THE UNITED KINGDOM
Bianca Almeida Laia de Febrer Laura Morral Gemma Serrano
INDEX 1. Introduction 2. Geography and Population 1. Climate 2. Demography 3. Languages 4. Religions 3. History 4. Economy 5. Government and Politics 6. Education 7. Culture 1. Architecture 2. Folklore 3. Gastronomy 4. Arts 5. Literature 6. Performing Art 8. Sport 9. National Symbol 10.Curiosities 11.Conclusion 12.Bibliography 13.Webgraphy
1. INTRODUCTION In this research project we introduce the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland also known as the United Kingdom (UK). The United Kingdom is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.
We choose this country because it is very interesting and beautiful, and it is a place which we would like to visit in the future. Also, we like it’s culture and traditions. In this project we introduce the traditions, the education, the history, the economy, etc. About the United Kingdom.
We’ll take the information from the internet, from travel books and magazines about the country, and from the experince of some relatives who live in London.
2. GEOGRAPHY AND POPULATION The United Kingdom has two islands off the west off Europe. The total area is 243,610 wew kilometers approximelity, comprising Great Britain ( the biggest ) and a little part of Ireland, northern Ireland. Great Britian is the ninth largest island in the world. It is divided in three nations: England, Scotland and Wales.
England It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. It is in the center of the island. England is the closest island to the Europe continent. There are only 34 kilometers to France! England is sorrounded by the Irish Sea, North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The largest river in England is the Thames river (346 kilometers) ,and it is the second largest river in the United Kingdom,It passes through London, the capital.
England is divided in 47 countries, like City of London, Cheshire, North Yorkshire, Kent,etc. There were 56,100,000 people living in England in 2012.
Their flag is white and red: white on the base and red in the cross. It is St George’s flag, and it’s one part of the United Kigndom’s flag.
Scotland It is the northern part of Great Britain, It a border with England and with the Irish sea, Norther sea and Atlantic Ocean. The total area is 78,772 km. The distance from Scotland to Ireland is only 30 kilometers. Scotland is divided in 3 areas: • Highlands or Scottish Highlands: Is the place of the gaels. This place is generally more montainous, the highest mountain is Ben Nevis with 1,344 meters high. • The Central Lowland is a grave tectonic. In here there is a big zone of important economy because there is a lot of coal and a lot of iron. This area has experimented seismic activity. • The Southern Uplands consists of rolling moors by rocky cliffs. The top of the hills are largely barren, but rich pasture land covers most of the lower slopes. Its flag is blue and white, white in the cross and blue on the base, and it’s part of the United Kingdom’s flag.
Wales It bordered by England in the north and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish sea on the west . Its population in 2011 was 3,063,456, and it has a total area of 20,779 km2. Its climate is maritime. It’s a biligual country whose official languages are English and Welsh. Wales is quite a mountainous country. The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia, 5 of which are approximately 1,000 meters high. The highest is 1,085m. 42% of the coast of southwest Wales were called to as Heritage Coast. The maximum temperature in Wales was 35.2 ° C and minimum of -23.3 ° C. The wettest place (which is also the most humid throughout the UK) is an average of 4,473 millimeters per year in Snowdonia.
Its flag has a red dragon and the base is green and white. This is the only UK flag that does not apperd in the UK’s flag.
a) Climate The climate of the United Kingdom is template and oceanic. It rains a lot around the year. the temperature varies with seasons seldom dropping under -11ยบC or rising above 35ยบC. In the oriental regions the climate is driver but in the remainder are rainy because of the oceans. In winter and spring, there is a lot of snowfall. The weather can change significaly overnight.
b) Demography According to the 2011 census, the total population of the United Kingdom is around 63,182,000 people. It is the third-largest country in the European Union and the 22ndlargest country in the world. In England the are more than 51 million people since 2011, in Scotland 5 million and Wales 3 millions.
c) Languages The following languages are recognised as regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 people 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).
