THE UNITED KINGDOM

LOCATION
The United Kingdom is an island country located off the northwest coast
of mainland Europe.
It lies north of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel.
The United Kingdom includes the entire island of Great Britain. This
means England, Wales, Scotland and the northeastern part of the island
of Ireland, where it has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, and a
number of other smaller islands.
It is surrounded by the North Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Strait of St.
George, the Irish Sea and the English Channel.
The United Kingdom has an area of 248 532 km².
It consists of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland.
Great Britain also includes 14 overseas territories.
The British Crown dependencies are the Isle of Man, Guernsey and
Jersey, which are held directly owned by the British Crown. They are not
part of the United Kingdom, but together with it form a whole known as
the British Isles.
 DIVISION
 ● England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
 ● 14 overseas territories around the world

 ENGLAND
 North-west Europe, southern part of Great Britain
 Largest country of the UK
 Capital city: London
 Major cities: London, Liverpool, Manchester
 National animal: Lion
 National Flower: Tudor Rose
 National Dish and Drink: Chicken Tikka Masala, Tea
 The biggest city: London
 Main attraction: Tower of London – Crown Jewels – Raven superstition – If the six ravens
ever leave the fortress the kingdom will fall
 DIVISION
 NORTH IRELAND
 Northeast of the island of Ireland
 Capital city: Belfast
 Major cities: Belfast, Londonderry, Lisburn
 National animal: Irish elk (giant deer
 National Flower: the Shamrock
 National Dish and Drink: the Ulster fry or Irish Stew, Irish Whiskey
 The biggest city: Belfast
 Main attraction: The Giant’s Causeway – large regularly shaped polygonal
columns of basalt in horizontal sections – forms a pavement – the
dramatic sight has inspired legends of giants striding over sea to Scotland
 Fun facts: Titanic was built in Belfast, in total in Northern Ireland – 6
cities
 DIVISION
 SCOTLAND
 Scotland is in the north of the island of Great Britain
 In addition to the mainland, Scotland is made of almost 800 islands
 Official Language - Scots, English, Scottish Gaelic
 Currency - pound sterling
 National animal - Unicorn
 National Flower - Scotch Thistle
 National Dish - Haggis (savory meat pudding)
 National Drink - Whiskey
 Capital City - Edinburgh
 The Biggest City - Glasgow
 Scotland's village named Dull is paired with the town of Boring in Oregon, USA (along with
Australian town Bland, they create a "trinity of tedium"
 Main attraction - Loch Ness lake
 ↑ legend - stone carvings of a beast with flippers were found in the area. There were many other
times where people believed they saw Nessie (the Loch Ness monster), but all of them were
claimed to be untrue. The lake is still however famous because of the mythical creature
 DIVISION
 WALES
 Wales is located to the west of England
 Official language - Welsh, English
 Currency - pound sterling
 National Animal - Welsh dragon
 ↑ Legend - A Celtic king had been looking for a place to build his castle at. He had found
a place eventually, but a young boy warned him that it was directly above an underground
lake where two dragons lay sleeping. He began building the castle anyway and found the
dragons. One red and the other white. They were fighting, and the red dragon won.
 National Dish - Crawl (stew of lamb and vegetables)
 National Drink - Beer
 Capital City - Cardiff
 There are 4x more sheep than people
 Wales has the most castles in the world
 Main Attraction - natural scenery (rugged coastline and national parks) and ancient
history
 CAPITALS

History of flag:

 National symbols-Animals:
 - Nearly every country in the world has its cultural symbols. Each
represents some aspect of a nation’s history, its people, and its self-
image
 CAPITALS
 Scotland- Unicorn (symbo of pride, indomitability and independence) (The
Scots are attracted to what they mean and are close to it)

Wales- Welsh Dragon (consists of a red dragon, passant (standing with one
foot raised), on a green and white background; many legends for example: 1.
It is considered that the Welsh kings of Aberffraw first adopted the dragon in
the early fifth century in order to symbolise their power and authority after
the Romans withdrew from Britain.
 Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae, written between
1120 and 1129, links the dragon with the Arthurian legends, including Uther
Pendragon the father of Arthur whose name translates as Dragon Head.
Geoffrey’s account also tells of the prophecy of Myrddin (or Merlin) of a long
fight between a red dragon and a white dragon, symbolising the historical
struggle between the Welsh (red dragon) and the English (white dragon).)
 CAPITALS
 England- Lion ( England has been associated with lions since
the Middle Ages, notably during the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The lion is seen as a symbol of pride and power in the country so, it
is no surprise that England chose this majestic beast to be its
national animal.)


Northern Ireland- Irish Hare ( It is not precisely determined, there

are more candidates, but wins Irish Hare)
 CAPITALS
 Anthem: God Save the King / God Save the Queen


Coat of amrs Uk: The coat of arms of the United Kingdom serves as a basis for
the official flag of the monarch, known as the Royal Standard. (An English
lion is featured on the left side of a center shield and on the right is the
Unicorn of Scotland, both animals holding it up. The shield is divided into four
quadrants, two with three gold lions from England, a red lion rampant
representing Scotland and the gold harp representing Ireland. The crown can
also be seen resting on the shield and its crest, helm and mantling isn’t quite
visible. )At the bottom is the phrase ‘Dieu et mon Droit’ which in French
means ‘God and my right’.

CAPITALS
The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain - the main island made up of England, Scotland and Wales - and Northern
Ireland


England- the capital is London

 Scotland- the capital is Edinburgh
 Wales- the capital is Cardiff
 Northern Ireland- the capital is Belfast


Saint George= early Christian martyr who during the Middle Ages became an ideal of martial valour and selflessness. He is
the patron saint of England and of Georgia and is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers).


