A BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT U.K.
The whole name of the country is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.
-The U.K. is made up THE GREAT BRITAIN and NORTHERN IRELAND.
-The GREAT BRITAIN consists of Scotland, Wales and England.
-The British Isles include Great Britain and the whole of Ireland that is both Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland.
-Great Britain is the biggest island of Britain.
-There are two small parts of the British Isles which have special political arrangements. These “CROWN DEPENDENCIES” are the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Each has complete internal self-government, including its own Parliament and its own tax system both are ‘ruled’ by a “Lieutenant Governor” appointed by the British government
-London is the capital city of U.K.
-In the British Isles there are two states. One of these governs most of the islands of Ireland. This state is usually called THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND. It is also called “EIRE”.
-The other state has authority over the rest of the British Isles (the whole of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and the most of smaller islands).
-Wales and Highland Scotland belong to the Celtic race. Celtic languages consist of Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh. England and Lowland Scotland belong to Germanic origin which covers the language developed into the modern English.
SOME HISTORICAL NAMES
Albion: In rhetorical or poetical contexts it refers to England. It was the original Roman name for Britain. It derives/originates from the Latin word “albus”, meaning “white”. The white chalk cliffs around Dover on the south coast are the first part of England to be seen when crossing the sea from the European mainland.
Britannia: It is the name given by Romans as well to southern province (present-day England). It also refers to the female embodiment of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power over the sea). We can see it on the reverse side of British coins.
Kilt: A skirt with tartan pattern worn by men and a very well-known symbol of Scottishness.
Harp: An emblem of both Wales and Ireland.
Bagpipes: These are regarded as distinctively Scottish (though a smaller type is also used in traditional Irish music).
Caledonia, Cambria, Hibernia: These are the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland
Erin: It is a poetical name for Ireland. “The Emerald Isle” is another way of referring to Ireland evoking the green colour of its countryside.
Anglo: The term Anglo is also commonly used. The Angles were a Germanic tribe who settled in England in the 5th century. The word England derives from their name.
Briton: It is a word used in official context and in formal writing to describe “citizen of the U.K.” ‘Ancient Britons’ is the name given to the race of people who lived in England before and during the Roman occupation. These are also ancestors of the present day Welsh people.
The Union Jack: It is the national flag of the U.K. It is a combination of the cross of St. George, the cross of St. Andrew, and the cross of St. Patrick identifying for nations.