The main language is English or British it, is the most important language because it is the official language spoken by about 59,6 millions people only in the United Kigndom and 6,800,619 people around the world.
d) Religions “Protestantism” (a variation of catholic Church) was introduce in the United Kingdom after 1707. In the protestanism they rejected the autority of the Pope. It’s the first religion in the UK that allowed divorce.
Others religions in United Kingdom are Islam, Hinduysm, Sikhism and Judaism.
3. HISTORY Old Age: The origins of the United Kindom go back to the time of the Roman Empire. This begins with the romans arrival in the 1st B.C. They called the United Kingdom “Britannia”. Previously it was occuped by the people off the celtic culture where it’s supposed that the etymology of Britannia comes. The romanitzacion of Britannia was weak, in spite of presence of the Hadrian’s wall, built to contain the wild picts of the north. When the Roman Empire enters in the crisis in the 3rd century, the romans left the island. Middle Ages: It begins in the 4th century with the arrival of the Angles ( where the name of England derives), Jutes and Saxons. They invided Britannia. It is in this context that appears the King Arthur. Probably he was a commander who fought against the invaders. The thing is that Britannia remained divided in seven kingdoms, the heptarchy. Britannia was punished by the viking invasors in the 9th century, the Danish arrived to found their own kingdom in York, the Danelaw. In 1066, the Norman army of the French Willam the conqueror defeated the Saxons in Hastings. From the Norman Conquest to the present day: The new Norman kings of England oscillated betwen their territories in Britain and France. The history will be marked by the expansion in the islands ( final conquest of Wales in 1291 and the intermittent ocupation of Scotland and part of Ireland) and the battle against the French kings for their continental possesions. This duality ended with the English defeat in the Hundred Years War in 1453 and this caused a crisis that ended in the Wars of the Roses in 1455.
The crisis was over with the arrival of the Tudor in the throne, who inicited a battle for the world control against Spain (Isabel I). Then against Holland and finally against France. The battle finished with the sumpremacy of England that had achieved the unification with Scotland in 1707 and with Ireland in 1801. In spite of the loss of the Northamerican colonies in 1776, because of the Industrial Revolution England achieved an Empire since the British Parliament that extended all over the world and it remained until the 20th century. The World Wars provoked the weaking of this empire: first the loss of the ž parts of Ireland and the independence of their colonies and then its possesion. In spite of everything, Britain still was important bonds with its ex-colonies of the Commonwealthan.
4. ECONOMY The Economy of the United Kingdom is the sixth bigger in the world, after France, fighting since World War with this country and Germany as Europe's largest economy. It’s considered one of the world's most developed countries.
Like in all developed countries, the main factories is the United Kingdom’s economy are represented by high salaries and a strong presence in manufacturing and heavy industry in emerging countries. Agriculture accounts for only 1% GDP. Highly mechanized, its main products are potatos, beetroot, wheat and barley. Ranching is important too, above all, sheep and cows. Fishing, nevertheless, is going down.
In industry, the main activities are machinery, transportation equipment (vehicles, railways and aviation) and chemical products. The higher tecnological development are for resarch. The high technological development and large sums of money for research make improve the British economy. The ailing sectors are textiles and shipbuilding. Mining has always been a very important sector in the economy. The traditional coal mine in Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland and Lancashire supplied thermal energy needed for economic development to the British. Although today it’s less important, they are still a fundamental part of the economy. The service sector is the largest contributor to GDP of the country, among them are the stock market and banking financial services and insurance companies. The London Stock Exchange is the world's second financial center after New York, and the British capital is the European city with more activity in the capital market.
5. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy which, as oposed to other system doesn’t have a write Constitution. There is only a politic code that requires a special procedure and reform to determine the basic state institutions of the state, their territorial regime and the rights and civil liberties. The United Kingdom has a head of state. At the moment it is the Queen Elisabeth II but the executive power lies on the Prime Minister and the other ministers of the cabinet. The cabinet, including the Prime Minister and the other ministers, form the government of her Majesty. The ministers come from the Parliament. The legeslative body is considered as a “supreme” organism.
