24 The Countrie Language Whose I Am Learning
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the country lying at the top-left edge of Europe and separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It is often referred to as Britain, the United Kingdom, the UK or even just England since that is the area of the country.
The UK covers 244,820 km2 and has a population of more than 60,270 000 people. It has four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (sometimes called Ulster).
Though the country is not that big, its scenery is varied. On the east coast which is a part of England, there are flat plains, originally marshes that have been turned into rich farmland. Wales and Scotland are full of wild mountains and highlands. The highest peak in Britain is Ben Nevin in Scotland(1343 m). Northern Ireland has rolling green hills.
The climate in Britain is moderate but changes a lot. The western part of the country is wetter, and eastern part is drier with usually lower temperatures. The two important rivers in Britain are also the longest: Thames and Severn. Most of Britain‘s rivers, such the Avon, Clyde and Tyne are linked by a complex system of cannals and used for shipping, water supplies or hydroelectric power. Outside of its cities, Britain is very green with many trees, hedgerows, fields and pastures,
Britain has a lot of natural energy resources such as coal, oil and natural gas. Agricultural production rose after WWII. And only one third of all agricultural production is importet today. The country uses 25% of the land for crops and more than 65% for grassland and grazing.
English is a Germanic language, which developed primarily from Anglo-Saxon but of invasions (Celts, Angles, Saxons, Romans, Danes and Normans ). All the invading people influenced the language, particularly the Nowadays all the Welsh, Scots and Irish speak English, but a few people still speak Welsh, and school children in Scotland learn Scotish Gaelic and in Ireland Irish Gaelic.
Great Britain is multiracial nation today. Until 1962, any Commonwealth citizen was allowed into Britain so many came from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong. There have been many waves of imigration into Britain during political changes in Europe and many Jews, Russians, Germans and Poles came to Britain in the last decades of 20th century. British culture especially its cooking and eating habits, has been enriched by these new cultures. There are plenty of Chinese, Indian and Pakistani restaurants in Britain, which are very popular.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy meaning the head of the state is amonarch (a king or a queen). Today, Queen Elizabeth has very little political power and only reigns with the support of Parliament. The British Parliament consists of two parts: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Commons has true political power and it is here that the new bills are introduced and debated. The members of the House of Commons are elected in a general election held every 5 years. The British political system depends on political parties, the most influential being the Conservative Party, Labour Party and the liberal SDP Alliance. The party which wins the majority of seats in Parliament forms the Cabinet and its leader becomes Prime Minister.
The flag of the UK (know as the Union Jack) is made up of three crosses: the red cross of St. George (the patron saint of England), the white diagonal cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland), and the red diagonal cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).