United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland A brief glimpse of the British life and culture
Contents ► Countries ► Brief facts & figures ► What people think ► British weather ► Family ► Homes ► Typical day for a child ► Leisure activities ► Sports ► Food ► Etiquette ► Government & royalty ► NHS ► Common misconceptions
Countries of the U.K. ► England + Scotland + Wales = Great Britain ► Great Britain + Northern Ireland = the United Kingdom ► British does not mean English, can mean Scottish or Welsh
Brief U.K. statistics ► Population (2008): ~61.4 million (~48.3 million). ► Economy: 6 th in the world. ► Capital city: London, ~8 million (Seoul, ~10.3 million). ► Currency: Pound sterling (£1:1,645 won).
What people think… Weather Tea The Queen Fish and chips Gentlemen Red buses Harry Potter Hooligans Manchester United
British weather ► Not as bad as people think! ► The weather is unpredictable and very changeable. ► Human nature to only remember about the negative.
The British family ► Estimated by 2020, more single parents than married. Opposite to 50 years ago. ► Estimated only 60% of couples will marry. ► ~40% of children are born to unmarried parents. ► Reasons: late marriages, divorces are easier and cheaper, wedding expenses, changing social views, job focus and so forth.
British homes ► Houses are more popular than flats. ► An average house is more than £200,000 (400,000,000 won). ► Three main types of houses
A typical day of a British school child
British leisure activities ► In their spare time: watching T.V., socialising, sports, DIY, gardening, music, films, Internet surfing and so forth. ► Cost of entertainment and living. ► Seasonal effect.
British sports ► Main sports: football, cricket, rugby and tennis. ► Cricket is the national sport, football is the most popular.
British food Tea & scones Fish & chips Curry Spotted dick Pies Sunday roast Bangers & mash Meat & 2 veg
British etiquette ► Standing in line ► Excuse me, please, thank you ► Apologising ► Cover mouth ► Opening and holding doors ► Personal space ► Privacy ► Spitting and littering ► Tipping ► Handshakes ► Eye-contact ► Understatement ► When invited ► Gift giving
Who rules the U.K.? ► Parliament and the Prime Minister. ► The Queen and the Royal Family.
The National Health Service (NHS) ► A healthcare system mainly funded by the public. (~£92 billion for ). ► Came into effect in ► Majority of services are free at the point of use. ► Waiting lists and postcode lottery. ► The “World Health Service”. ► Not perfect but vast majority are happy.
Common misconceptions ► The V-sign. ► “How do you do?” ► All British speak the same. ► Obsessed about football. ► Being called English. ► Expected to behave like a gentleman.