David Cameron
Queen Elisabeth II
6. EDUCATION The education of the United Kingdom is structurated in 6 stages. When children are four years old they go to a nursery school, then to the infant school for two years. After that, they go to junior shcool for four years. All those six years are the primary school. After this, it’s when they go to the secondary school or high school for five years from 11 to 16 years. These three schools are obligatory like in Spain. In the United Kingdom before entering Univerity it is necessary to do some A-levels for two years. In the United Kingdom there is another system of evaluation. they use numbers and letters: • A=80-100 • B=70-79 • C=60-69 • D=50-59 • F=0-49 And in the universities they use another system based on points. • 1 - 4 Firts Class Distinction : 100 • 4 - 8 Upper Second Merit : 80 • 9 - 12 Lower Second Class :60 • 13 - 16 =Third Class : 50 • 17-20= fail 0-4.
7. CULTURE The United kingdom is a culturally developed country in theater and music considering that they have the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The culture of the United Kingdom, also called "British culture" can be described as the legacy of the history of a developed island country, a great power and as a result of the political union of four countries, each one keeping its distinctive traditions, customs and symbolism. As a result of the dominance of the British Empire, the British cultural influence can be observed in the language, traditions, customs and legal systems of many of its ancient colonies.
a) Architecture The architecture of the United Kingdom has a long and diverse history since Stonehenge to the designs of internationally renowned contemporary architect Norman Foster. The United Kingdom architecture has different periods: · Old Age: this period includes numerous Neolithic monuments such as Stonehenge and Avebury. · Middle ages: the important buildings are White Tower, Durham Cathedral, Haddon Hall and King's College Chapel. · 16th century: This century have a lot important buildings. These buildings are Tudor places and houses. This buildings are: Hampton Court Palace, Longleat House, Hardwick Hall and Elizabethan houses. ·17th century: These importants buildings are The Queens House, St Paul's Cathedral and Blenheim Palace. ·18th century: The important buildings are Chiswick House, Kedleston Hall and Strawberry Hill. ·19th century (Victorian times): The important buildings are: The Houses of Parliament, Red House and Glasgow School of Art. ·20th century: The important buildings are: The De le Warr Pavilion and The Royal Festival Hall.
Stonehenge
St Paul's Cathedral
Hampton Court Palace
Palace of Westminster
b) Folklore Folklore of the United Kingdom are some stories about the typical tradition about Robbin Hood, the Arthurian Legen, and others like dances. English folklore comes from Germany, the celtics and Christian sources. The most famous English folklore is Robbin Hood ROBBIN HOOD: Robbin Hood is an heroic who stole money and gold from rich people for the poor. He used bows and arrows because he had a lot of marksmanship. He lived in Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire.
SCOTISH DANCE One of the most famous dances in the UK are the Scottish Dance. It’s a typical dance of Scotland: men wear a squared skirt in green, red and blue colours. In front of the skirt there is bag like a fanny pack. They ‘re wearing a white shirt. Normally, in the celebrations, they dance with some girls and the music of a guitar and the music of bagpipes (typical instrument from Scotland).
c) Gastronomy The British gastronomy is very cosmopolitan, not only because it is easy and also becasue it has incorporated ingredients and recipes oraginally from all parts of the world, but also because the national dishes were taken to all the parts of the world. Among the predominant components of the cuisine of the United Kingdom are roasts and sweets, which always have their place in the daily table and in all kinds of celebrations. The typical dishes of the United Kingdom are:
-Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding: This is England's traditional Sunday lunch, which is a family affair.
-Toad-in-the-Hole (sausages covered in batter and roasted.): Similar to Yorkshire Pudding but with sausages placed in the batter before cooking.
-Roast Meat ( cooked in the oven for about two hours): Typical meat for roasting are joints of beef, pork, lamb or a whole chicken. More rarely duck, goose, gammon, turkey or game are eaten.
-Fish and chips: Fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes) dressed in malt vinegar. This is England's traditional take-away food.
-Ploughman's Lunch: This dish is served in pubs. It consists of a piece of cheese, a bit of pickle and pickled onion, and loaf of bread.
