英语国家概况—英国

Part One: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Chapter 1 Land and People

Chapter 2 The Origins of a Nation (500BC~AD1066)

Chapter 3 The Shape of the Nation (1066~1381)

Chapter 4 Transition to the Modern Age (1455~1688)

Chapter 5 The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (1688~1990)

Chapter 6 The Economy

Chapter 7 Government and Administration

Chapter 8 Justice the Law

Chapter 9 Social Affairs

Chapter 10 Cultural Affairs

Chapter 1 Land, People and Language

1 Different Names for Britain and its Parts

The official name of Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern

Ireland.The geographical names are the British Isles, Great Britain and England. People

just say Britain, the United Kingdom or simply U.K.

People

England is the largest and most populous, almost a quarter of the people lives in

England’s prosperous and fertile southeast, with over 7 million in the capital.

The majority of the population are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons, a Germanic people

from Europe who went to England between the 5th and 7th centuries.These people

settled in England and drove the native Celtic people to the mountainous areas of Wales

and

Scotland. Their language became the official language of the country. Most people in Wales and Scotland are descendants of the Celtic people who were the earliest known inhabitants of Britain. The Irish people were also of Celtic origin.

About a hundred years ago, as a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain ruled an empire that had one fourth of the world’s people and a quarter of the world’s land area.

Geographical Features

There are 3 political divisions on the island of Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. The island of Ireland is divided into 2 parts: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Britain has, for centuries, been slowly tilting with the North-West slowly rising and the South-East slowly sinking. The north and west of Britain are mainly highlands; the east and south-east are mostly lowlands.

There are 3 natural zones of Scotland: the Highlands in the north, the central Lowlands, and the southern Uplands.

The highest mountain in Britain is Ben Nevis (1,343m), located in Scotland.

The longest river of Britain, the Severn River, which is 354kms long, originates in

mid-Wales and flows through western England to the Bristol Channel.

The largest lake in U.K, Lough Neagh, is located in Northern Ireland.

Climate

The average temperature in January is around 0 degree and seldom falls below -10 degree,