Great Britain Essay

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Autor: ivanus (18)
Typ práce: Ostatné
Dátum: 18.06.2020
Jazyk: Angličtina
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Great Britain Essay

Great Britain is situated on the British Isles, lying off the northwest coast of Europe. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest, north and southwest, and is separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. On the west, the Irish Sea and North Channel separate Great Britain from Ireland.

The country‘s mild and rainy climate is determined by the warm current of the Gulf Stream.

The population of Great Britain is more than 56 million people. The largest cities are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh.

Great Britain’s major industries include iron and steel engineering, textiles, chemicals, electronics, shipbuilding and food products. Coal is Britain’s leading mineral resource and coal mining is the country’s most important extractive industry. Natural gas, large quantities of which have been discovered in the North Sea, is another major mineral resource.

Great Britain comprises England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. It includes four nations: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. People differ sometimes in their way of life, customs, values and traditions.

England

England occupies the southern part of Great Britain. The southwest and west are largely plains, hills and moors. The principal mountains are the Apennines, the Cornish Heights, the Cheviot Hills and the Cambrian mountains. The east is mainly an open, cultivated plain. 

The population of England is 49 million.

The country is divided into 39 counties. Lancashire, Yorkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Essex and Sussex are the largest and the most populated.

England is highly industrialized. The development of industry started during the period of Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries.

England has a rich architecture, great churches and cathedrals can be seen in many its cities.

Wales

Wales is a largely mountainous country lying on the east of England. It is famous for its long rivers, big lakes and high hills. The whole area of Wales can be divided into three regions- the Welsh Massif, the industrial South Wales and the Welsh borderland. The highest mountain of Wales is Snowdon (1100m).

The settlements are largely concentrated in valleys and along the coast.

There are two languages spoken in Wales – English and Welsh, which is a Celtic language and is equal with English as an official language.

Scotland

Scotland, situated to the north of England, also includes Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides and other islands.

Scotland has about 5 million inhabitants. They speak English and Gaelic, the ancient Scottish language. Scottish people remain very independent and proud of their culture, though Scotland has been a part of Great Britain for almost 300 years.

Scotland can be divided into three parts: the Highlands, the Lowlands and Southern uplands. The highest peak is Ben Nevis (1380m). The most famous lakes are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, where the mythical monster lives.

Scotland has its own law and education system. There are also special traditions in Scotland, such as playing bagpipes and wearing kilts, which are the typical pleated knee-length tartan skirts. There are also a lot of whisky distilleries. Scotland has a very long tradition of whisky making and its whisky is world famous.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, occupies the northern fifth of Ireland. The 1,5 million inhabitants speak all English. The capital is Belfast.

Ireland had long been connected to Britain but the Irish Republic became independent in 1922 and Northern Ireland remained a part of Great Britain. The life of people and the politics of Northern Ireland are dominated by religious and economic problems. Old hatreds between Protestants and Catholics are kept alive; basis for peaceful relationships has not yet been created.

The System of Government

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. The present sovereign, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, was crowned in 1952. She has no real political power.

The supreme legislative body is Parliament. It consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Commons members are elected. The House of Lords includes also hereditary and life peers.

The U.K. constitution is not written. It is formed partly by statute, partly by common law, and partly by conventions. Britain’s most important political parties are the Conservative party and the Labor party.

The History of Great Britain

Among the first inhabitants of GB were Celts, who came to the British Isles from northern Europe before the 6th century B.C.

The Roman occupation began in the 1st century A.D. and lasted for 4 centuries. The Romans built towns, roads… In the 5th century the Roman army was needed at home and left the British Isles.

Then the Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded Britain. The Celts had to take refuge in the mountainous parts of Britain. The Anglo-Saxons gradually established a unified kingdom and a high level of culture. This period was also plagued by Viking raids.

 In 1066 the Norman army lead by William the Conqueror invaded the country. William became King of England and the hegemony of Normans began. An important event in 1215 was the signing of Magna Charta by King John. This document established a basis for the supremacy of law over the king and laid the foundations for parliamentary government.

In 1337 a war between England and France began which lasted till 1453. It is known as The Hundred Years War. It was followed by wars for the English throne between the families of the Yorks and the Lancasters, also known as the Wars of Roses, which ended in victory for Henry Tudor and the establishment of Tudor dynasty. During the reign of the second Tudor king, Henry the 8th, the English Church separated from Rome and he himself became the head of the Church of England.

The reign of Elizabeth the 1st saw the rise of England as a world power.

In the 17th century the king Charles the 1st and the Parliament struggled for power in the Civil War. It ended with the execution of the king and establishment of a puritan republic. Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector.

The puritan republic was unpopular, so in 1660 the monarchy was restored and Charles the 2nd became the king of England.

The 18th century was a period of the rise of the Industrial Revolution.

During the reign of Queen Victoria in the 19th century Britain dominated the world. This period ended with World War 1 and World War 2, in which Britain suffered considerably.

Since then Britain has been trying to come to terms with American world domination, the importance of united Europe and the loss of former colonies.

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