-Shepherds' Pie: made with minced lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potato.
-Cottage Pie: made with minced beef and vegetables topped with mashed potato.
-English breakfast: eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans.
-Bangers and Mash (mashed potatoes and sausages): Bangers are sausages in England.
-Black Pudding (Blood Pudding): it looks like a black sausage. It is made from dried pigs blood and fat. It’s eaten at breakfast time.
d)Arts The art of the United Kingdom includes all art forms made from the country's founding to the present. Nevertheless, a big part of the British art comes from before 1707, being Stonehenge the oldest artistic manifestation. Since then, the United Kingdom art territory was devolped with the centuries and for the time of the union of the four nations, each already had a defined artistic tradition. The period of greatest growth for British arts was during the Empire, when the United Kingdom was placed at the head of various artistic movements, in which represented historical moments, biblical and mythological moments, and moments of everyday life that art could transcend. In addition, thanks to the imperial expansion the artists could have influences of cultures from other countries and in the same time the british work of arts left his mark and legacy in the artists colonies.During the 33th century, British art began to expand to the currents of modern and contemporary art, such as Post-Impressionism, Cubism and impressionism. Now, there are several art institutions in the United Kingdom, of which there have been several art movements and artists in their field.
e) Literature British literature refers to literature associated with the United Kingdom, This includes literatures from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Most of the works of British literature were written in the English language. The United Kingdom has about 206,000 books published each year, making it the largest publisher of books in the world. Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, was declared as "City in Literature" by UNESCO. British literature has developed in diferent stages in each period. The stages are : Old English, Middle English and Chaucer, Tudor lyric poetry, Renaissance drama, Metaphysical poetry, Epic poetry, Resortation comedy, Prose fiction and the novel, Romanticism, Victorian poetry, The victorian novel, Later Victorian novelists, early 20th century poets, early modern writers and Poetry in the later 20th century.
The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist of all times. Among the best known English writers include Geoffrey Chaucer (14th century), Thomas Malory (15th century), Thomas More (16thI century ) and John Milton (17th century). A Samuel Richardson, writer of the 18th century, invented the epistolary novel. In the 19th century, Jane Austen, the gothic novelist Mary Shelley, the writer of children's books Lewis Carroll, Emyly sisters, Charlotte and Anne Brontë, social activist Charles Dickens, the naturalist Thomas Hardy, the visionary poet William Blake, the Romantic poet William Wordsworth and Arthur Conan Doyle. The most famous writers of the twentieth century include the science fiction novelist H. G. Wells, writers of children's classics Rudyard Kipling and Alexander Milne, the controversial D. H. Lawrence, the modernist Virginia Woolf, the satirical Evelyn Waugh, the prophetic novelist George Orwell, the popular novelist Graham Greene, the novelist Agatha Christie thriller, fantasy writers J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. J. Lewis and more recently K. Rowling; as well as the poets Ted Hughes and John Betjeman.
f) Performing arts Films of United Kingdom are recognized around the world. It has very good actors and actressess like Emma Watson form Harry Potter, Hugh Laurie from the Doctor House and others. The most important actor in the United Kingdom is Rowan Atkinson, the actor that plays Mr Been. The most imporant films in UK are Sherlock Holmes Harry Potter, Mr Bean, Bryan’s Life, Casino Royale, etc. During the years, the English music has beed one of the most importants in the world, espacially in th rock because it’s the country were the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yes, Iron Maider, Queen, The Who, etc. were born.
