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Great Britain includes
The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
The UK
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England (English)
Scotland (Scottish)
Wales (Welsh)
Northern Ireland (Irish)
England
Wales
Scotland
The UK
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Population: 63,2 million (2011 estimate)
Land Size: 241,590 km² (76th)
Currency: Pound Sterling (£)
Establishment: 1801
Capital: London
Largest City: London
Location: The UK is located just off the northwestern
coast of continental Europe, surrounded by the North
Sea, the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic
Ocean
National Anthem: God Save the Queen
The UK
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Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest
winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than onehalf of the days are overcast
Ethnic Make-up: white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish
8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%,
Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6%
(2001 census)
Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic,
Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%,
other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
Government: constitutional monarchy
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The difference between
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The United Kingdom (UK)
England
Great Britain (GB)
The British Isles
link
History
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History
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the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th
century
a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in
advancing literature and science
British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface
The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength
seriously depleted in two World Wars
the Irish republic withdraw from the union
The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and
the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous
European nation
Head of State
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The UK's current monarch and head of state
is
England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th
century
the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284
was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union
in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland
agreed to permanently join as Great Britain
the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was
implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of
Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the
United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current
name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
The UK is
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one of five permanent members of the UN Security
Council
a founding member of NATO, and of the
Commonwealth
a member of the EU
weighing the degree of its integration with
continental Europe
outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the
time being
Head of State
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The UK's current monarch and head of state
is Queen Elizabeth II
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The Queen
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has access to all cabinet papers
is briefed weekly by the Prime Minister
is consulted
advises
warns
reigns in 15 other sovereign countries
(Commonwealth Realms)
Parliament
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Parliament, Britain's legislature, is made up of the
House of Commons, the House of Lords and the
Queen in her constitutional role.
Conservative Party and Labour Party
In day-to-day politics the Prime Minister and
cabinet exercise the real executive political power.
The current prime minister is
Economy
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a leading trading power and financial centre
essentially capitalist economy, one of the largest of
Western Europe
agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient
by European standards
large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves
services, particularly banking, insurance, and business
services, account for by far the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance.
the sixth major tourist destination in the world, whereas
Turkey is ranked as the eighth most popular destination.
The Commonwealth of Nations
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is a voluntary association of 53 independent
sovereign states, most of which are former British
colonies, or dependencies of these colonies (the
exceptions being the United Kingdom itself and
Mozambique).
Official language is English
Headquartered in Marlborough House, London, UK
Population: 2,2 billion (2013 estimate)
Parliament
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Parliament, Britain's legislature, is made up of the
House of Commons, the House of Lords and the
Queen in her constitutional role.
Conservative Party and Labour Party
In day-to-day politics the Prime Minister and
cabinet exercise the real executive political power.
The current prime minister is David Cameron of
the Conservative Party.
Demographics -2011 Census
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On census night, the population of the UK was estimated to be 63.2
million.
There were 31 million men and 32.2 million women in the UK.
The estimated populations of the four constituent countries of the
UK are 53 million people in England, 5.3 million in Scotland, 3.1
million in Wales and 1.8 million in Northern Ireland.
The population of the UK increased by 4.1 million (7 per cent)
between 2001 and 2011.
The population of the UK aged 65 and over was 10.4 million (16 per
cent of the UK population) in 2011, 9.4 million in 2001 (16 per cent)
and 2.2 million in 1911 (5 per cent).
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Demographics
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overall population density is one of the highest in the
world
Almost one-third of the population lives in England's
prosperous and fertile southeast and is mostly urban and
suburban--with about 8.6 million people living in the
capital of London.
Other large cities:
Education
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• Birmingham 2.296 million; Manchester 2.247 million; West Yorkshire
• total: 16 years
• male: 16 years
• female: 17 years (2008)
1.541 million; Glasgow 1.166 million (2009)
Language in the UK
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The United Kingdom does not have a
constitutionally defined official language.
English
Welsh (Cymraeg)
Recognized regional languages
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• (about 26% of the population of Wales)
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Scottish form of Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
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• about 60,000 in Scotland
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The Class System
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Although in the past few decades, people from varied
backgrounds have had greater access to higher
education, wealth distribution is changing and more
upward/downward mobility is occurring, the British class
system is still very much intact although in a more
subconscious way. The playing field is levelling but the
British still seem to pigeon-hole people according to class.
Class is no longer simply about wealth or where one lives;
the British are able to suss out someone’s class through a
number of complex variables including demeanour,
accent, manners and comportment.
The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) is
attributable to universal public education introduced for
the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900.
Education is mandatory from ages 5 through 16. About
one-fifth of British students go on to post-secondary
education.
School life expectancy:
Scots (about 30% of the population of
Scotland),
Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland),
Welsh (about 20% of the population of
Wales),
Irish (about 10% of the population of
Northern Ireland),
Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall)
Culture
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As a nation, the Brits tend not to use superlatives and
may not appear terribly animated when they speak. This
does not mean that they do not have strong emotions;
merely that they do not choose to put them on public
display.
They are generally not very openly demonstrative, and,
unless you know someone well, may not appreciate it if
you put your arm around their shoulder.
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Culture
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Kissing is most often reserved for family members in the
privacy of home, rather than in public.
You'll see that the British prefer to maintain a few feet of
distance between themselves and the person to whom
they are speaking. If you have insulted someone, their
facial expression may not change.
Culture
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Culture
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There is a proper way to act in most situations and
the British are sticklers for adherence to protocol.
The British are a bit more contained in their body
language and hand gestures while speaking.
They are generally more distant and reserved than
North and South Americans and Southern
Europeans, and may not initially appear to be as
open or friendly.
Friendships take longer to build; however, once
established they tend to be deep and may last over
time and distance.
The British are very reserved and private people.
Privacy is extremely important. The British will not
necessarily give you a tour of their home and, in fact, may
keep most doors closed.
They expect others to respect their privacy. This extends
to not asking personal questions. The question, “Where
are you from?” may be viewed as an attempt to “place”
the person on the social or class scale.
Even close friends do not ask pointedly personal
questions, particularly pertaining to one’s financial
situation or relationships.
Culture
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The United Kingdom contains two of the world's
most famous universities, the University of
Cambridge and the University of Oxford, and has
produced many great scientists and engineers
including Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. British
people made many world changing inventions or
discoveries.
A great number of the world's major sports
originated in the United Kingdom, including:
football, golf, boxing, and billiards.
Culture
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Playwright William Shakespeare is arguably the most
famous writer in the world; other well-known writers
include the Bronte sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne),
Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens.
Important poets include Lord Byron, Robert Burns, and
Thomas Hardy.
The UK was, with the US, one of the two main countries
in the development of rock and roll, and the UK has
provided some of the most famous bands, including The
Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd,
Eurythmics, David Bowie, The Cure, and many others.
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UK Public Holidays
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