This section is only intended to be a guide, not to be taken too seriously!
With dictionary look up. Double click on any word for its definition.
The United Kingdom
General - comprises of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands · includes 4 nationalities: English (England), Welsh (Wales), Scottish (Scotland) and Irish (Ireland) · the largest cities are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh Geography – The UK is situated off the northwest coast of Europe bordered by the Atlantic ocean and from Europe separated by the North Sea and the English Channel. The Irish Sea and the North Channel separate Great Britain from Ireland. Size - 244,820 sq km Climate – mild & rainy (Gulf Stream) Population – 56 million people (dense population) Industries – highly industrialised – iron & steel engineering, motor vehicles, aircraft, textil, plastic, cotton, wool, chemicals, electronics, shipbuilding, food products (incl. fishing) Mineral resources – coal, natural gas (North Sea), oil Agriculture – wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beet, milk, meat, sheep
Government system:
The United Kingdom = Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is a constitutional monarchy, the present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II., she has no real political power. The UK is governed by the Cabinet ( 20 leading ministers + the Prime Minister). The supreme legislative body is the Parliament, this is split into two houses - The lower house is The House of Commons – 5 years (elected). The Upper house is The House of Lords which currently has hereditiary and life peerage members, although this is under review. There is no written constitution (common law, conventions) There are 3 main parties – Conversative (Tories) (right wing), Labour (left wing) and the Liberal Democrats (middle of the road).
England
Capital - London Geography – situated in Britain Size - 132,589 sq km
Wales
Capital - Cardiff Geography - West, mountains and moorland Size - 21,588 sq km Climate - rainy Industry – tourism, mining, manufacturing Other - The oldest son of the English Monarch is given the title “Prince of Wales”. In 1999 Wales was granted devolution, this allows them to have their own elected parliament.
Scotland
Capital - Edinburgh Geography - North, hills, lakes (lochs – Lochness: where the mythical monster lives), mountains Size - 80 234 sq km Climate - cold and windy Industry - tourism, oil, shipbuilding Other - The Scotttish have their own traditions & way of life, they are very independent and have a special folklore and dress - kilts. In 1999 Scotland was granted devolution, this allows them to have their own elected parliament.
Northern Ireland (Ulster)
Capital - Belfast Geography - The Irish Sea and the North Channel separate Great Britain from Ireland. Size - 10,409 sq km Climate - rainy Industry - service, shipping, agriculture Other - There are still many problems between the two main religions in Northern Ireland (Roman Catholic and Protestant)
Now test your knowledge and learn a bit more about the geography of the UK here.
Pocket History:
The first inhabitants; the Celts, came from North Europe before 6th century B. C.
AD 43 - The Roman invasion starts (they built towns, roads and centralised administration) AD 450 - 550 germanic tribes invaded – Angles, Saxons, Jutes (Romans home, Celts in the mountains) 800 - 1000 - Vikings invade and raid coastal towns 1066 the Normans - William the Conqueror became King of England – hegemony of Normans
1170 - Thomas Becket murdered in Canterbury Cathedral 1172 - Henry II conquers Ireland 1215 – the Magna Carta was signed, this lay out the Supremacy of Law over the King and was the foundation of a parliamentary government 1283 - Wales conquered by Edward I 1314 - Robert Bruce defeats the English at Bannockburn 1327 - 1377 - Edward III reigned 1377 - 1399 - Richard II reigned 1399 - 1413 - Henry IV reigned 1413 - 22 - Henry V reigned 1337 – 1453 – the Hundred Years War (England vs. France) 1422 - 61 - Henry VI reigned 1461 - 83 - Edward IV reigned 1455 - 85 - War of the Roses - war between Yorks and Lancaster 1483 - 85 - Richard III reigned 1485 - 1509 - Henry VII reigned
1509 - Henry Tudor (Henry VIII) established the Tudor dynasty 1534 - Henry VIII separated the English Church from Rome and became the head of Church of England 1547 - Death of Henry VIII 1547 - 1553 - Edward VI reigned 1553 - 1558 - Mary Queen of Scots reigned
1558 - The reign of Elisabeth I began. – England became a world power 1588 - British defeated the Spanish Armada. British colonization began with Virginia colonies. 1603 - Death of Elizabeth I
1603 - 1625 - James I reigned, King of England and Scotland; union of Scottish and English crowns 1616 - Death of Shakespeare (the true end of the Elizabethan age) 1625 - 1649 - Charles I reigned 1642 – 1649 – Civil War – The King, Charles I. vs. Parliament, T Oliver Cromwell (puritan republic) – Oliver Cromwell won but became unpopular. 1660 monarchy restored (Charles II.)1688 - "Glorious Revolution" brings William and Mary to the throne 1660 - 1685 - Charles II reigned 1689 - 1702 - William III reigned 1702 - 1714 - Anne reigned
1714 - 1727 George I reigned 1721 - 42 - Sir Robert Walpole serves as first Prime Minister 1727 - 1760 - George II reigned 1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie led the Jacobite Rebellion (failed) 1761 - 1820 - George III reigned 1756 - 63 - Seven years' war with France 1801 - Ireland brought into the UK by act of union; becomes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1805 - Lord nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar 1815 - Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo 1820 - 1830 - George IV reigned 1830 - 1847 - William IV reigned 1837 - 1901 - Queen Victoria reigned 1837 – 1901 - The Industrial Revolution – Britain dominated world industry, commerce and the military
1901 - 1910 - Edward VII reigned 1910 - 1936 - George V reigned 1914 - 1918 - WW I 1936 - Edward VIII Adbdication 1936 - 1952 - George VI reigned 1939 - 1945 - WW II 1952 - onward - Elizabeth II reigns Post War- Labour government – economy was nationalized, free health care and education 1979 Conservative government - privatised national industries, reduced welfare (the Thatcher years) 1996 - Labour (New Labour) comes to power under the leadership of Tony Blair.. 实践证明经常访问无忧英语教育网 www.51education.net ,能迅速提高你的英语学习能力!积沙成塔,不断提高! 本站所提供的所有信息仅供学校课堂教学及英语学习者学习研究之用,其著作权归原作者及媒体所有。
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