Unit 1 a Brief Introduction of the UK

1、Unit 1 A Brief Introduction of the UKMajor points A complicated country with a complicated name and complicated population make-up The imperial past and its effects on todays UK Its class and race Its regionsLead-in questions What do you say “英國(guó)人”in English？ What is the full name of “英國(guó)” in English？

2、 How many parts does the UK consist of ? What are they? What is the difference between England, Great Britain, UK, and British Isles? A complicated country with a complicated nameThe full name of the country: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandComplication: English or British? E

3、ngland? Great Britain? UK? British Isles? Regions of the UK England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland EnglandUKBritish IslesGreat Britain The imperial past and its effects on todays UK It was a product of the Age of Discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the 15th century. By 1921, It

4、 covered about 36.7 million km , about a quarter of Earths total land area. As a result, its political, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power, it was often said that the sun never sets on the British Empire because its span across the globe ensured that the sun was a

5、lways shining on at least one of its numerous colonies or subject nations.the sun never sets on the British Empire During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent. Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of indepen

6、dent states. Some have retained the British monarch as their head of state.The imperial effects on todays UK Close relationships with the Commonwealth countries, which used to be a part of the British Empire The make-up of the British population. Now the UK is a multiracial society.The Commonwealth

7、of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states, most of which are former British colonies, or dependencies of these colonies (the exceptions being the United Kingdom itself and Mozambique).class structure in th

8、e UKBritain is a society with a class-structure, divided by economics and cultural differences. It is more obvious than other societies. Hereditary aristocracy Upper-middle class Middle class Lower middle class Working class Regions of the UK England Wales Scotland Northern IrelandEngland Capital (a

9、nd largest city): London Area: 130 423 sqkm Official languages: English Population 2008: above 50 million (UK: about 60 million ) Symbols of England What images are associated with England? St Georges Flag: Flag of England Three Lions EmblemPrincess Diana, Englands Rose History of Invasions Before t

10、he 1st century AD, Britain was made up of many tribal kingdoms of Celtic people: a powerful culture originating in central Europe.1. Invasion by Romans In 43 AD, Britain was invaded by the Roman Empire, and England and Wales became a part of the Roman Empire for nearly 400 years.The Roman Empire2. I

11、nvasion by Anglo-Saxons As the Roman armies and Roman protection were withdrawn from Britain, and Britain was again divided into small kingdoms, and again it came under threat from Germanic peoples: the Angles, and the Saxon. The Anglo-Saxons succeeded in invading Britain, and either absorb the Celt

12、ic people, or pushed them to the western and northern edges of Britain.3. Invasion by Vikings From the late 8th century on, raiders from Scandinavia, the Vikings, threatened Britain shores. King Alfred, the Great turned the tide in the south against the Vikings.4. Invasion by Normans In 1066, Englan

13、d was invaded by the Normans under William of Normandy, from northern France, who were descendants of Vikings. The Battle of Hastings, defeated an English army under King Harold, marks the last time that an army from outside the British Isles succeeded in invading. The next 300 years after the Norma

14、n Invasion, Saxon and English-speaking population had been ruled by Norman aristocracy. Robin Hood, the Saxon nobleman oppressed by the Normans, who became an outlaw, hid in the forest in the north midland of England, and went out to rob the rich to give to the poor. The next few hundreds years foll

15、owing Norman invasion can be seen as a process of joining together the various parts of the British isles under English rules. At the same time power was gradually transferred from the monarch to the parliament. Scotland Area:78 772 km (30 414 miles),roughly 30% of the area of the UK Climate: temper

16、ate and very changeable, but rarely extreme Geography Population LanguageGeography The geography of Scotland is highly varied, from rural lowlands to barren uplands, and from large cities to uninhabited islands. Scotland is divided into: the Highlands the central lowlands the Southern Uplands.popula

17、tion The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotlands mountainous terrain, including the highest peak, Ben Nevis, 1 344 m (4 409 ft) . Highlands of Scotland have the lowest population density at 8 inhabitants per square kilometerThe HighlandsBen Nevis from Banavie village Ben Nevis

