Great Britain

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Great Britain

T he United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the U.K.) has been the official name of the British Kingdom since 1922. It includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and a number of smaller islands. Other names for the U.K are Great Britain and the British Isles. A poetic name for Britain is Albion. It is an ancient name given to Britain by the Romans. The Romans associated this term with albus, which means white, and identified it with the Dover chalk cliffs.

Not long ago Britain was the home country of a huge colonial empire. Almost 500 million people were subjects of the British Empire. The term the British Commonwealth of Nations was used starting in 1931 to describe the relations between Great Britain and its colonies. Now the days of colonialism are over. The former colonies have become politically independent. But they still have some links with Great Britain. These countries are associated under the British Crown. The British Queen is proclaimed to be the head of state and is represented by a governor general.
The flag of Britain is called the Union Jack. It has the red cross of St. George of England, the white cross of St. Andrew of Scotland and the red cross of St. Patrick of Ireland, all on a blue background.
“God save the Queen/King” is the British national anthem. The words and tune probably date to the 16th century. The tune has also been used for patriotic songs in the USA and Germany.
The British currency is the pound sterling. One pound consists of 100 pence.
The British Isles lie off the northwest coast of the continent of Europe. They include Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), Ireland (Northern Ireland and the Independent Irish Republic) and some 5000 smaller islands. The biggest island is Great Britain, which lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It is separated from the European continent by the English Channel. To the west the Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland.
The chief rivers are the Thames, the Severn (the longest river at 350 km), the Clyde and the Mersey. The highest point on the British Isles is Ben Nevis, a mountain in Scotland. The northern part of Scotland is called the Highlands and the southern part is the Lowlands. Most of the lakes are found in Scotland and northwest England. Northern Ireland contains many plateaus and hills.
The U.K can be divided into four large historical areas: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The chief regional administrative units are called “counties” in England and Wales, “regions” in Scotland, and “districts” in Northern Ireland.
Britain has a temperate climate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. During the winter months, eastern winds may blow and bring a cold, dry continental type of weather. The British Isles as a whole are not the best place to sunbathe. The sun is visible for only one third of daylight hours. The rest of the time it is hidden by clouds and mists.
The weather changes so frequently that it is a favourite topic of conversation in Britain. When people are planning to do anything they will often say “… if it’s fine,” or “… if it’s nice weather.”
There are a lot of jokes and stories about the British climate. British people say, “Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather.” A good example of English humour is the following story. A Londoner, who was going to the west of England for a holiday, arrived by train at a town and found that it was pouring rain. He called a porter to carry his bags to a taxi. On the way out of the station, partly to make conversation and partly to get a local opinion about the weather prospects for the holiday, he asked the porter, “How long has it been raining like this?” “I don’t know, sir. I have only been here for 15 years,” was the reply.
The population of the United Kingdom is more than 56 million people. The British population is mostly urban and suburban. The areas with large populations are the Central Lowlands of Scotland, southeastern Wales and a belt across England. England is the most densely populated part of the U.K. Scotland and Wales have wide open spaces. England is more crowded. On the other hand, most of the mountainous parts of Britain, including much of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are very sparsely populated. Four of every five people in the U.K live in towns. There are about 106 females to every 100 males.
Great Britain is one of the most important industrial countries in the world. One of the extensive industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Large quantities of textiles are produced and exported. Textiles exported from Great Britain can be found in most parts of the world.
Great Britain has also been noted for coal, iron and steel. It also supplies many countries with machinery. Another leading industry in Great Britain has been ship-building, and the automobile industry is highly developed. Major industrial and business centres of the country include Birmingham, Glasgow, Belfast and London.
Agriculture is one of the well-developed branches of the national economy. It produces meat, vegetables, fruits, grain and other types of agricultural products.