Saint Andrew= the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th
November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew, and this is widely displayed as a symbol of national identity


Saint David= To mark the day, many Welsh people around the world wear one or both of Wales's national emblems - a
daffodil and a leek. Special concerts and parades are also held in St David's honour. It is celebrated on the 1th March


Saint Patrick= was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of
Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland
 The head of the kingdom is King Charles III. , who took over
 after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
 and will rule until his death.
 CAPITALS
 The UK is represented by four kinds of flowers: the rose, the shamrock, the
 thistle and the daffodil.
 The UK is represented by four kinds of flowers:
 the rose, the shamrock, the thistle and the
 daffodil.

 The national flower of England is the rose, but not just any rose. The Tudor Rose is the symbol of the Tudor family and is
represented by the union of a red and white rose.
 National Flower of Wales: Daffodil or Leek
 The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and is traditionally worn on St David’s Day, which celebrates Wales’ patron saint,
David ('Dewi sant' in Welsh), on the 1st March every year.
 CAPITALS
 National Flower of Scotland: Thistle

 National Flower of Northern Ireland: Shamrock

The shamrock remains one of the most popular symbols used on Hallmark products and cards for St. Patrick’s Day.
 GEOGRAPHY OF
THE UNITED KINGDOM
 Great Britain – the biggest part (island) of the UK

 - made up of England, Wales and Scotland

 Ben Nevis – the highest mountain of the British Isles

 the western part of Grampian Mountains in Scotland

 1345 m (4413 ft) high

 The Severn – the longest river in the United Kingdom,

 - 354 km (220 miles) long

 Lough Neagh – the biggest freshwater lake (in Scotland called loch)

 developed fishing (mainly trouts, eels) and water transport

 GEOGRAPHY OF
THE UNITED KINGDOM
LANDMARKS - HISTORICAL
 Tintagel castle
 It’s a medieval castle situated in southwest England, on the cliff tops of
North Cornwall (one of the historic counties) from the 13th century. The
place, where the castle lay now, was settled by the Roman empire a long
before it. Now only remains of it, but the castle is connected with a few
legends about mythology King Arthur and this castle, by the legends, was
Arthur's birthplace. The name was be a corruption of the Cornish Din
Tagell (= Fortress with the narrow entrance)

 Caerphilly castle
 Castle is situated on the south-east of Wales, in Caerphilly, where it was
built by Gilbert de Clare in the 13th century as a way to maintain control of
Glamorgan to resist many pushing and attacking from other barons or
Normans. The whole castle is a powerful, hard to destroy fortress with a
vast lake which is surrounding the castle and it was created by human
power.
 ARCHITECTURE - ART
 Dolmens
 Dolmens located in the United Kingdom, single-chambered megalithic
tombs, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a
large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early
Neolithic (4000–3000 BC) and were sometimes covered with earth or
smaller stones to form a barrow.


for example:


Kit's Coty House (England)

 Spinsters' Rock (England)
 Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire (England)
 Ballylumford Dolmen (Northern Ireland)
 Bodowyr (Wales)
 ARCHITECTURE - ART
 The UK has a rich and diverse architectural history, with notable styles including Georgian,
Victorian, and Brutalist. From ancient standing stones to contemporary skyscrapers, the UK's
built environment is characterized by a range of styles and influences. Contemporary
architecture in the UK is marked by a focus on sustainability and innovation, with architects
such as Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid making significant contributions to the country's
urban landscape. Whether you're exploring the historic streets of Bath or the modern towers
of London, the UK's architecture offers something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.


Like all over the world, in the UK there will be plenty of them in different styles and here are
a few:
 But the most popular are Gothic and Romanesque styles


Cathedral of St. Paul (baroque)

 Southwark Cathedral (gothic)
 English parks
 Belton House (baroque)
 Peterborough Cathedral (Romanesque)
 Brixton Academy (Art deco)
 BUILDINGS
 30 St Mary Axe (THE GHERKIN), • Is a building standing in the city of London This 180 meter
tall, 41 story building is known for it's conservative design. •
 Royal Albert Hall Is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. It has a
seating capacity of 5,272 people. 1871- opening the hall The Proms classical music festival,
various rock concerts, conferences, balls, educational events, ballet, opera and circus
performances are regularly held here. It is also the venue for various sports matches in
boxing, tennis and wrestling
 St. Paul's Cathedral it is the seat of the Bishop of London situated on Ludgate Hill the second
largest church building in Europe it was designed by the architect Christopher Wren and built
between 1675 and 1710 St. Pavel is a place where various national ceremonies are held. Lord
Nelson, the Duke of Wellington or Winston Churchill were buried here, and Prince Charles and
Princess Diana got married here.
 Royal Opera House London Is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent
Garden, central London. It is dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert. It is the
home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. •
This hall houses the second largest pipe organ in Great Britain and is the venue for the Proms
festival.
 Hayward Gallery, Is an art gallery located on the south bank of the Thames in the London
Borough of Southwark. The gallery opened on July 9, 1968. • It is adjacent to some other
arts- focused buildings - the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Royal National
Theatre. • She was named after Isaac Hayward. • The gallery organizes temporary exhibition
events.
NATIONAL HERITAGES IN THE UK
Bath Assembly Rooms, Somerset
 The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the

Younger in 1769, are a set of

 assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage
City of Bath in England which are
 now open to the public as a visitor attraction. They are

designated as a Grade Iisted building.

NATIONAL HERITAGES IN THE UK
 East Pool mine, Cornwall
 East Pool mine was a metallifermous mine in the

Camborne and Redtruth mining area, just east of the

village of Pool in Cornwall, England. Worked from the early
18th century until 1945, first for copper and later tin, it
was very profitable for much of its life. Today the site has
two preserved beam engines and is part of the Cornwall
and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. It
is owned by the National Trust.