Unit 1: Land and People Linye Han 韩林烨

Outline Name of the Nation, national flag, and Anthem Geographical Pattern Landscape Climate People Language

Name of the Nation Official name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Constitutional monarchy in northwestern Europe United Kingdom, UK, and Britain are all proper terms for the entire nation.

Name of the Nation The term Great Britain, refers only to the island of Great Britain, which does not include Northern Ireland. The term England should never be used to describe Britain, because England is only one part of the island. It is always correct to call people from England(English), Scotland(Scottish), or Wales(Welsh) British.

the UK Britain Great Britain British Isles England the Republic of Ireland British Empire British Commonwealth

The British Isles are made up of two large islands—Great Britain (the larger one) and Ireland, and hundreds of small ones. The British Empire took up ¼ of the world’s land area and population The British Commonwealth is a free association, made up of the independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. It was established in 1931. It has over 50 member countries right now.

National Flag and Anthem National Anthem: “God Save the queen” National Flag: the Union Jack

Geographical Pattern An island country. It lies in the northwest coast of Europe and is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east. Britain covers an area of 244,100 square km. It runs 1,000 km from north to south and extends, at the widest part, about 500 km from east to west.

Components England—the largest, most populous and wealthiest division of the U.K. Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

A number of small islands: the Isle of Wight(怀特岛）,Anglesey (安格尔西岛），the Isles of Scilly (锡利群岛），the Hebrides archipelago (赫布里底群岛) ,the Orkney Islands (奥克尼群岛 ), the Shetland Islands(设得兰群岛 )

A few dependent territories: the Isle of Man(曼岛），the Channel Islands (海峡群岛），Falkland Islands(福克兰群岛），Gibraltar(直布罗陀）

England The largest, southern part of the island, covering an area of 130,000 km2, taking up 60% of the land area of the whole island. The highest peak in this region is Scafell (978 m) in the Lake District in north-west England. (斯克费尔峰) London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool are the major cities.

Landscape East/South rolling downs and low-lying plains; North England the Pennines (奔宁山脉), which form the ‘backbone’ of England. Northwest the Cumbrian Mountain Range(康布里安山脉,地处英格兰西北部湖区), the highest mountain peak of which is Scafell

West hills, moorland plateaus—Dartmoor and Exmoor, and valleys. This part is often referred to as the “West Country”.

Cumbrian Mountain Range the Pennines 奔宁山脉 Cumbrian Mountain Range 康布里安山脉 Plains 平原 West Country Downs 丘陵

Downs and Plains Midland Plain Lancashire-Cheshire Plain Salisbury Plain South Downs North Downs Weald Chiltern Hills Cotswold Hills

London The capital of England and of the UK, a major port, 65km from the mouth of the River Thames. Administratively it consists of: ①the City of London ②Greater London, a metropolitan county, made up of 12 Inner London boroughs and 20 Outer London boroughs. 

“The city of London” is widely referred to simply as “the City” and is also colloquially known as the “Square Mile”, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2),i.e. just over 1 sq mi, in area. The name “London” is now ordinarily used for a far wider area than just the City. The local authority for the City, namely the City of London Corporation, is headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office separate from (and much older than) the Mayor of London.

The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. The role, created in 2000 after the London devolution referendum, was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The Mayor of London is the mayor of the entirety of Greater London, including the City of London for which there is also the ceremonial Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Scotland mainly composed of mountains, lakes and islands covering an area of 78,760 km2 Ben Nevis (1,343 m) the highest peak in Britain. Edinburgh is the capital city. Three natural zones: the Highlands in the north the central Lowlands the southern Uplands

2/3 is covered by the Highlands, which contain the Grampian Mountains and Ben Nevis. The central Lowlands include the valleys of the Clyde(克莱德河), Tay (泰河) and Forth (福斯河) rivers. This is the most important area in Scotland, which contains most of the industry and population. Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, are both located in this area. The southern Uplands are a region of rolling moorlands cut by some small fertile river valleys.

Wales covering an area of 20,761 km2 (about 9%) in the west of Great Britain a mountainous area with hills rising steeply from the sea and with flat tops 6% of Wales is covered with forest and much of the country is pasture, with only 12% of the area arable. The capital city is Cardiff.

Three parts: the industrial south the central plateaus and lakes and the mountainous north Most of Wales is mountainous, mainly formed by Cambrian Mountain Range (坎布里安山脉). The most fertile land in Wales is found near the coast and in the interior valleys.

Northern Ireland Taking up an area of 14,147 km2, the northern fifth of Ireland Belfast is the capital city. The Lough Neagh here is the largest lake in Britain.

Rivers and Lakes The longest river : the Severn river 354 km long. The 2nd largest and most important river: the Thames River, 336 km long The River Tay is the longest river in Scotland and the largest river in the UK regarding the discharge. The most important river in Scotland is River Clyde, 170km long.

The largest lake is the Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland covering 396 square kilometers.

Climate A Favorable Maritime Climate a rainy, changeable and unpredictable weather mild winters and cool summers a steady and reliable rainfall throughout the year a small range of temperature

Gulf Stream 湾流——Warm Current of Mexico Gulf 墨西哥湾暖流(the largest and strongest warm current on any ocean around the globe) North Atlantic Drift 北大西洋暖流 is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

The Gulf Stream influences the climate of the east coast of North America from Florida to Newfoundland, and the west coast of Europe.  Under its influence，the climate of western Europe and northern Europe is warmer than it would otherwise be.

People English(81.6%) Scottish(9.6%) Welsh(1.9%) Irish(2.4%) the Northern Irish(1.8%) other peoples (2.8%)

Early Ethnic Groups Anglo-Saxon—Germanic peoples from Europe including Angles, Saxons and Jutes Celts—Native Britons who had absorbed the prehistoric people Iberians and settled in the west of the country Scandinavians, Normans and waves of other foreigners and refugees all left their imprints in the genetic pool of the UK.

Language Old English: Language used in England until the Normans invasion in 1066 Middle English: from 1066 to the end of 15th Century It was not until the 14th century when English again became the official language of the country because the English King and the nobles lost their land holdings in France and finally regarded England as their home.

The great Vowel Shift in the 15th and 16th centuries marked the transition of Middle English to Modern English.

International Language: extensive borrowing of foreign vocabulary, the expansion of the British Empire Native Language: USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada Second Language: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, the Phillipines

Working Language of the United Nations and international conference Primary medium for modern science and technology, research papers