Unit 22 Britain and Ireland

扩展资料

General Information of Great Britain

　　 Panorama Official Name

　　United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

　　Capital

　　London

　　Flag

　　The distinctive Union Jack of Great Britain was adopted in 1801, when the red Cross of Saint Patrick, representing Ireland, was added to the Cross of Saint George, representing England, and the Cross of Saint Andrew, representing Scotland.

　　Anthem

　　God Save the Queen

　　Population

　　58,489,975 ( 1996 estimate ) Population Density 242 persons /sq km

　　Largest Cities

　　London 6,803,100 Birmingham 934,900   Leeds 674,400   Glasgow 654,542

　　( 1991 preliminary census )

　　Ethnic Groups

　　94% European mostly English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh 6% Other including Indians, West Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, Bangladeshis, Chinese, and Arabs

　　Languages

　　Official Language English

　　Other languages Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, other minority languages

　　Religions

　　48% Anglicanism   16% Roman Catholicism 36% Other including Protestantism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

　　Land

　　Area 241,590 sq km ( 93,278 sq mi )

　　Highest Point Ben Nevis 1 ,343 m ( 4,406 ft ) above sea level

　　Climate

　　Lowest Point Holme Fen 3m( 10 ft) below sea level

Britain Population

　　The population of Great Britain (1996 estimate) is 58.489,975. The overall population density is 242 persons per sq km. A small percentage of Britons live in rural areas; 89 percent are urban dwellers, The largest cities in Great Britain are London (population, 1991 preliminary, 6,803,100 ) Birmingham (934,900 ), Leeds (674,400 ), and Glasgow (654,542 ). Most Britons (94 percent ) are either English, Scottish, Irish, or Welsh. The remainder include Indians. West Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, Bangladeshis, Chinese, and Arabs. The country- official language is English. Numerically, the Church of England (or Anglican Church ) has the largest number of adherents of any religion in Great Britain, accounting for 48 percent of the population; most members reside in England. The second largest religion, statistically, is Roman Catholicism (16 percent ) ; Catholics reside throughout the kingdom. Other religions include Protestantism (Which includes the state religions of both Wales and Scotland ) , Islam. Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.

　　For further information on population distribution, principal cities, racial origins, religion, and culture in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, see the articles dealing with the component parts of the kingdom. For the development and present state of languages and literature in Great Britain, see Celtic Languages; Cornish Literature; Drama and Dramatic Arts; English Language; English Literature; Gaelic Literature; Irish Literature; Welsh Literature. )

England

　　England (Latin Anglia) , political division of the island of Great Britain, constituting with Wales, the principal division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England occupies all of the island east of Wales and south of Scotland, another division of the United Kingdom. Established as an independent monarchy many centuries ago, England in time achieved political control over the rest of the island, all the British isles, and vast sections of the world, becoming the nucleus of one of the greatest empires in history. The capital, largest city, and chief port of England is London, with a population (1991 preliminary) of 6,803,100. It is also the capital of Great Britain and the site of the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations.

　　England is somewhat triangular in shape, with its apex at the mouth of the Tweed River. The eastern leg, bounded by the North Sea, extends generally southeast to the North Foreland, the northern extremity of the region called the Downs. The western leg of the triangle extends generally southwest from the mouth of the Tweed along the boundary with Scotland, the Irish Sea, St. George Channel, and the Atlantic Ocean to Land End, the western most extremity of England and of the island. The northern frontier extends from Solway Firth on the west along the Cheviot Hills to the mouth of the Tweed on the east. The base of the triangle fronts the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The total area of England is 130,439 sq km(50,363 sq mi ), 57 percent of the area of the island. This total, approximately the size of the state of North Carolina, includes the region of the Scilly Isles, southwest of Land End in the Atlantic Ocean; the Isle of Wight ( see Wight, Isle of ), located off the southern coast: and the Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea.

Wales

　　Wales, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, forming administratively a part of England and occupying a broad peninsula on the western side of the island of Great Britain. Wales also includes the island of Anglesey, which is separated from the mainland by the narrow Menai Strait. Wales is bounded on the north by the Irish Sea; on the east by the English counties of Cheshire, Shrop-shire, Hereford and Worcester, and Gloucester; on the south by Bristol Channel; and on the west by St. George Channel and Cardigan Bay. The maximum north-south extent of the Welsh mainland is about 220 km ( about 137 mi); in an east-west direction the distance varies between 60 and 155 km ( 36 and 96 mi ) . The total area of Wales is 20,768 sq km ( 8019 sq mi ) . Cardiff is the capital, principal seaport, (and shipbuilding center.

Scotland

　　Scotland, administrative division of the kingdom of Great Britain, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland is bounded on the north by the Atlantic Ocean; on the east by the North Sea; on the southeast by England; on the south by Solway Firth, which partly separates it from England, and by the Irish Sea; and on the west by North Channel, which separates it from Ireland, and by the Atlantic Ocean. As a geopolitical entity Scotland includes 186 nearby islands, a majority of which are contained in three groups , the Hebrides, also known as the Western Islands, situated off the western coast; the Orkney Islands, situated off the northeastern coast; and the Shetland Islands, situated northeast of the Orkney Islands. The largest of the other islands is the Island of Arran. The total land area, including the islands, is 77,097 sq km ( 29,767 sq mi ) . Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city.

What's the difference between the British Isles (不列颠群岛), Britain (不列颠), the United Kingdom (联合王国) and England (英格兰)?

　　The British Isles consists of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other Britain - Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands, and it is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.

　　The United Kingdom (UK) is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It consists of Scotland, Wales, and England (.i.e. the whole of Britain) , and also about one-sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The rest of Ireland is self-governing.

　　England is the largest, most populous, and generally staking, the richest section. English people tend to use the words “England” and “English when they mean” Britain and “British”. Tins sometimes annoys the Scots and the Welsh. The Scots in particular are very proud of their separate nationality; they have their own legal system, and some of their internal affairs are managed by special Scottish departments, though they have no separate parliament. The Welsh too do not regard themselves as English, and have a culture and even a language of their own. There is a Welsh rationalist and a Scottish rationalist party, demanding a measure of independence from England. Although they have held seat& m the House of Commons, they are not very strong; and in general the Scots, the Welsh and the English feel sufficiently similar to each other to be quite content to form a combined Parliament in London.

　　Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but it soon grew discontented, and for forty years the “Irish Question” was the greatest headache of the British Parliament. At last, after much bloodshed, Ireland divided itself into two: Northern Ireland remained loyal to the Crown ( though it has its own Parliament sitting in Belfast for internal affairs), and in 1922 the rest of the country broke away to form an Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland.

　　The Republic of Ireland does not regard itself as British. It is still discontented, as it resents the existence of Northern Ireland, and wants the whole of Ireland to be a republic.