2. Geography 1. Geography 2. History 3. Ideology 4. Politics 5. Socio-Economics Location: Western Europe Capital: London Climate: temperate Natural Resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, arable land Regions: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland Surface: 244,820 (49th)
3. History 1. Geography 2. History 3. Ideology 4. Politics 5. Socio-Economics Great Britain Gordon Brown Security of UN Invasions Tony Blair Queen Elizabeth II Roman Invasion Conquest of Wales N Ireland London Bombing 1939 1973 1926 1815 2001 1607 55 BC 1282 1921 1945 1952 1994 2007 1707 2005 1066 AD September 11 Colonies Jamestone Poland under Attack European Community Napoleonian Wars
4. Ideology 1. Geography 2. History 3. Ideology 4. Politics 5. Socio-Economics Eurocentric World View
5. Politics 1. Geography 2. History 3. Ideology 4. Politics 5. Socio-Economics House of Commons 651 MPs House of Lords 700 Members Opposition Parties Governing Party Governing Party Opposition Parties Shadow Minister Whips Backbenchers Prime Minister Ministers Whips Backbenchers Ministers Whips Backbenchers Whips Backbenchers Law Lords Bishops Executive Power Chief of State: Queen Elizabeth Head of Government: PM Gordon Brown Legislative Power Parliament: House of Lords & House of Commons
10. UK has been becoming rapidly unreligious since the 1950’s3. Ethnical Distribution 2. Religion 4. Wealth Distribution 5. Age Distribution 1. Economy
11. Thank you for your attention! A reference list is available upon request.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom is bordered on the south by the English Channel, which separates it from the continent of Europe. It is bordered on the east by the North Sea, and on the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom’s only land border with another nation is between Northern Ireland and Ireland.Great Britain is the largest island in the cluster of islands, or archipelago, known as the British Isles.It is located as far north in latitude as Labrador in North America, but, like the rest of northern Europe, it is warmed by the Gulf Stream flowing out of the North Atlantic Ocean. The climate, in general, is mild, chilly, and often wet. Rain or overcast skies can be expected for up to 300 days per year. These conditions make Britain lush and green.England makes up 53.4 percent of the area of the United Kingdom, Scotland 32.3 percent, Wales 8.5 percent, and Northern Ireland 5.8 percent.The United Kingdom contains a number of small islands, such as the Isle of Wight (S); Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly in the English Channel; the Hebrides archipelago; the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands.Britain’s dependent territories are scattered throughout the world and are the remains of the former British Empire. They are generally small in area and without many resources. Once considered colonies, they have opted to remain under British control for various reasons.The island of Great Britain can be divided into two major natural regions—the highland zone and the lowland zone. The highland zone is an area of high hills and mountains in the north and west. The lowland zone in the south and east consists mostly of rolling plains. The lowland zone has a milder climate and better soils for farming. Historically, most people in Britain have lived in the lowland zone rather than in the harsher highland zone.Since Britain has a moist climate with much rainfall, rivers and lakes are numerous. Rivers in central and eastern Britain tend to flow slowly and steadily all year long because they are fed by the frequent rain. Many have been navigable, and from the earliest times they have served peoples interested in either commerce or invasion. The Thames and the Severn are the longest rivers in Britain and are almost equal in length.Great Britain’s coastline is highly irregular, with many bays and inlets that provide harbors and shelters for ships and boats. Coastal trade involving ships sailing along the coast has been carried on since ancient times.Britain’s soil quality varies greatly. In northern areas the soils are thin, lying right above rock formations, while the south possesses areas of rich loam and heavy clay soils. When handled carefully the soils of eastern and south central England are very productive. While about three-fourths of the land in Britain is suitable for agriculture, only 24 percent of this land is used to grow crops. Almost all of the rest is planted with grass or used as grazing land.Over the centuries the expanding human population cut back the forests, so that today only 11.8 percent of the United Kingdom is forested, roughly 3 million hectares .Britain’s mineral resources were historically important, but today most of these resources are either exhausted or produced in small quantities. Britain currently relies upon imports from larger, cheaper foreign supplies. Before and during the Roman occupation, about 2,000 years ago, Britain was noted for its tin mines, which were concentrated in Cornwall. The tin was mixed with copper to produce bronze, an important material in ancient times used for weapons and jewelry. Today nearly every tin mine in Britain has been exhausted and shut down. Britain’s small deposits of iron ore were critically important to the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th. During the Industrial Revolution towns and cities sprang up close to these resources, and they remain among Britain’s leading urban areas. Today Britain imports iron, along with most other minerals used for industrial production. Britain has the richest energy sources in the European Union (EU), and its resources of oil and natural gas are of vital importance to the British economy. Until the 1970s small amounts of oil were produced from onshore wells, but this amount was far less than Britain needed. In 1969 large supplies of oil and natural gas were discovered in the North Sea off the eastern coast of Britain, particularly off the coast of Scotland. Oil and natural gas production soared after supplies were brought ashore in 1975. Britain’s production of crude oil peaked in 1999 until today Britain continues to export oil and natural gas. ---