How many countries does the uk comprise
How many countries does the uk comprise
Constituent Countries Of The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has four constituent countries, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The UK came together over several centuries. Historically, the kingdom and its politics have been dominated by England, as it has always been the most powerful. Even today, England dominates the UK politically, linguistically, and culturally, as it is the largest, and by far, the most populous constituent country in the union. Nevertheless, the UK’s other constituent countries still maintain vibrant cultures and traditions.
Contents:
How Was The United Kingdom Formed?
The first countries to come together were England and Wales. In 1536, Wales was formally merged with England, through an Act of Union. Less than a century later, in 1603, the Union of the Crowns took place, which united the royal houses of England and Scotland. It was followed by the Union of the Parliaments in 1707, when the parliament of Scotland dissolved itself and the parliament of England, based in London, became the parliament for all of Great Britain. In 1801, the parliament of Ireland, which had been under English rule almost continuously since the 12 th century, formally joined Great Britain through an Act of Union. Thus, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland came into being. Ireland, except the northern part, which became Northern Ireland, would eventually break away from the UK and become independent in 1921. Hence, the UK is now known formally as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
England
9 regions of England map
The story of England begins with the arrival in Great Britain of the Anglo-Saxons, beginning in the 5 th century CE. The Anglo-Saxons were Germanic tribes from northern continental Europe. In the 10 th century, the Anglo-Saxons united under one ruler, King Ethelstan, who is regarded as the first King of England. He ruled from 924 to 939 CE. Several different dynasties have ruled England over more than a millennium. A pivotal moment in English history took place when the English navy defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, marking the beginning of England’s naval supremacy. Shortly thereafter, England began establishing outposts and settlements all over the globe. England’s history as a country unto itself ended in 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I chose to anoint King James VI of Scotland as her successor in what was known as the Union of the Crowns. From then onward, England was part of the country known as Great Britain.
Royal family of England map. Editorial credit: Lorna Roberts / Shutterstock.com
Today, England is the dominant political, economic, and cultural force in the UK. This dominance is reflected in the fact that when people around the world talk about the UK, they often refer to it simply as England. Of the estimated 67 million people that live in the UK, about 56 million live in England. Most of the UK’s economy is also based in England. In fact, as of 2018, England’s economy was worth approximately 1.8 trillion British Pounds, whereas the next leading economy, Scotland, was worth just an estimated 161 billion Pounds. Arguably, England’s most dominant force in the UK is the English language, which has managed to all but replace other languages indigenous to the UK, such as Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish Gaelic.
Wales
Unlike England and Scotland, Wales was never a single nation-state. Rather, it was divided among several kingdoms. Over two centuries following the conquest of England by the Normans, the English gradually seized more and more Welsh territory. The last independent Welsh kingdom was conquered by England’s King Edward I in 1283. From then on, Wales was a colony of England. In 1536, the Act of Union uniting Wales with England was passed. Industrialization came rapidly to Wales in the 18 th century. In fact, Wales was once one of the most important industrial areas in the world.
Famous Conwy Castle in Wales
In the mid-20 th century, Welsh nationalism led to measures that recognized the nationhood of the Welsh people, such as giving the Welsh language legal status and adopting an official flag. Efforts to revive the Welsh language have been ongoing for the last few decades. At the end of the 1980s, Welsh was made a compulsory subject in schools. In 1999, Wales was given home rule, including a parliament of their own, which allowed the Welsh people some control over their domestic affairs. Today, there is a movement for Welsh independence, though it is not as strong as similar movements in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scotland
Map of Scotland
The forerunner of the Kingdom of Scotland was the Kingdom of Alba, ruled by Macbeth in the mid-11 th century. This is the same Macbeth immortalized by Shakespeare’s play of the same name. In the late 13 th and early 14 th centuries, England attempted to conquer Scotland, but the Scots rebelled successfully to retain their independence. In 1603, King James VI of Scotland was made King James I of England, merging the two royal regimes. This was known as the Union of the Crowns. In 1707, the Scottish parliament dissolved itself, and a parliament unifying the representatives of Scotland and England was proclaimed in London, thus completing the Union of the Parliaments. Industrialization came rapidly to Scotland in the 19 th century. The country became a mecca for ship-building, steel works, and iron foundries.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Edinburgh castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
In 1967, oil drilling began in the North Sea, giving Scotland a vital resource for future prosperity. In 1999, Scotland was given a wide degree of autonomy, when its parliament convened for the first time since the Union of the Parliaments. During the same decade, Scottish culture and history gained worldwide prominence through movies like Braveheart and Trainspotting. Scotland’s artists, musicians, and authors were also in high demand. In 2014, Scottish voters narrowly rejected independence from the UK in a referendum. Nevertheless, the Scottish independence movement is now stronger than ever, and many people believe that another referendum would lead to a vote in favor of independence.
