(Basics) Introducing Britain

BRITAIN (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland)
(GREAT = first used to distinguish Britain from the smaller area in France – ‘Brittany’)
COUNTRY AND PEOPLE
 Lying off the north-west coast of Europe

 The largest island – Great Britain
 The second one – Ireland
 The longest standing parliamentary democracy in the world
 Constitutional monarchy (legislative, law – making body)
 1st nation to industrialize (end of 17th century)
 The British Empire (16th – 20th century)
o the largest the world has ever seen (South Africa, Canada, Australia,
Indonesia)
 244, 100 km2
 population: 65, 6 million
o England - 84% o Scotland - 8,5 %
o Wales - 5% o Northern Ireland - less than 3%
 few invaders of Britain in the past 2,000 years

 British are quite good at absorbing incomers
 still awkward with strangers, unsophisticated people (afraid of foreign food and
languages)
 Britain is a strong, independent country (one that hasn’t embraced European
 many other names: UK, GB, Britain, Albion (the oldest), Brittania
GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING
 most of the lowland terrain

o fertile lowlands in south-eastern England are relieved by soft hills before
the West Country breaks out into stretches of moorland
 mountainous part (West, North-West)
o The Pennines - a range of mountains and hills in Northern England
o Ben Nevis - the highest peak in the British Isles, Scotland, Grampian m.
 peaty hills of Northern Ireland
 stretches of moorland (open land that has an acidic peaty soil and is mostly covered
with heather and bracken)
 Lough Neagh
o the largest freshwater lake by area in the British Isles, Northern Ireland
 The River Severn - the longest in the UK
 The river Thames – flows through London
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2
 2 states
o The Republic of Ireland (Irish language name – Eire5)
o The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the north-
eastern area of Ireland, the whole of GB)
o ‘IONA’(Islands of the North Atlantic), The Isles
o ‘Great Britain and Ireland’ (ignores all the smaller islands)
 the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man

o special political arrangements, which are ‘crown dependencies’ and not
officially part of the UK, complete internal self-government, own
parliament and own tax system
 close link between cultures and the physical geography of the environments
 island nature of the country
 geography is crucial in the Industrial Revolution
 crucial role of the Gulf Stream  Britain  fertile, prosperous country
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POLITICALLY AND HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
 one of two states in the British Isles

 constitutional monarchy (Magna Carta 1215, The Bill of Rights 1689)
 has authority over the whole of Great Britain /1707/
 the North Eastern area of Ireland, most of the smallest islands
 two island groups - Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Isle of Wight)
 a long history of migration from Scotland, Wales and Ireland to England
 millions of people live in England but they would never describe themselves as
English (they support the country of their parents or grandparents)
4 DISTINCTIVE NATIONS (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland)
 Political unification of these nations was a gradual process (700 years)

o completed in 1800, when the Irish parliament was joined with the
parliament for England, Scotland, and Wales in Westminster  the UK of
GB and Ireland
o a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing
literature and science
 in 1922 most of Ireland became a separate state
 The dominant culture of people (culture and lifestyle varied enormously)
 the difference was reflected in the languages they spoke, different economic, social
and legal system, they were independent of each other
o CELTIC: Ireland, Wales and Highland Scotland, Celtic languages
o GERMANIC: England and Lowland Scotland, Germanic dialects
(development into modern English)
 the differences have not completely disappeared
 only one government for the whole of Britain, the same passport regardless of
where in Britain do you live, English is the main language
 Welsh, Scottish and Irish people feel their identity very strongly (separate teams in
many kinds of international sport)
 many aspects of government are organized separately, Houses of P.– foreign affairs
 individual bodies (education, health care – local), people believed that national
interest were not represented enough
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Identifying symbols
ENGLAND
Capital: London
flag plant patron saint, Saint’s day colour (teams)
St. George’s cross Rose
 St. George – 6th or 8th century, special patron of soldiers

