英国地理

英国地理

Part One The Land and People

1.The General ABCs of the UK

☆What is the official name of the UK?

"United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland“ 大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国

*Great Britain: refers to the biggest island of the UK, comprised of England, Scotland, and Wales.

*Northern Ireland: lies in the northeastern corner of the Island of Ireland; shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west

*Plus many smaller islands in the area.

☆The United Kingdom is mainly made up of: 4 parts

`England - The capital is London.

Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .

`Wales - The capital is Cardiff.

`Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.(≠the Republic of Ireland)

☆Where?

@in Western Europe, between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France

@in the British Isles.

British Isles: a geographical term that includes Great Britain, the whole of Ireland Island, and many offshore islands in the surrounding sea.

☆Facts of the UK

●The land area: 244.820 square km.It is roughly the size of the Guangxi Autonomous Region of China.

●The capital: London.

*England more or less constantly makes up 84% of the total population,

*Scotland roughly 8.5 %,

*Wales around 5%,

*Northern Ireland less than 3%.

--England has the highest population density(383/k ㎡); Scotland has the lowest(65/k㎡)

UK flag

…is called the Union Flag

…is sometimes referred to as the Union Jack

…is the flag of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The flag is actually three flags in one.

It is made up from :England flag, Scotland flag , Ireland's Flag.

Wales?*In 1536, under Henry VIII, an Act of Union was passed making Wales, in effect a province of England.

*odd if you add this…

●Nickname: John Bull

“The History of John Bull”by John Arbuthnot,1667--1735 e.g. U.S.—Uncle Sam, Yankee Israel—Jews Japanese—Jap, Nip

National Day: birthday of the sovereign (At present, it is on Thursday of the second week in June.)

British Currency

GBP(Great Britain Pound)/Pound sterling

~~not use the Euro. Although a few of the big shops will accept Euro, it is rarely used across Britain.

~~have both coins and banknotes.

☆Who is the present Prime Minister? David Cameron 戴维·卡梅伦

Climate

*A maritime type of climate: rainy, changeable, unpredictable.

*Winters are mild and summers are cool. Generally speaking, it is favorable.

The introduction of the inhabitants

Who are the British?~~ People who lives in Great Britain or roughly the UK are called British.

~~ A British person is called Briton.

They like to be called either British or more specifically: England—English

Scotland—Scottish/Scots

Wales—Welsh

Northern Ireland--Irish