Northern Ireland
Map of Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland was cut off from the rest of Ireland in 1921, when the British government agreed to create the Irish Free State in response to the demands of the Irish independence movement. But as part of this arrangement, six counties in the northern Ulster region of the island, in which most of the population was Protestant, were split off from the rest of Ireland and remained part of the UK. These counties would form what would be called Northern Ireland. For the next few decades, Northern Ireland would remain relatively quiet. But in 1966, violence broke out between Irish Catholics, who wanted to unite Northern Ireland with the predominantly Catholic Republic of Ireland, and Protestant Unionists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK. Thus began the period known as The Troubles. Violence would continue for decades. Then, in 1994, paramilitary groups on both sides began a ceasefire. Four years later, the Good Friday Agreement was signed, giving the country an autonomous local government and power-sharing arrangements between the Irish Catholics and Protestant Unionists. Since then, a relative peace has taken hold in the country. Nevertheless, tension still remains.
The Custom House and Lagan River in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A new paradigm has emerged in the conflict recently, as the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Most voters in Northern Ireland, however, voted to remain part of the EU, since doing so meant the continued free movement of goods and services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Much to the relief of many in Northern Ireland, a compromise was reached under which the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would remain customs-free once the UK formally left the EU in 2021, but new customs checks would be introduced for the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. As of late, some Unionists have expressed their displeasure at the aforementioned new customs arrangements, as they feel more estranged from the rest of the kingdom.
What Countries Border The United Kingdom?
A sign indicating the boundary between Northern Ireland (UK) and Ireland. Editorial credit: Remizov / Shutterstock.com
Where Is the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom (UK) is a sovereign nation located in Europe, within the British Isles archipelago. The UK is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Geographically, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, on which England, Scotland, and Wales are located, while Northern Ireland is located on the island of Ireland. The UK borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea to the west, the English Channel to the south, the North Sea to the east, and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. With a total area of 93,600 square miles, the UK is the 78th largest country in the world, and with a population of 66 million, it is the 21st most populous.
Countries Bordering the UK
Ireland
Ireland is the second largest island of the British Isles. Politically, it is divided between the Republic of Ireland, a sovereign nation, and Northern Ireland, which is a territory of the United Kingdom. The Republic of Ireland is the only sovereign country that shares a land border with the United Kingdom, through Northern Ireland. The country is separated from the island of Great Britain in the east by the Irish Sea, the North Channel, and St. George’s Channel, at distances ranging from 11 to 120 miles.
Ireland-UK Political History
Beginning in the 17th century, the United Kingdom and Ireland were politically united until Ireland withdrew from the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. Through the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, the Republic of Ireland was established as an independent Irish state, while Northern Island remained as a constituent country of the United Kingdom. Relations between the two states have been heavily influenced by their long shared history and the governance of Northern Ireland. In recent years, the two nations have enjoyed strong diplomatic ties that have reinforced reconciliation and prosperity in the British Isle archipelago.
Ireland-UK Political Relations
The United Kingdom is Ireland’s closest geographical neighbor and its most important economic partner in trade, investments, and tourism. The two nations have a mutually beneficial bilateral trade relationship, in which goods and services worth €1 billion flow across the Irish Sea each week. Ireland and the United Kingdom have a Common Travel Area (CTA) that allows their citizens to move freely through these countries with minimal legislative restrictions. They are also the only two sovereign states that are exempted from joining the Schengen Agreements’s free-travel area of European nations. Both nations jointly became members of the European Union in 1973. However, there are concerns about the relationship between the two countries after the UK exits the European Union (EU) since it is possible that Ireland will be the most affected nation after Brexit. Nevertheless, the two nations have bilateral agreements beyond the EU that are likely to solve such apprehensions.
Maritime Borders of the UK
Since the United Kingdom is part of the European continent, its shares maritime borders with other European nations such as France, Germany, Spain, Iceland, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands (a self-governing territory of Denmark). The UK has established strong diplomatic and economic relations with all its neighbors through the European Union. However, there are concerns about how the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union might impact these relations.
