The United Kingdom

What is Britain?

Britain constitutes the greater part of the British Isles. The largest of the islands is Great Britain. The next largest comprises Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Western Scotland is fringed by the large island chain known as the Hebrides, and to the north east of the Scottish mainland are the Orkney and Shetland Islands. All these, along with the Isle of Wight, Anglesey and the Isles of Scilly have administrative ties with the mainland, but the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands, between Great Britain and France, are largely self-governing and are not part of the United Kingdom.

Although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not part of the United Kingdom they have a special relationship with it. The Channel Islands were part of the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th and 11th centuries and remained subject to the English Crown after the final loss of Normandy to the French in the 15th century. The Isle of Man was under the nominal sovereignty of Norway until 1266 and eventually came under the direct administration of the British Crown in 1765. Today the territories have their own legislative assemblies and systems of law, the Isle of Man also has its own system of taxation. The British Government is responsible for their international relations and external defence.

With an area of about 242,000 sq km (93,000 sq miles), Britain is just under 1,000 km (about 600 miles) from the south coast to the extreme north of Scotland and just under 500 km (around 300 miles) across at the widest point. The coastline of Great Britain is 14,549 kms (9,040 miles) with England and Wales, including islands taking up 5,214 kms (8,389 miles) of this figure and Scotland, including islands 9,335 kms (5,800 miles). The most northerly point on the British mainland is Dunnet Head, north-east Scotland and the most southerly, Lizard Point, Cornwall.

Parliament

The three elements which make up Parliament are the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the Commons are summoned by the Queen to the House of Lords. The agreement of all three elements is normally required for legislation, but that of the Queen is given as a matter of course. The main functions of Parliament are:

• to pass laws
• to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government
• to scrutinise government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure
• to debate the major issues of the day

Scotland has its own parliament, and Wales an elected Assembly, which sit in Edinburgh and Cardiff respectively. Both Scotland and Wales remain part of the United Kingdom and have continued representation in the Parliament at Westminster in London.

The Monarchy

The Monarchy is the oldest institution of government. Queen Elizabeth II is directly descended from King Egbert, who united England under his rule in 829. The only interruption in the history of the Monarchy was the republic, which lasted from 1649 to 1660.

Today, the Queen is not only Head of State, but also an important symbol of national unity. The Queen's title in Britain is 'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith'. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Queen is represented by a Lieutenant-Governor.

Although the seat of the Monarchy is in Britain, the Queen is also head of state of a number of Commonwealth states. In each state, the Queen is represented by a Governor-General, appointed by her on the advice of the ministers of the country concerned and completely independent of the British Government. In each case the form of the royal title varies. Other Commonwealth states are republics or have their own monarchies. In British-dependent territories the Queen is usually represented by governors, who are responsible to the British Government for the administration of the countries concerned.

Languages spoken in Britain

English Language
English is the main language spoken in Britain and is also one of the most widely used languages in the world. Approximately 310 million people speak English as their first language, with a similar number speaking it as a second language. Modern English derives primarily from one of the dialects of Anglo-Saxon but has also been greatly influenced by other languages, such as French. There are many regional dialects and variations in the English language.

Welsh Language
In much of the rural north and west of Wales, Welsh remains the first language of most of the population. The number of people able to speak Welsh is increasing with bilingual education in schools being encouraged. Welsh is also now more widely used for official purposes and in broadcasting. There are also many more bilingual publications and most road signs are bilingual. The Government has also reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing Welsh culture and developing greater use of the Welsh language.

Population Figures

The approximate population of the United Kingdom is 59.6 million people (England 49,855,700; Wales 2,938,00; Scotland 5,057,400; Northern Ireland 1,702,600).

The Environment

Despite the relatively high population density and degree of urbanisation, there are still many unspoilt rural and coastal areas. There are ten National Parks*, six forest parks, 36 designated areas of outstanding natural beauty, 22 environmentally sensitive areas, almost 200 country parks approved by the Countryside Commission, 800 km (500 miles) of designated heritage coastline and about 2,000 historic buildings and some 3,600 gardens open to the public.

Britain is also home to a great variety of wildlife, with an estimated 30,000 animal species as well as marine and microscopic life, about 2,800 species of 'higher' plants and many thousands of mosses, fungi and algae.

* Seven in England (Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Lake District, the Peak District, Northumberland, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales) and three in Wales (the Brecon Beacons, the Pembrokeshire Coastline and Snowdonia). Note that the Broads of Norfolk enjoy protection equivalent to that of a National Park.

Measurements and Conversions

Kilometres and Miles
1.609 kilometres to every mile or
0.621 miles to every kilometre

Litres and Gallons
4.546 litres to every gallon or
0.220 gallons to every litre