Over the Map of the UK

The British Isles

lie off the north- west coast of the continental Europe

consist of two large islands – Great Britain, Ireland and more

than 5,000 smaller island

surrended by the North Sea,

Atlantic Ocean, the English

Channel and the Irish Sea

total area is nearly 315,000 square kilometres

The British Isles

What Is Its Name? Britai

n Englan

d

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain

The British Isles

The Kingdom of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island

one part of the UK

an island = England, Scotland and Wales

The union of the kingdoms of England and Scotland in 1707

used to mean the United Kingdom, for example in official government yearbooks between 1975 and 2001, now the United Kingdom is used.

geografical term

Simple term for

Why so many names?

Numerous smaller islands including the Isle of Wight,

Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos

The UK Is Made Up Of:

Scottish

English

Welsh

Northern Irish

English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish are all British citizens

What is the official title?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

does not include the Isle of Man (which lies between Great Britain and the island

of Ireland) and the Channel Islands (which lie off the North coast of France).

These are direct dependencies of the British Crown, maintaining their own

legislative, monetary and taxation systems. Each have their own parliaments and a Governor, appointed by the Crown.

The British Isles

Ireland• Republic of Ireland • Northern Ireland

Great Britain• England• Scotland• Wales

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Island

Great BritainCapital cities

England: London Scotland: Edinburgh Wales: Cardiff

the highest mountains = the Mourne Mountains

the highest mountains =

the Cumbrian Mountains

the most important range of the hills =

the Pennines

the highest mountains =

The Grampian Mountains

Mountain ranges

Land

Lowland Britain – the south-east

Highland Britain – the north-west

No place in England is more than 75 miles (120 km) from the sea.

Highlands

Lowlands

Lakes

Northern Ireland - the UK's largest lake, Lough Neagh (396 sq km)

England - the Lake District - Windermere

Scotland - Loch Lomond and Loch Ness

Rivers

The Severn, the longest river, is just 338 km in length, beginning in Wales and entering the Atlantic Ocean near Bristol in England.

the Thames (England), which flows through Oxford and London

Atlantic Ocean - the body of water in which the British Isles are located

Belfast - the capital of Northern Ireland

Cardiff - the capital of Wales

Celtic Sea - the sea south of Ireland

Dublin - the capital of Ireland

England - the largest area in the United Kingdom; it is attached to

Scotland and Wales

Edinburgh - the capital of Scotland

English Channel - the body of water off southern England

which separates it from France

Hebrides - islands off the northwest coast of ScotlandIrish Sea - the body of water that

separates England and Ireland

Isle of Man - an island in the Irish Sea

London - the capital of England (and the capital of the United Kingdom)

North Sea - the body of water northeast of the British Isles separating

it from northwestern Europe

Northern Ireland - a part of the United Kingdom bordering the Republic of Ireland on the northeast

Orkney Islands - islands off the northeast coast of Scotland

Scotland - a part of the United Kingdom bordering England on the north

Shetland Islands - islands far off the northeast coast of Scotland

Wales - a part of the United Kingdom bordering England on the southwest

Isle of Wight - an island off the southern coast of EnglandIreland - (the Republic of Ireland) - a

country west of England across the Irish Sea (not part of the United Kingdom)

Northern Ireland - a part of the United Kingdom bordering the Republic of Ireland on

the northeast

ClimateMild with few

extremes

Facts

Three quarters of the land in Britain is used

for farming

Newcastle

Nine out of ten people live in towns and cities.

More than two-thirds of people own their own homes.

The largest country in Great Britain and the UK

The capital city is London

Famous for many things - David Beckham, Fish and Chips, Big Ben, Red Buses, black cabs, Oasis, Blur, the Beatles, London and tea

Cross of St George

Country Facts

.

Main religions

Church of England, Catholic, Methodist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu

Currency

Pound Sterling (£)

Highest point

Motto

Scafell Pike 978 m (3210 ft)

Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)

Longest river

Thames (346 km)

Largest Lake

Windermere (14.7 sq km)

Tallest Building

Canada Square, Canary Wharf (London), 245 metres (800 feet) high

Official Animal

Lion

National Day

23 April

The Symbols of England St. George

A brave Roman soldier who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and died for his beliefs

The rose

The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses - civil wars (1455-1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose).

Technically, Wales is a principality. This means that it is ruled by a

prince. Traditionally the Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the

English monarch.

Wales

The National Assembly of Wales has limited domestic powers and cannot

make law. Wales does not issue its own currency and is not in control of any

armed forces. These are the powers of the national government of the UK.

Country FactsCurrency

Pound Sterling (£)

Largest Lake

Official Language

National Day

Main religions

Highest point

Longest river

SnowdonBala

Towy (Tywi)

Anglicanism, MethodismEnglish and Welsh

Welsh and British

Nationality

1 March

Interesting factsrugby

the national game

actors

Richard Burton, and today Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones

three Presidents of the United States

Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon

the famous traveler and explorer

Sir George Everest - the highest peak in the world is named after him.

Writers, poets and musicians

Dylan Thomas, Jackie Collins, Tom Jones

The symbolsSt. David - was a Celtic monk, abbot and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. He spread the word of Christianity across Wales.

The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David’s Day. The vegetable called leek is also considered to be a traditional emblem of Wales.

Scotland Its capital city is Edinburgh -

the first city in the world which had its own fire-

brigade. Like Rome, it was built on seven hills.

Until 1603, Scotland had its own King.

Scotland has some 790 islands - 130 inhabited

In July 1, 1999, the Scottish Parliament was opened by HM the Queen, the first Scottish Parliament for 300 years. Scottish parliament responsibilities

include social work services, health, local government and education

Country FactsCurrency

Pound Sterling (£)

Largest Lake

Official Language

National Day

Main religions

Highest point

Longest river

Ben NevisLoch Lomond

Tay

Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) Scottish Episcopal Church, Roman Catholicism

English (Scottish Gaelic is spoken by 1.4 percent of the population)

Scottish and British

Nationality

30 November

Interesting factsThere are over 600 square miles of fresh water lochs (lakes). One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water.

clans, kilts

medieval castles

poetry and songs of Robert Burns

Edinburgh for its famous theatres festival

Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume and the actor Sean Connery

Annie Lennox, Wet Wet Wet, Travis and Simple Minds

The symbols

St. Andrew - was one of the Twelve Apostles (disciples of Jesus) and brother of Simon Peter (Saint Peter).

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The Scottish Bluebell is also seen as the flower of Scotland

Northern Irelandis composed of 26 districts. Together they are commonly called Ulster.

The capital is Belfast

The land is slightly mountainous and has few natural resources.

The majority of the population is Protestant, and nearly 40% is Catholic.

The New Northern Ireland Assembly has limited devolved powers from the British Parliament, and often has been suspended since its establishment in 1999.

Country FactsCurrency

Pound Sterling (£)

Largest Lake

Official Language

National Day

Main religions

Highest point

Longest river

Slieve Donard Loch Lomond

River Bann

Protestant and Catholic

English, Irish and Ulster Scots

British and Irish

Nationality

17 March

Interesting factsC S Lewis 1898-1963 WriterKenneth Branagh 1960- Actor and film directorJames Nesbitt 1965- ActorWilliam Burke 1792-1829 Grave robber and murdererGeorge Best 1946-2005 FootballerJames Galway 1939- Musician

The Giant's Causeway, situated on the North East coast of Northern Ireland, is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.

HMS Titanic ship was built in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.

The symbolsSt. Patrick's Cross

When he was about 16, he was captured from Wales by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a

three-leaved plant similar to clover. An Irish tale tells of how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity.

Famous icons