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Tweety with umbrella and bowler hat in United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Informations

Great Britain comprises England, Wales and Scotland (since 1707) whereas the United Kingdom is composed of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The inhabitants, called british, are comprised of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish (from Ulster). About the British, I must not forget to mention that their composure can definitely be praised.

Driving is on the left and there are many roundabouts which is convenient (according to me).

Note that plugs and sockets are different from the rest of Europe.

At last, The United Kingdom, especially England, is expensive ! often as expensive as Switzerland...

General information about United Kingdom

Motto : "God and my right"
Anthem : God save the King

(source : http://www.flaggen-server.de/​main/main.php)

Symbol : the lion


Symbol : the lion

The lion is the symbol used to represent the British Empire and therefore the British people.


The symbol of England is the rose, coming from the War of the Roses (1455-1485) that opposed the house of York (symbol : white rose) to the house of Lancaster (red rose). It is the latter that prevailed and Henry Tudor became King of England under the name of Henry VII. Wales has several symbols : leek, daffodil, the ostrich feather, and the dragon. Scotland has two symbols : the thistle and the unicorn. The symbol of the Unionists of Ulster (Northern Ireland) is the crown of William of Orange.

Flag :

United kingdom flag

The British gave a name to their flag : "Union Jack" (flag of the union).
It consists of the + shaped Cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) red on a white background, the x shaped Cross of St. Andrew (Patron saint of Scotland) white on a blue background and the x shaped Cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) red on a white background. The Wales dragon hasn't found its place on the flag...

Capital : London
"the big smoke"
Symbolic monument : Big Ben
Population : 60.3 millions inhabitants (2004)
(3 millions in inner London)
Area : 94,520 sq.mi (244,800 km2)
Currency : Pound sterling
Religion :
  • Anglican
  • Catholic
Political system : Constitutional monarchy
Official language : English
Difference of time : UTC
Architectural styles :
  • Gothic, Roman and Baroque, with fan vaulting and pendants
  • Tudor style
  • Georgian houses
Folklores and traditions :
  • Regional folk dances
  • In Scotland : kilts and bagpipes. At the Royal Highland gathering there are large wooden pole tossing. Those poles are called cabers.
  • Halloween on 31 october (as well as in Ireland)
  • The night of Guy Fawkes with bonfires on November 5
  • Cheese rolling festival at Brockworth
Culinary specialities :
  • Fish & chips (as well as in Ireland)
  • Pasty
  • Haggis : minced sheep's pluck
  • Mint jelly
  • Toffee or fudge
  • Pudding, Tiffin, Crumble, shortbread (Scotland), custard...
  • Some cheeses : Cheddar, Leicester
Drink :
  • Tea
  • Brandy
  • Whisky (Scotland)
  • Beer (the main drink in pubs)
Miscellaneous :
  • Record of the number of street monitoring cameras : the CCTV (closed circuit television).

External links

Boards
  • Urban75