 London  The Houses of Parliament - where the laws of the UK are debated and
created
o The house of commons: members are elected (voted for by people)
o The house of lords (upper class) – hereditary (inherit) pears (since 90’s - life
pears), you have to be an expert in some field to become a life pear
 rugby, football
 15th century – War of the roses
 dominant culture of Britain (an excuse for people who use ‘England’ instead of
‘Britain’
 the present monarch is known as ‘Elizabeth II’ (even though Scotland and Northern
Ireland have never had ‘Elizabeth I’)
 the supply of money controlled by the Bank of England not Britain
 Birmingham – I’m Bromie, specific about where they come from
 (sometimes distant people – stiff upper lip – aristocracy in past believed that people
shouldn’t show their emotions)
SCOTLAND
Capital: Edinburgh
flag plant patron saint, day, colour Lion Rampant
St. Andrew’s cross thistle
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 the kilt, a skirt with a tartan pattern worn by men (clans)
 Scottish men are sometimes known and addressed as ‘Jock’
 The Scots have a reputation for being careful with money
 The Scottish bagpipes, national animal: unicorn, caber toss
 The Scottish parliament (work of art) in Edinburgh
 Edinburgh festival - celebrating art, theatre and culture
 Scotland – 1st to join as a royal/regal union
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WALES
Capital: Cardiff
flag plant patron saint, saint’s day colour
dragon of Cadwallader leek/daffodil
 leek is the most well-known but it was replaced in 19th century by daffodil
 St. David - spreading Christianity
 David Lloyd George – 1st welsh man who served as a prime minister
 King Arthur
 Welsh – about 20%, Welshmen are called ‘Dai’ or ‘Taffy’.
 Red welsh dragon story, Celts adopted the logo in 1807
 Singing in Cymraeg, male only choirs
 Musical instrument: the harp
 Most signs are in English and Welsh (Cymraeg)
 The Welsh assembly in Cardiff
 Military, political and social dominance of the English over the Welsh reflected in
the language
o 1536 the two countries were united (England and Wales), no law to prohibit
the speaking of Welsh
o no one who insisted on using Welsh was allowed to hold an official position
children would have to learn English in school, unfortunate even cruel
practices (a token with letters WN stand for Welsh not was placed around
the neck
o In 1981 less than one in five people could speak Welsh
o today 80% doesn‘t speak Welsh
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Capital: Belfast
flag plant patron saint, day, colour Republic of Ireland
St. Patrick’s cross shamrock
 St. Patrick
o slave, spreading Christian message
o 40 years of stablishing churches and schools
 Irishmen are called ‘Paddy’ or ‘Mick’
 The Irish are supposed to be great talkers
 Musical instrument: the harp, Irish dancing
 Place of conflict for many years (the Troubles) until the peace process (assembly)
 Unionists/loyalists  Protestants (Christians, the majority of NI)  NI to remain
within the UK
 Irish nationalists/republicans (mostly Catholics)  NI to leave UK and join the
Irish Republic
 The culture - rich with myth and legends, the rocks forming the Giant's Causeway
were thrown there by an Irish giant during a fight with a Scottish giant
 NI murals = painting on the wall (street art), art reflects society
o reminder of past, symbolise a divided community (defensive, militaristic
imagery, civil war, guns, soldiers, catholic man was portrayed a lot)
o the new murals want to leave the violence behind (peaceful)

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BRITAIN (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland)

COUNTRY AND PEOPLE

 Lying off the north-west coast of Europe

o England - 84% o Scotland - 8,5 %

o Wales - 5% o Northern Ireland - less than 3%

 few invaders of Britain in the past 2,000 years

 most of the lowland terrain

 the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man

 one of two states in the British Isles

4 DISTINCTIVE NATIONS (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland)

 Political unification of these nations was a gradual process (700 years)

flag plant patron saint, Saint’s day colour (teams)

St. George’s cross Rose

 St. George – 6th or 8th century, special patron of soldiers

flag plant patron saint, day, colour Lion Rampant

St. Andrew’s cross thistle

flag plant patron saint, saint’s day colour

dragon of Cadwallader leek/daffodil

flag plant patron saint, day, colour Republic of Ireland

St. Patrick’s cross shamrock

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