8. SPORT The Sports Council was formed in 1972, and it had the motto Sport for All. There was also the Central Council of Physical Recreation. In July 1994 it was decided to concentrate sports funding on fewer sports and only those in which the UK succeeded. The Sports Council employed 470 staff. On 8 July 1994 lain Sproat, the sports minister, outlined proposals to replace the Sports Council along with Jude Rai and the UK Sports Council (for elite athletes) and the England Sports Council. The other UK countries had their respective sports councils. There was more direct coordination with the British Olympic Association. The former Sports Council concentrated on around 110 sports, but the new UK Sports Council (UKSC) concentrated on around 30. Mass-participation in sport was to be looked after by local authorities. Sebastian Coe, in conversation with Iain Sproat, had given him the idea of financially supporting sporting excellence. Succeeding the Sports Council of Great Britain, UK Sport was established in January 1997 by Royal Charter as the UK Sports Council. Later that month it was authorised to distribute lottery funding. In February 1997 there were proposals for a British Academy of Sport. Famous British Sportsmen: Sir Robert Charlton: Sir Robert Charlton, or Bobby Charlton, is the living legend of English football.
David Beckham: David Beckham is one of the most prominent British football players of our time.
Nigel Ernest James Mansell: Nigel Mansell is one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Formula One, the most famous racing championship on the planet.
Sir Stephen Geoffrey Redgrave: Sir Stephen Redgrave is arguably the best rower worldwide and the most successful British athlete of all time.
Martin Osborne Johnson: Martin Johnson is considered the best contemporary English rugby player.
9.NATIONAL SYMBOLS This is the flag of the United Kingdom. This flag is composed by three diferents flags: St. George of England, blue and white of Scotland and red from north Ireland, the name of the flag is Union Jack. The national personification is Britannia: It’s an old term for Roman Britain and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin but derives from Greek. In the 2nd century Roman Britannia came to be personified as a goddess, armed with a trident and shield and wearing a centurion's helmet. England: the patron is St George, the national flower is tudor rose, the national animal is a lion and coat of arms is Royal Arms of England. Scotland: the patron is St Andrew, the national flower is thistle, the national animal is the unicorn and the coat of arms is Royal Arms of Scotland. Wales: the patron is St David, the national flower is the leek or Daffodil, the national animal is the red dragon and the coat of arms is Royal Badge of Wales. North Ireland: the patron is St Patrick, the national flower is Shamrock or Flax they don’t have a national animal or coat of arms. The anthem of the United Kigndom is “God, save the Queen”.
10. CURIOSITIES The British are known for their unconditional love for tea at 5 in the afternoon, called the Five O'clock Tea.
They are also famous for being the creators of football and their fanaticism for cricket, one of the quintessential English sports. Anyway, there are many more traditions and customs of England.
One thing you have to know is that the British are quite disciplined and exquisite with good manners. The British give a crucial importance in everyday greeting. It is, in general, a handshake, may be male or female, as the kisses on the cheek only occur between very close people. Other traditions and customs of the United Kingdom have to do with their foods. The main dish is fish and chips, also beef, lamb, chicken, sandwiches and vegetables. A place where the British gather with friends for a few drinks are the public houses, also known as pubs. Pubs are a symbol of social life in the United Kingdom, where people eat, drink, talk and relax. This country has several superstitions. Touching wood, finding a clover with four leaves, puting money in the pockets of a garment new haircut at crescent moon and crossing a black cat are signs of good luck. Meanwhile, the misfortune is associated to walk under ladders, spilling salt on the table, breaking a mirror and opening an umbrella inside a room.
11. CONCLUSION In this work we know more things that we didn’t know before and probably we wouldn’t have known if we had never done this in the school or in the work. We think that this “travel” has been a little big difficult, because all that is in english and it isn’t in our language, but it’s a good form to learn more English and one of the countries in the world. In this work impoved our pronuciation, vocabulary and how to organized a trip. In this work we learnt a lot about the United Kingdom, about the history, the economy, the culture, the geography and many things about this country. We think that this country is a good place to travel and we want to travel there someday.
12. WEBGRAPHY Folklore: http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/folklore-of-britain-and-ireland.html Architecture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_the_United_Kingdom PerormingArts:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Performing_arts_education_in_the_Un ited_Kingdom Culture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_United_Kingdom, Economy: http://www.heritage.org/index/country/unitedkingdom Curiosities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9-NTS4rZQg National Symbol: http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/images/uk.jpg History:p://blogtodohistoriaymas.over-blog.es/article-gran-bretana--historia-territorio85979234.html
13. GLOSSARY