Aj - The UK

I.) The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• 1) basics
  • it consists of England (the capital city is London), Wales (Cardiff), Scotland (Edinburgh), Northern Ireland (Belfast)
  • total area is almost 250 thousand square kilometres
  • has a population of about 60 million inhabitants
  • constitutional monarchy
  • religion = mostly Church of England = Anglicans
  • currency = British pounds
  • flag = Union Jack consists of three crosses (English, Scottish, Irish)
  • patrons = Saint George (England), St Andrew (Scotland), St Patrick (Ireland)
  • national anthem = God save the Queen
• 2) geography
  • lies on islands
  • surrounded by Atlantic ocean, North See, English Channel
  • the climate is mild, humid and unpredictable
    • influenced by Atlantic Ocean and warmed by Gulf Stream
• 3) surface
  • Scotland = the most hilly country, Ben Nevis = highest mountain
    • the Loch Ness lake, Loch Ness monster
  • England = Pennines, lowlands, flatlands, swamps
  • rivers = Severn (the longest), the river Thames, Avon
  • England = divided into shires
  • cities = London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Dover, Plymouth, Brighton
• 4) royal family
  • Queen Elizabeth II is 85 years old, she has ruled for almost 60 years
    • she is Windsor by birth
    • her official residence is the Buckingham Palace
    • English queen is a head of Commonwealth (= economic and political organisation, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malta, India, Jamaica, Cyprus, Pakistan)
  • husband prince Philip
  • sister princess Margaret
  • four children
  • the oldest son is prince Charles
  • most famous grandchildren = William and Harry

II.) Government

• a constitutional monarchy (with unwritten constitution)
• her Majesty Elizabeth II is a head not only of The UK but also Australia, Canada and some other countries of Commonwealth
• although she is for example a command-in-chief of the armed forces., she has only representative function and must follow the advice of the government
• the seat of government is in Palace of Westminster also called The houses of Parliament
• the parliament consists of the Queen and two chambers:
  • the House of Lords
  • the House of Commons
• the queen formally summons and dissolves Parliament and every year she opens it with a speech from the throne
  • but the speech is made by the parliament
• the House of Lords is consisted of hereditary and life peers and peeresses, arcibishops and bishops of the Church of England
• there are 650 members in The House of Commons
• they are elected
• general elections must be held at least every five years
• the leader of the major political party becomes a Prime Minister
• then other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister
• current Prime Minister is David Cameron
• the second largest party forms the official Opposition – shadow cabinet
• there are three main political parties in the UK:
  • the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal-Democratic Party

III.) London

• 1) location
  • is situated in the south-east of England, along the River Thames
  • 8 million inhabitants
• 2) the City of London
  • centre of Roman colony in the past (50 AD)
  • historical and financial centre
    • a) the Tower of London
      • fort made of wood to protect Londinium
      • complex of towers
      • William the Conqueror had the White Tower built
      • lots of functions: a fort, observatory, zoo, treasury, prison, place of executions
      • today there is a Jewel House with coronation jewels
      • Beefeaters symbolically guard Tower, every night they lock the gate = the Ceremony of Keys
      • superstition = as long as there are 8 ravens in the Tower, England is safe
    • b) the Tower Bridge
      • a lifting bridge over the River Thames
      • close to the Tower
      • it was finished in the 19^th century
      • it opens every time a big ship flows under it, the traffic over bridge must be stopped at that time
    • c) St. Paul's Cathedral
      • seat of archbishop of London
      • the royal family uses it for weddings and funerals
      • some members of of army and some artists are buried there
• 3) The City of Westminster
  • a) Westminster Abbey
    • English rulers are coronated and buried here
    • also about 400 important people (Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton) are buried here
  • b) the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben
    • along the River Thames
    • Big Ben is a big bell inside the tower, it strikes every hour
  • c) the Buckingham palace
    • official residence of English Queen, she accepts all state visits there
    • tourists watch there the changing of guards
  • d) Downing Street No. 10
    • a residence of Prime Minister
  • e) Trafalgar Square
    • a square with Nelson's Column (English admiral who defeated Napoleon in battle at Trafalgar in 1805)
    • it is said that statues of lions are made from cannons used in the battle
    • above the square is a National Gallery

• 4) the West End
  • heart of London's shopping
  • a) Oxford Street
    • shops and luxury department stores
    • theatres, cinemas, opera houses, restaurants, café’s
  • b) Piccadilly Circus
    • round square, full of tourists
  • c) Soho
    • bohemian part, multicultural part, famous for clubs, bars, pubs
    • in the past there was a hunting park, Soho was a greeting of hunters
  • d) Chinatown
    • full of Chinese restaurants and shops
  • e) Hyde Park
    • one of the largest parks
    • famous for Speaker's corner, where everybody can say anything without punishment
• 5) others
  • Tate Modern = a gallery of 21^st century
  • London Eye = the biggest wheel in the whole world, built to welcome 3^rd millennium
  • Madame Tussaud's Museum = wax figurines of famous people
  • Greenwich = parks with royal observatory, the zero meridian goes through it
  • Globe theatre = W. Shakespeare acted here
  • Stonehenge = a mystery circle of large stones