis)

• “The land of castles”

Places of interest:

Stonehenge

• The mysterious stone formation

• Circle of stones

• We don’t know why it was built – temple, observatory to watching stars …

Lake

• Loch Ness in Scotland – large by volume

• Loch Lomond – large by area

District

• Is area of many lakes in Cumbrian Mountains

Cornwall

• Long and beautiful coastline

• South-westerly point in Britain

• Birthplace of the King Arthur

Stratford upon Avon

• The birthplace of William Shakespeare

Liverpool

• Beatles

The United Kingdom – Great Britain + Northern Ireland

The British Isles – 600 islands

Great Britain – England, Scotland, Wales