Social Studies-6th grade Mrs. Mirick The British Isles Social Studies-6th grade Mrs. Mirick

What is the United Kingdom? What’s the Difference? What is the United Kingdom? What is Great Britain? England Scotland Wales England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

UK vs. Great Britain

England Great Britain is about the size of Minnesota. Nearly 80% of the people in the UK live in England. Three Regions are: Highlands-hilly lands facing the Atlantic Midlands-has huge population & runs along the highlands Lowlands-to the South & east & is used for farming & sheep herding.

London London, the capital, is the most important city because of its ties to trade and manufacturing. Because of this Britain became known as “the workshop of the world.” Recently, Britain’s commerce has fallen & they now import more goods from countries like the US & Germany.

Scotland’s Regions Scotland occupies 1/3 of the land area of the UK, but only has 10% of the population. 3 Regions include: Northern Highlands-dominated by moors & bogs & has many lakes (called lochs) Central Lowlands Southern Uplands

Scotland’s Economy & Culture Economic activities include: Fishing Sheep-raising Technology (Known as “Silicon Glen” Scotland is unique in the UK in that it kept its own law system & educational system.

Wales Wales also has its own unique culture. It has its own flag & language. It is about the size of Massachusettes & its landscape is similar to Scotland’s. Wales is a bilingual country-its 2 languages are English & Welsh, which is a Celtic language.

Ireland Ireland is a divided country-Northern Ireland is part of the UK while the southern half is its own country. Ireland’s nickname is “the Emerald Isle” because of the intense green color of the island. It has few forests and 1/6 of the island is covered with peat. People use peat for both cooking and heating. Ireland’s history is one of conflict & foreign domination. Today a conflict is still going on between Catholics & Protestants who fight over the reunification of Ireland.