Great Britian

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland lies at the top-left edge of Europe, separated from the Europe by the North Sea and English Channel. It consists of two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and about five thousand smaller ones. For example: the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands etc. Its neighbours are Ireland to west and France to south-east. It covers an area of nearly 250 000 square kilometres. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England (capital city London), Scotland (capital city Edinburgh), Wales (capital city Cardiff)  and Northern Ireland (capital city Belfast). England is the largest and most populous unit in the country.

Physical Britain: England - On the east coast there are large areas of flat plains. They used to be marshes (bažiny) and were drained to produce a rich agricultural landscape similar to the Netherlands. Elsewhere in the South and East, there is a rolling country with a variety of landforms. Wales - Unlike England, Wales and Scotland are dominated more by mountains and uplands. The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon, which is nearly 1,100 meters high and is the second highest in Britain. Wales is sometimes called the land of castles. The land is full of mystery and beauty. There are snow-capped mountains, green valleys, sea resorts, big cities and little seaside towns. Cardiff, Newport and Swansea are the biggest cities here. Scotland - Southern and central Scotland are dominated by low ranges (hřebeny)of hills called Southern Uplands and the Central Lowlands. North and west of the Central Lowlands are the Highlands which include Ben Nevis, at nearly 1,350 metres, the highest mountain in Britain. Scotland is a historically and culturally separated country from England. It has its own legal and educational systems and currency (the value is the same but bank notes have different design). Northern Ireland - also has a more rolling scenery; to the north-east are the Antrim Mountains.

History - The Celts arrived 2500 to 3000 ago. Their language survives in Welsh and Gaelic. England was added to the Roman Empire in 43 AD. The Romans built camps, forts and roads through the land and also Hadrian's wall to protect them against the invasion of the Celtic tribes. The Roman‘s towns and forts were connected with roads, which was used by British for many centuries. The Jutes, the Angles and the Saxon tribes arrived from German lands. They fought with Danes from the 8th and 11th centuries. The last successful invasion was by Normans led by William, Duke of Normandy, who became William the Conqueror after defeating the Saxon King Harold in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William the Conqueror established a strong central government and appointed Norman noblemen to high position. The opposition by nobles forced King John to sign Magna Carta in 1215, a guarantee of rights and the rule of law. In 15th century was War of the Roses between House of York and House of Lancaster. Religious independence from Rome was the authority of the Pope in 1543 by King Henry VIII. Under Queen Elizabeth I. Britain became a major sea power, leading to the founding of colonies in the new world and the expansion of trade with Europe and the Orient. In 1588 England defeated the Spanish Armada. Together with the explorations carried out by Sir Francis Drake, helped established British supremacy on the seas. Scotland was united with England when James VI. of Scotland was crowned James I. of England in 1603. The Act of Union in 1707 Scotland with England. A struggle between Parliament and the Stuart kings led to a bloody Civil War. The country was divided between the supporters of Charles I., who wanted to rule absolutely, and the supporters of Parliament. The monarchy was restored in 1660 but the "Glorious revolution" in 1688 confirmed the Parliament. Technological innovations , such as James Watt with steam engine or steam locomotive by George Stephenson, led to the Industrial Revolution. The 13 North American colonies were lost, but replaced by growing empires in Canada and India. Large parts of Africa and Asia were added to the empire during the reign of Queen Victoria. Through victorious World War I. Britain suffered huge economic losses. The land suffered major bombing damage in World War II., but held out against Germany after the fall of France in 1940. Industrial growth went on in postwar period, but Britain lost its leading position to other powers. Labour governments passed programmers nationalizing some basic industries and expanding social security. The Thatcher conservative government has however increased the role of private enterprise.

Climate and waterways - Britain has a highly variable but moderate climate. There are few periods of continuously dry weather. In winter temperatures are colder in the east than in the west. In summer, it is cooler in the north than the south. The Severn and Thames are the longest rivers. Other main rivers are: Avon, Clyde, Mersey, Trent, etc. Many of the rivers are canalised and are linked with other river systems in a complex system dating from the Industrial Revolution.

Vegetation, resources - Forests cover only 7% of the land area, yet the landscape looks very wooded. This is because there are many trees in hedgerows (živý plot) and pastures. Britain has always been rich in energy resources, but wanting in food and industrial raw materials. There are a large deposits of coal, oil and natural gas. Agricultural production has risen since World War II., and only one-third of all food needs are now imported, compared with two-thirds before the war.

Interesting places in England - Besides London, which is in the centre of each tourist’s attention, there are many other fascinating places. Oxford and Cambridge are the old university towns. Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and the place where his plays are performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Warwick is the castle and the town, which were built in 10th century. There is a museum now. Bath has been one of the oldest spas in  the valley of the river Avon since the Romans built bath there. Many interesting spa houses were built there in 18th century. Canterbury is an ancient city with a majestic cathedral. The other old cathedral town is Winchester-once it was the capital of England. Salisbury is in Salisbury Plain where we can see a beautiful historic monument of Stonehenge with its giant circles which are more than 3,000 years old. The purpose of this construction is unknown - probably religious and astronomical reasons. Greenwich is known thanks to prime meridian of 0° passes through the old observatory there. Hadrian’s Wall is a part of Roman fortifications (opevnění) built in 2nd century to protect England’s northern boundary.  Hastings is a seaside resort (letovisko) on the east coast whose nearby village of Battle was the battlefield of William the Conqueror’s victorious battle over the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 which began the Norman history of England. Birmingham  is the second largest city in Britain. We can see interesting Victorian architecture here and the network of canals. Northwest is mainly an industrial area. It is sometimes called the „Black Country“. Coventry is an industry city originated in the 7th century. Liverpool is one of the biggest cities in the England, founded in 12th century. It is an important port and the city of the Beatles. The other big cities here are Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, York the residence of the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Northern Province. Northern England is the country of beautiful nature, many national parks and cultural traditions. Another very important place of interest is the most famous lake called Loch Ness. It is well-known because of history about a Loch Ness monster. These reports since 15th century brings millions of pounds a year to Scottish tourism. National parks: The Lake District the region which contains the principal English glacier lakes such as Windermere (the largest one), Grassmere or Coniston Water. The district is connected with pre-romantic writers such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Colridge or Juohn Ruskin; Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Population, languages and demography - Population is 58,6 million people, the density is one of the highest in the world. The main language is English. Other languages include Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. Scottish Gaelic is used mostly in the western Highlands and islands. Britain is highly urbanised, only the Netherlands and Belgium are more densely populated in Europe. About one-third of the population lives in the Greater London area and seven other built-up urban areas.

Government - Britain is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II.  as a head of the state. But in practice she reigns but the “ruler” is the Parliament. Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. General elections are held every five years and eighteen is the minimum voting age. Interest: the British constitution isn’t written. It is formed partly by statute and partly by common law and partly by the convetion (dohoda) The main political parties are the Labour Party, which forms the government (Tony Blair), Conservative Party. Other parties the Liberal Democrats, the Ulster Union Party, the Scottish National Party. The new Labour Government plans to provide home rule to Scotland and Wales.