1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hana Koťátková

2. Location and basic information
situated in north‑west Europe on the island of Great Britain and the northern part of the island of Ireland + smaller surrounding islands (The nearby Isle of Man, Bailiwick of Guernsey and Bailiwick of Jersey are not part of the United Kingdom)
made up of four countries : England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
a constitutional monarchy = has a parliament and a monarch
the Queen Elizabeth II.
a temperate climate and is famous for its wet weather
the Union Jack

3. Great Britain Vs. The United Kingdom vs. British Isles

4. The Union Jack

5. Population Density
61 million
Live Mostly in cities

6. Political system
constitutional monarchy with the queen (Elizabeth II) as the formal head of the state
Countries are governed by the Governments
a body of ministers with the prime minister as the head of the government
• three major political parties - the Conservative Party (the British traditions of conservatism) the Labour Party (socialism)
- the Liberal Democrats (social liberalism)
The Parliament - House of Commons (elected)
- House of Lords (appointed)

7. British political Hierarchy

8. Geography between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea
separated by the English Channel from France
10% of the UK was forested, 46% used for pastures and 25% cultivated for agriculture
Prime Meridian - The Royal Greenwich Observatory
The main rivers and estuary - the Thames, Severn and the Humber
terrain of England is mostly hilly (small) and green
The north is more mountainous, Highlands Boundary Fault - a geological rock fracture in Scotland

10. Lakes in the Lake District Buttermere, Wast Water, Windermere
in Scotland
Loch Ness – the largest lake by volume, Loch Lomond, Loch Lochy
in Northern Ireland
Lough Neagh

11. England the largest of the countries Seat of political power
The Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace
London, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford
Stonehenge

12. Scotland just under a third of the total area of the UK
(including nearly eight hundred islands)
an independent state until 1707 (joined a union with the Kingdom
of England)
Edinburgh, Glasgow
Quite mountainous - Ben Nevis (1,343 metres)- the highest point in the British Isles
Official language: Welsh (English, Scottish Gaelic)

13. Wales Cardiff, Swansea and Newport
mostly mountainous, though South Wales is less mountainous than North and mid Wales
The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales
the Welsh 3000s = 15 Welsh mountains over 900 metres high
Anglesey = the largest of the Welsh‘s islands
three national parks
Largely self-governing since 1998

14. Northern Ireland
remained part of the United Kingdom when Ireland gained independence
separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea and North Channel
own government
Belfast
Lough Neagh – the largest lake in UK

15. Cities LONDON The capital city of the UK
Westminster - the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower with Big Ben
Buckingham Palace , The Royal Parks- Hyde park, The London Eye – the biggest ferris wheel in EU, The British Museum, The National Gallery, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square
river Themes
Around 11 millions people

16. Edinburgh
Scotland's second most populous city, an univesity city
Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars, the
Georgian New Town + Arthur‘s seat
Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town – listend as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The University of Edinburgh - founded in 1582
the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe (the largest annual international arts festival)
Cities

17. Cities
Cardiff
the country's chief commercial centre, the base for most national
cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media,
and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales
the county town
Cardiff beach, Cardiff University, Cardiff castle
Belfast
largest city of Northern Ireland, has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years
a major port - commercial and industrial docks - listed as a global city
two airports: George Best Belfast City Airport and Belfast International
Airport
Victoria Square

18. Cities Liverpool the Beatles
the fifth largest metropolitan area in the UK
the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City - Unesco - six locations in the city centre:
Pier Head (the Stanley Dock Conservation Area), Albert Dock and William Brown Street
the Three Graces: the Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool Town Hall

19. Cities Manchester home to Manchester United football team
the third-most visited city in the UK
Wide use of red brick + new architecture
Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square
skyscrapers: CIS Tower, Beetham Tower (a Hilton hotel)
Lancaster house, John Rylands Library
six designated Local Nature Reserves
The first splitting of an atom or first computer

20. Cities
Oxford
the University of Oxford - one of the oldest universities
the county town
the "city of dreaming spires„
Christ Church, Tom Tower, Carfax Tower, the historic Covered Market, The Bodleian Library
The Headington Shark - a rooftop sculpture of oversized shark

21. Cities
Glasgow
the largest city in Scotland, from a small rural settlement to the largest seaport in Britain
Glaswegians or Weegies
Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow School of Art, glasgow necropolis, George Square, Kelvingrove Park

22. Landmarks of the UK Stonehenge London the Greenwich Observatory
Windsor Castle
York church
Loch Ness lake
Arthur's Seat
And many more