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Country
Identification |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
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Language(s)
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English, Gaelic, Welsh |
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Religion(s)
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Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and other Christian
denominations, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish |
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Political System
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Constitutional Monarchy
Parliament for the whole of the UK: House of Commons and House of
Lords.
Parliament for Scotland, Assemblies for Wales and Northern Ireland
Special links to the Commonwealth, made up of the countries from the
former British Empire |
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Currency |
Pound Sterling |
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Geographical Information |
Island, mostly hills and low mountains, plains in East and Southeast
Climate temperate and changeable, over 50% of days overcast |
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Typical Food and drinks |
Cooked breakfast: fried egg, bacon, sausages.
Main meal is dinner (also called supper or tea). Lots of fast food
consumed, e. g. fish and chips.
Sunday dinner (or lunch): Roast beef, Yorkshire Pudding, two kinds of
vegetables.
Puddings (desserts) important part of the meal, generally
heavy, often
eaten with custard.
Favourite beverage is tea with a little cold milk.
Also popular: Ale (or bitter)
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Holidays and Festivals |
May Bank Holiday Monday
August Bank Holiday Monday
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History
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Stone Age settlements - Stonehenge
Celts, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Normans, Viking
attacks.
Battles for kingship, Tudor and Stuart rulers
Cromwell’s Commonwealth, Restoration of the kings,
growth of the Empire, after World War I general strike,
after World War II loss of the Empire
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Art and culture |
Music: Henry Purcell, Benjamin Britten, The Beatles, Coldplay,
underground urban music e.g. Ms Dynamite.
Architecture: Christopher Wren, Robert Adam, Basil Spence, Norman
Foster, Richard Rogers
Literature: Henry Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Sir
Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, Virginia
Woolf, Dylan Thomas, Ted Hughes, Harold Pinter
Films: Kenneth Branagh, David Lean
Painting: William Hogarth, Henry Raeburn, William Turner, Thomas
Gainsborough, L.S. Lowry, Mary Fedden, Carol Owen |
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Dos and don´ts for visiting the country |
Drive on the left.
Queueing very important.
Remarks about the weather must be taken seriously.
Calling Scots or Welsh "English" can be regarded as an
insult. |
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Population and
% of foreign population /minorities |
Population of GB: about 60 million
5,5 % belong to ethnic minorities, in London 20 %
Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Indians, African Asians (e.g. Ugandans),
Chinese, West Indians, white foreigners. |
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Main Integration Problems
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Class distinctions affect the entire British population including
minorities, e.g. in education.
Racial segregation leads to isolation, fear, misunderstanding, distrust
between different communities. This is exacerbated through racial
prejudice in the police force.
Racial discrimination in the job market leads to social deprivation,
poverty, crime.
Muslims experience more racial abuse, feel more insecure since 11th
September. |
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