1. A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom

2. A complicated country with complicated names
England
Britain/Great Britain geographical names
The British Isles
The UK/The United Kingdom----- official name
The United Kingdom of Great full name
Britain and Northern Ireland
The British Commonwealth of Nations
the effect of imperial past

3. Location:
·An island country
·Separated from Continent by English Channel; Strait of Dover, the narrowest part between England and France.
·It lies in the north Atlantic Ocean off the north coast of Europe. It is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east.

4. The total area of Great Britain is 244,820 sqkm
The total area of Great Britain is 244,820 sqkm. (similar to the area of Guangxi province)
The population of Great Britain is 59.6 million (2001 estimate).

5. Climate · A favorable maritime type of climate
The surrounding waters balance the seasonal differences
The prevailing south-west winds bring warm and wet air
A warm current—North Atlantic Drift
Winters mild (4-6℃); summers cool (12-17℃)
· Three major features:
1) winter fog 2) rainy days ) instability

6. Mountains
The Pennines 奔宁山脉, located in the northwest of England, is a range of hills called, which are also known as the “backbone of England”.
Ben Nevis 本尼维斯—the highest mountains in the UK. Located in Scotland. 4,406 feet (1,343 m).

7. Pennines

8. Ben Nevis

9. Rivers and lakes
The longest river: Severn River 塞文河 (354 km long, originates in mid-Wales and flows through western England to the Bristol Channel 布里斯托而海峡).
The second longest river: Thames 泰晤士河 (332 km long, originates in southwestern England and flows through the Midlands of England to London and empties into the North Sea).
The largest lake: Lough Neagh 内伊湖 (396 sqkm, in Northern Ireland)
Note: refer to the map in the textbook.

10. Lake District
Lake district is located in the north-west England, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland. It is a popular holiday destination and famous for its lakes and mountains. It is often associated with the Lake Poets of the early 19th century literature, represented by William Wordsworth 威廉·华兹华斯.

11. A Bird’s eye view of the Lake District

12. Lake District

13. The People—formation of the nation
The Celts from Germany came to Britain, early inhabitants.
Conquered by the Romans.
Around the 5th century, Germanic Anglo-Saxons conquered Britain.
In the 9th century, Danes and Vikings invaded Britain.
In 1066, Normans conquered Britain.

14. The British People—General Traits
Reserved—矜持寡言
Generous and hospitable—慷慨好客
Have a wonderful sense of humor—很有幽默感
Cherish personal space and privacy—珍惜个人生活空间和隐私

15. National Flag

17. Flag description:
Blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories.

18. The official/royal coat of arms of UK 盾形纹章
盾形纹章，又称shield of arms。
始于12世纪欧洲的纹章形式。原是穿在盔甲外，或代替盔甲的布料短上衣，在战斗中用来辨识敌我身份。在完整的纹章盾牌上，这种具有与众不同图案的盾上装饰着纹饰、头盔、斗篷、格言、顶饰、花环和托饰，摆放在一格空间中。后来学校、教堂、行会和企业也采用纹章当作一种象征图案，以反映出它们的起源或历史。

19. The official/royal coat of arms of UK
﹡The main element of
The UK royal arms is
the shield which
is divided into 4
quarters.

20. The official/royal coat of arms of UK
The first and third quadrants
represent England and contain three
gold lions on a red field
The second quadrant represents
Scotland and contains a red lion
on a gold field; the fourth
quadrant represents Ireland and
contains the gold harp of Ireland
on a blue field.

21. The official/royal coat of arms of UK
On the left, the shield is supported
by the English Lion.
On the right it is supported by the
Unicorn of Scotland.
The coat features both the motto of
British Monarch: God and my right
and the motto of the Order of the
Garter: Evil be to him who evil thinks
(邪念伤身）

22. 嘉德勋章（The Most Noble Order of the Garter‎）是授予英国骑士的一种勋章，它起源于中世纪，是今天世界上历史最悠久的骑士勋章和英国荣誉制度最高的一级。只有极少数人能够获得这枚勋章，其中包括英国国君和最多２５名活着的佩戴者。英国君主还可以授予少数超额佩戴者（包括王室成员和外国君主）。只有国君可以授予这枚勋章。不象其它勋章那样首相无权建议或者提名佩戴者。

23. National Anthem God Save the Queen/King God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen: Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us: God save the Queen.
Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour
Long may she reign
May she defend our laws
And give us ever cause
To sing with heart and voice

24. national anthem - uk - god save the queen (orchestra, chorus.mp3

25. Language Five languages are used in the UK:
English, Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, Cornish

26. Four political divisions
The 4 parts within the one nation-state:
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

27. England The largest of the four, with cultural and economic dominance
Topography
· North: uplands—the Pennines
· South: Peninsula, uplands
· Northwest: the Lake District
· East: an open cultivated plain, lowlands

28. England Major cities in England:
London—the capital city of England, the seventh largest city in the world
Manchester—metropolitan city, the site of world’s first railway station
Birmingham—manufacturing and engineering center; service sector
Liverpool—economy port/service sector and tourism

29. London The capital of England and of Great Britain
The political center of the Commonwealth
A major port
One of the world’s leading banking and financial centers

30. Landmarks and Symbols of London
The Palace of Westminster

31. The Palace of Westminster 威斯敏斯特宫, also known as the Houses of Parliament 国会宫 or Westminster Palace, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the UK—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the heart of the London borough, close to the historic Westminster Abbey 威斯敏斯特大教堂 and the government buildings of Whitehall 白厅 and Downing Street 唐宁街.
Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church are UNECO World Heritage Sites.

32. The Palace of Westminster contains 3 major towers
The Palace of Westminster contains 3 major towers. They are Victorian Tower, Central Tower and the Clock Tower—Big Ben “大本钟”或“大笨钟”.

33. 大本钟建于1858年,高95米。大钟由当年负责工务的专员本杰明爵士监制，故名“大本”。
钟盘的直径为7米,有四个钟面,时针和分针的长度分别为2.75米和4.27米,钟摆重305公斤,大钟总重量为13.5吨. 由于其十分笨重，所以又称为“大笨钟”。

34. St. Paul's Cathedral

35. St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The present dates from the 17th century. The cathedral is one of London’s most famous and most recognizable sights. At 365 feet (111m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962.
St Paul’s Cathedral today is a busy working church. Daily services are held every day to which all are welcome to attend. While the Cathedral charges for those who wish to sightsee, it does not charge for people who want to worhship.
St Paul’s was used for the marriage of Charles and Lady Diana.

36. Other landmarks and symbols
Hyde
Park

37. London of Tower

38. Tower Bridge
· A suspension bridge over the River Thames, close to the Tower of London.
· The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways .

39. The bascules (活动结构) are raised when ships move through it
The bascules (活动结构) are raised when ships move through it. River traffic is now much reduced, but it still takes priority over road traffic.

40. Buckingham Palace

42. London Eye