British Studies. A Short Survey of the United Kingdom

MODULE 1

MODERN REALIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK)

Lecture 1. British Studies. A Short Survey of the United Kingdom

Plan

1. Introduction. Geography of the uk

2. Wales

3. Scotland

4. Northern ireland

UKis an abbreviation of “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (which is the political name of the country). The country is made up of four constituent parts – England, Scotland, Wales (Cymru in Welsh) and Northern Ireland (sometimes known as Ulster).

Geographical position of the UK

in 1937.The north east corner of Ireland, sometimes known as Ulster, sometimes as Northern Ireland, is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain… It is widely assumed that the British is a relatively homogeneous society with… 2. For the other countries in the Union, the ‘centre’ needs to be questioned. Wales is the mountainous area in the…

State symbols of the UK

The flag of the UK

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack*** is made up of three crosses.    

England

Flag: the St George’s cross (see above)

A red cross acted as a symbol for many Crusaders in the 12^th and 13^th centuries. It became associated with St George who’s claimed to be the patron saint of England (the saint’s day – 23 April). The red cross remained in national use until 1707, when the Union Flag was adopted for all purposes to unite the whole of Great Britain under a common flag.

Plant: rose

The rose as the national flower of England is used in a variety of contexts. Predominantly, this is a red rose (which also symbolises Lancashire), such as the badge of the English Rugby Union team. However, a white rose (which also symbolises Yorkshire) or a “tudor rose” (symbolising the end of the Wars of the Roses*) may also be used on different occasions.

Scotland

Flag: St Andrew’s cross (see above) – also known as the Saltire

(St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland (the saint’s day– 30 November))

Plant: thistle

The national flower of Scotland features in many Scottish symbols and logos, and UK currency. It is also used as the emblem of the Scottish Rugby team.

Wales

Flag: the Red Dragon (see above)

Plant: leek and daffodil (they share the Welsh name Ceninen)

It is believed that the leek, if eaten, encourages good health and happiness. This plant, which was worn by the Welsh in the Battle of Crecy** and, by 1536, when Henry VIII gave a leek to his daughter on 1 March, was already associated with St David’s Day. It is possible that the green and white family colours adopted by the Tudors were taken from their liking for the leek.

The daffodilhas only recently assumed a position of national importance. An increasingly popular flower during the 19^th century, especially among women, its status was elevated by the Welsh-born prime minister David Lloyd George, who wore it on St David’s Day and used it in ceremonies in 1911 to mark the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon.

Patron saint: St David (the saint’s day – 1 March; it has been celebrated as such since the 12^th century)

Northern Ireland

Flag:St Patrick’s cross (see above) – also known as the Red Hand Flag

(St Patrick is the patron saint of Northern Ireland (the saint’s day – 17 March))

Plant: shamrock (a three-leafed clover)

The shamrock is often confused with the four-leaf clover. While the four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three-leafed shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a different significance.

The UK physical geography

The geography of Englandconsists of lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain north-west of the Tees-Exe line including the Cumbrian Mountains of… Thegeography of Scotland consists of uplands in the south and the north,… The geography of Wales is mostly mountainous. Snowdon at 1085 m is the highest elevation in Wales. Cardiff, on the…

The UK economic geography

The economic geography of the UK reflects not only its current position in the global economy, but its long history both as a trading nation and an imperial power.

The UK led the industrial revolution and its highly urban character is a legacy of this, with all its major cities being current or former centers of all forms of manufacturing. However, this in turn was built on its exploitation of natural resources, especially coal and iron ore.

The UK manufacturing

·oil and gas production: UK is the world’s ninth largest oil producer and the fifth largest gas producer; ·power generation: UK has the largest energy resources of any EC country (oil,… ·mineral and metal products: UK is a one of the major steel producers; in addition to its large output of aluminum and…

Other major industries include timber and furniture, paper, printing and publishing, rubber tyres and tubes, toys, sports equipment and jewellery.

East Anglia and South East England have been centers for grain production, with some areas of South East England also specializing in market… 5.3. The UK fishing industry. The UK is one of the world’s leading fishing… 5.4. The UK service sector is the dominant sector of the UK economy accounting for 65% of UK’s gross domestic product.…

The UK creative industries include advertising, film and television production, product design, book and music publishing, fine art and antiques markets.

5.6. The UK transport is well developed with an integrated system of airports (471 including international ones (Heathrow, Birmingham, Glasgow)), seaports (Felixstowe, Tilbury, Southampton – three major ones that handle most freight traffic), railways (National Rail network) and roads.

6. London – the capital city of the UK

London, the capital of England and the UK, is the world’s ninth-largest city with the population of over 8 million people. It originated nearly 2 000 years ago with the arrival of the Romans soon after their invasion of Britain in AD 43. London is situated on the banks of the river Thames, in southeast England.

London is made up of two ancient cities which are now joined together. They are:

· the City of London, known simply as “the City” which is the business and financial heart of the United Kingdom. It is also known as the Square Mile (2.59 km²/1 mi²). It was the original settlement (ancient Londinium).

· the City of Westminster, where Parliament and most of the government offices are located. Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the Queen and the Royal family are located there too.

Together they all make up a region known as Greater London.

Each London district has places of interest that are of historical and cultural significance.

The City

Fleet Street is famous as the home of the nation’s newspapers but, in fact, only two of them – The Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph – are still… Historic buildings in the City: St Paul’s Cathedral – an Anglican cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present St Paul’s Cathedral was…

The West End

Trafalgar Square, built in the early 20th century to commemorate the Battle of… Soho is an entertainment district which for much of the later part of the 20th century had a reputation for its night…

The East End

The East End has many places of interest including many of London’s markets (for example Columbia Road Flower Market, Spitalfields Market, Brick Lane Market, Petticoat Lane Market).

Docklands in the East End is a thriving and vibrant area with a wide range of shops, restaurants, pubs and wine bars.

Westminster

It is also the area of royal parks – St James’s Park, Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner, Regent’s Park – present home of London Zoo. The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or… At the north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster is the great bell of the clock in London. This is the world’s…

Glossary

Comprehension

1. What is the flag of the UK usually called? 2. What does the flag consist of? 3. Why is the flag of Wales not represented in the state flag?

Further reading

2. Sheerin S. Spotlight on Britain [2-d edition] / S. Sheerin, J. Seath, G. White. – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. – 140 p. 3. Vaughan-Rees M. In Britain /M. Vaughan-Rees, P. Byström, S. Bateman. –…