ПОМОГИТЕ С АНГЛИЙСКИМ (ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИЯ), Нужно ответить на вопросы, помогите пожалуйста.
The official name of this country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland (the UK for short). It is situated on the British Islands and comprises England, Scotland, Wales,and Nothern Ireland.
The population of Great Britain is over 69 million. The majority of the UK population (almost 92%) lives in cities and towns.
The country is washed by the North and Irish seas and by the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The English Channel separates the country from the European continent.
The highest mountain of the country Bev Nevis is in Scotland.
Britain has several rivers, but they are not very long. The longest river is the Severn, but the deepest and the most important one is the Thames.
The country climate is mild due to the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf Stream warm waters and the mountains. The country weather often changes.
The UK is one of the most highly developed industrial powers in the world. It holds one of the leading places among the European countries. The country is not rich in mineral resources. That is why it has to import some goods, raw materials, gas and oil.
The capital of the country is London. It is the largest political, cultural and industrial center of the country, as well as one of the largest sea ports in the world.
Britain is the country with old cultural traditions and customs. The official languages of the state are English, Welsh, Scottish and Gaelic. The national symbol of the country is the Union Jack- the National Flag having 3 red and white crosses on the dark blue field.
Задание №2. Ответьте на предложенные вопросы.
1.Give the official name of Great Britain.
2.What does it consist of?
3.What is the highest mountain in the UK?
4.Name the longest rivers of the country.
5.What is the national symbol of the country?
6.Who is formal\real head of the state?
7.Who heads the country government?
8.How many chambers does the British Parliament have?
9.What are the largest political parties of the UK?
1.The official name of Great Britain is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
2.The UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.
3.The highest mountain in the UK is Bev Nevis in Scotland.
4.The Severn and the Thames are the longest rivers of the UK.
5.The national symbol is the Union Jack, the British flag.
6. Officially the formal head of the state is the queen. The real head is the British Parliament.
7.The prime minister is the head of the British goverment.
8.The British Parliament has two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
9.There are several political parties in Britain. The largest and the most influencial are the Conservative, the Liberal, the Labour parties.
1.The official name of Great Britain is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
2.The UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.
3.The highest mountain in the UK is Bev Nevis in Scotland.
4.The Severn and the Thames are the longest rivers of the UK.
5.The national symbol is the Union Jack, the British flag.
6. Officially the formal head of the state is the queen. The real head is the British Parliament.
7.The prime minister is the head of the British goverment.
8.The British Parliament has two chambers, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
9.There are several political parties in Britain. The largest and the most influencial are the Conservative, the Liberal, the Labour parties.
—> Country Study
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British Government.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. It means that it has a Monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. The position of the monarch is contradictory. On the one hand, the Queen has almost absolute power. As far as the law is concerned, she can appoint all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister and dismiss them. She summons the Parliament and dissolves it before the general Elections. There’s a principle of the English law that the Monarch can do nothing that is legally wrong. In other words, Queen Elizabeth is above law. On the other hand, however, the Queen has almost no power at all. As Britain is a parliamentary democracy, everything is done on the advice of the elected Government, the government is controlled by parliament elected by the people. So the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process. Although the Queen is no longer responsible for governing the country, she carries out a great many important tasks on behalf of the nation. ·
Parliament is made up of three parts:
·The Queen
·The House of Lords
·The House of Commons
How often do General Elections take place? General elections have to take place at least every five years and are called by the Prime Minister (the leader of the Government).
Who can become a MP? People are nominated as candidates to become MPs. Anyone over the age of 21 can be a candidate.
How does an MP get a seat in Parliament? When an MP gets the most votes for his constituency (local area) he gains a seat. This means he has a place in Parliament.
When did the last General Elections take place? On the 6th of May, 2010.
Who won the Elections? The Conservative party. The leader of the party is David Cameron. He is now the 75th Prime Minister of the UK.
The election campaign lasts about 3 weeks. The election is decided on a simple majority – the candidate with most votes wins. The House of Commons is made up of 659 elected members. It is presided over by the Speaker. MPs sit on 2 sides of the Hall, one side for the governing party & the other for the opposition. The first 2 rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of the both parties (called «front-benchers”), the back benches belong to the ordinary (rank-&-file) members («back-benchers”). In fact there aren’t enough seats for all MPs, there are only 400, Mps don’t have their own place to sit, they sit wherever they can find room. The main function of the House of Commons is to deal with proposed laws.