18、 in Winter The lowland zone The lowland zone are flatter and home to most of the population. Around 70% of the countrys population live in the Central Lowlands. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, although Edinburgh is the capital and political centre of the country.Languages in Scotland Scotla

19、nds multiple linguistic heritage is one of its most distinctive cultural features. The official language is English, which is spoken by the vast majority of the population, but Lowland Scots. Scottish Gaelic, the ancient language of the Highlands and islands, was once dominant throughout much of the

20、 country, but is now only spoken by around 60,000 people. History of invasion Scotland was not conquered by the Romans, though they did try to, and for a while occupied as far as the edge of the northern highland zone. Nor was most of Scotland conquered by the Anglo-Saxons. British Celts occupied th

21、e area around what is now Glasgow. Around the 6th century AD, people from northern Ireland invaded the south-west. They were called the Scots, and it is they that gave the modern country of Scotland its name. The original Scottish Celts, called the Picts, were left the highland zone. Being an indepe

22、ndent country It was the pressure from the Viking invaders that led to Scottish king to unify, forming an independent singular Scottish state. However, there were frequent wars between England and Scotland. For example, William Wallaces uprising in 1298. (see movie Braveheart) But only a few years l

23、ater, the Scots, under the leadership of Robert the Bruce, were victorious at the battle of Bannockburn, leading to 300 years of full independence.Uniting with England In 1603, James the sixth of Scotland became James the First of England, uniting the two thrones: Scotland and England. But for anoth

24、er hundred years Scotland maintained its separate political identity. In 1707 by agreement of the England and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the union. But today the dream of an independent Scotland has not vanished.Wales Population: estimate 3 million in 2008 Area:20 776 sqkm Capital city (a

25、lso largest city): Cardiff Languages: welsh, English, The Red Dragon, a popular Welsh symbol Geography Much of Wales diverse landscape is mountainous, particularly in the north and central regions. The highest mountain in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon , which, at 1085 m (3,560 ft) is th

26、e highest peak in Wales. Though it is hillier and more rugged than England, there is no natural boundary. So Wales has been dominated by England longer than the other nations of the union.SnowdonEconomy Yesterday and Today It had rich coal deposits in the southern area, so the coal-mining became the

27、 key industry for the Welsh. The South Wales Valleys were the heart of the Welsh mining and steel industry, although now very little of the heavy industry is left. Wales economy is now primarily serviced-based. Tourism plays an important part of the Welsh economy. It is practically important in the

28、coastal regions of North and West Wales as well as around Snowdonia. History Before the arrival of the Roman Empire, Wales was a land of Celtic peoples, living in a number of small tribal kingdoms. However, Wales was conquered by the Romans eventually. When the Romans left Britain, Wales was again a

29、 Celtic land, though again divided into separate kingdoms, it did not fall to the Anglo-Saxons invaders of the 5th century.The unifying of Wales Wales was always under pressure from its English neighbors, particularly after the Norman conquest. Thus there was a need to unify Wales to successfully re

30、sist the English. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd brought a large a portion of Wales under his rule, and by military campaign forced the English king to acknowledge him as Prince of Wales in 1267. But when he died, the English king, Edward the First, set about conquering Wales, building a series of great stone

31、 castles there from which to control the population. These castles stand today as one of Wales greatest tourist attractions.Beaumaris, begun in 1295, was the last and largest of the castles built by King Edward I in Wales. on the eastern edge of town, Beaumaris, Anglesey, north Wales Beaumaris Castl

32、e Beaumaris Castle on the Island of Anglesey is the great unfinished masterpiece. It was built as one of the iron ring of North Wales castles by the English monarch Edward I, to stamp his authority on the Welsh. But it was never finished, money and supplies ran out before the fortifications reached

33、their full height. Prince of Wales Edward the First named his son the Prince of Wales, and the first son of the monarch has held that title ever since (including Prince Charles). In 1536, Wales was brought legally, administratively, and politically into the UK by an act of the British parliament. The close relationship means that modern Wales lack some of the outward signs