GREAT BRITAIN – GENERAL FACTS, GEOGRAPHY AND THE CLIMATE, ECONOMY AND POLITICAL SYSTEM
The official name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy comprising four constituent countries — England (London), Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Edinburgh) and Wales (Cardiff) — with Elizabeth II as head of state. The languages spoken in the UK are official English, Gaelic, Irish Gaelic and Welsh. The area of UK is 245 000 square kilometres and 60 mil. inhabitants live there.
The UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain, its largest island is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel. All parts of the United Kingdom have a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons but seldom drops below −10 °C or rises above 32 °C. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream (North Atlantic drift), bring mild winters, especially in the west, where winters are also wet, especially over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south east of England. The longest rivers are the Severn and the Thames. There are beautiful lake areas in Cumbrian (Windermere) and the North West Highlands of Scotland (Loch Ness). It’s mostly rolling land. The main mountain regions are The Cambrian in Wales, The Pennies and The Cumbrian Mountains in England, The Cheviot Hills and The Highlands in Scotland. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis (1342 m). The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian.
The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag commonly known as the „Union Jack“. Created from the superimposition of the flags of England (St George’s Cross) and Scotland (Saint Andrew’s Cross), with the Saint Patrick’s cross, representing Ireland, being added to this in 1801. The national anthem is „God Save the Queen!“
The Queen is the head of state. She reigns but she doesn’t rule. The contemporary queen is Elizabeth II. She was born on 21st April 1926 and she was coroneted 2nd June 1953. She represents the monarchy, she appoints the ministers, archbishops and bishops, she confers peerages (Lord, Earl), she summons and dissolves the Parliament and she is head of the Church. She has „Queen’s Opening Speech“ at the beginning of October. She talks to the Parliament – it’s after the Parliament’s holiday. The Parliament starts to work. She has to be impartial in politics. Her official birthday celebration is during June. It’s very famous tradition.
The Parliament is a legislative institution. It resides in Palace of Westminster (The Houses of Parliament). It’s divided into 2 houses: The House of Lords and The House of Commons. The House of Lords is the upper house. The members aren’t elected. There are approximately 1200 non – elected members. The number occasionally changes because there are Hereditary peerages and newly conferred. The leader is called Lord Chancellor. The House of Commons is the lower house. The members are elected. There are approximately 650 members. The leader is called The Speaker. The periods of life of the Parliament are sessions. The work of the Parliament starts after the Parliament’s holiday at the beginning of October by Queen’s Opening Speech. Each bill has 3 readings and discussion. There are 2 main political parties: Conservative (right wing) and Labour Party (left wing). The Labour Party rules nowadays and the prime minister is Gordon Brown (Tony Blair left in June in 2007). He chooses the Cabinet (200 members). The Cabinet and the prime minister reside on Downing Street 10 and 11. The judiciary is very important too. There are local courts and the Royal Supreme Court in London.
Economy: It is a highly developed country, with the fifth-largest economy in the world. They mine natural oil, gas and coal. They have platforms in the North Sea.
The most important raw materials are zinc, iron ore, chalk and potter’s clay. The UK is industrial country. There are a lot of factories of heavy and light industry. The food industry, textiles, engineering, chemical and printing is very important. They develop high technologies too. The UK has got 18 nuclear power stations. The Great Britain was the first country which had public supply of electricity. The English agriculture is highly developed and very effective. They breed cattle and sheep, pigs and poultry. They grow wheat, barley, potatoes and sugar beet.
The British Commonwealth of Nations are former British colonies. It’s for example Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Pakistan and some islands in the Atlantic Ocean.