A proposed law, a bill, has to go through 3 stages in order to become an Act of Parliament. These stages are called readings. MPs have to vote for or against the proposal and afterwards make a resolution which either accepts or rejects the proposal. But the resolutions of the Commons are only part of its activities. There are also Committees. Some Committees are appointed to examine particular proposals for laws, but there are permanent Committees whose job is to investigate the activities of government in a particular field. Such Committees are becoming a more and more important part of the business of the Commons. The other House in Parliament is the House of Lords, members of which are known as peers. They are not elected. They have inherited family titles or they have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another. There are 675 members of the Lords, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. The Chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord-Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack. The House of Lords is a relic of earlier times, it has been allowed to survive but it has had to change, losing most of its powers. The main job of the House of Lords is to ‘double check’ new laws to make sure they are fair and will work. The members of the House of Lords debate a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. The modern House of Lords is a forum for public discussion. Because its members do not depend on party politics for their position, it’s sometimes able to bring important matters that the Commons has been ignoring into the open. What is more important, it’s the place where proposals for new laws are discussed in great detail – much more detail than the busy Commons has time for – and in this way irregularities and inconsistencies in these proposals can be removed before they become law. This can be said to be the role of the House of Lords.
Political Parties.
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system or judicature) is the system of courts which interprets and applies the law in the name of the sovereign or state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law (that is, in a plenary fashion, which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which is the responsibility of the executive), but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. This branch of government is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under law. It usually consists of a court of final appeal (called the «supreme court» or «constitutional court»), together with lower courts. The term «judiciary» is also used to refer collectively to the personnel, such as judges, magistrates and other adjudicators, who form the core of a judiciary (sometimes referred to as a «bench»), as well as the staffs who keep the system running smoothly. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the supreme court (court of last resort, highest appellate court) in all matters under English law, Welsh law, Northern Irish law and Scottish civil law (the court has no authority over criminal cases in Scotland, where the High Court of Justiciary remains the supreme criminal court). The Supreme Court also has jurisdiction to determine devolution disputes — cases in which the legal powers of the three devolved governments or laws made by the devolved legislatures are questioned. The Supreme Court sits in the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster, London, which it shares with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Supreme Court was established by Part 3 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and started work on 1 October 2009.
Countries of the United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), since 1922, comprises four constituent countries: England, Scotland, and Wales (which collectively make up Great Britain), as well as Northern Ireland (variously described as a country, province or region). [1] [2] [3] [4] The UK Prime Minister’s website has used the phrase «countries within a country» to describe the United Kingdom. [5] Some statistical summaries, such as those for the twelve NUTS 1 regions of the United Kingdom, refer to Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales as «regions». [6] [7] With regard to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales particularly, the descriptive name one uses «can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one’s political preferences». [8]
Although the United Kingdom is a unitary sovereign country, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have gained a degree of autonomy through the process of devolution. The United Kingdom Parliament and British Government deal with all reserved matters for Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, but not in general matters that have been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh Senedd. Additionally, devolution in Northern Ireland is conditional on co-operation between the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of Ireland (see North/South Ministerial Council) and the British Government consults with the Government of Ireland to reach agreement on some non-devolved matters for Northern Ireland (see British–Irish Intergovernmental Conference). England, comprising the majority of the population and area of the United Kingdom, [9] [10] remains fully the responsibility of the United Kingdom Parliament centralised in London.
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are not themselves listed in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) list of countries. However the ISO list of the subdivisions of the United Kingdom, compiled by British Standards and the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics, uses «country» to describe England, Scotland, and Wales. [11] Northern Ireland, in contrast, is described as a «province» in the same lists. [11] Each has separate national governing bodies for sports and compete separately in many international sporting competitions, including the Commonwealth Games. Northern Ireland also forms joint All-Island sporting bodies with the Republic of Ireland for some sports, including rugby union. [12]
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the Crown and are not part of the UK. Similarly, the British Overseas Territories, remnants of the British Empire, are not part of the UK.
Historically, from 1801, following the Acts of Union, until 1922 the whole island of Ireland was a country within the UK. Ireland was split into two separate jurisdictions in 1921: Southern Ireland and Northern Ireland. Southern Ireland became the Irish Free State and left the United Kingdom in 1922, left the Commonwealth of Nations in 1949 and is now known as the Republic of Ireland or simply Ireland.