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ВЫПОЛНИЛ студентка 2 курса экономического факультета
специальность 080502.65
Дракунова М. В.
ПРОВЕРИЛ преподаватель
Курасова Н.В.
Content
1. Introduction ……………………………………………………….…………….3
2. Toponymy ………………………………………………………………………5
3. Population…………………………………………………………….................6
4. British Parliament ……………………………………………………………....7
5. English Language ……………………………………………………………...11
6. Religion ……………………………………………………………………..…12
7. Biodiversity …………………………………………………………………....14
8. London ………………………………………………………………………...16
9. Cities of Great Britain………………………………………………………….18
10. British Traditional Holiday …………………………………………………..24
11. Christmas in Britain ……….………………………………………………....25
11. Outstanding people of Great Britain…………………………………………26
13. Conclusion........................................................................................................27
14 Literature……………………………………………………………………...28
1. Introduction
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country to the northwest of mainland Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the northeast part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy comprising four constituent countries — England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales — with Elizabeth II as head of state. The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, are not part of the UK but form a federacy with it. The UK has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface. However, Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of the Commonwealth realms. It is a developed country, with the fifth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP.
Britain was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th century, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains significant economic, cultural, military and political influence and is a nuclear power, with the second highest defence spending in the world. It holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the Big 8, NATO, the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is in Western Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain (most of England, Scotland and Wales) and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with many smaller islands. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian. The United Kingdom has a total area of approximately 245,000 square kilometers. The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within 35 kilometres of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 kilometres land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel now links the UK with France beneath the English Channel.
All parts of the United Kingdom have a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons but seldom drops below 10 C or rises above 35 C. The prevailing wind is from the southwest, bearing frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern parts are most sheltered from this wind and are therefore the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters, especially in the west, where winters are also wet, especially over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it rarely settles to any great depth away from high ground.
2. Toponymy
The oldest mention of terms related to the formal name of Britain was made by Aristotle (c. 384–322 BC), in his text On the Universe, Vol. III. To quote his works, "There are two very large islands in it, called the British Isles, Albion and lerne". The archipelago has been referred to by a single name for over 2,000 years: the term British Isles derives from terms used by classical geographers to describe this island group. Pliny the Elder (c. 23–79 AD) in his Natural History records of Great Britain: "It was itself named Albion, while all the islands about which we shall soon briefly speak were called the Britanniae.
The earliest known name of Great Britain is Albion or insula Albionum, from either the Latin albus meaning white or the "island of the Albiones", first mentioned in the Massaliote Periplus and by Pytheas.
The name Britain descends from the Latin name for Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, the land of the Britons. Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, авBreteyne. The French form replaced the Old English Breoton, Breoten, Bryten, Breten. Britannia was used by the Romans from the 1st century BC for the British Isles taken together. It is derived from the travel writings of the ancient Greek Pytheas around 320 BC, which described various islands in the North Atlantic as far north as Thule.
The peoples of these islands of Prettanike were called the Priteni or Pretani Priteni is the source of the Welsh language term Prydain, Britain, which has the same source as the Goidelic term Cruithne used to refer to the early Brythonic speaking inhabitants of Ireland. The latter were later called Picts or Caledonians by the Romans.
3. Population
Population census in Great Britain occurs at the same time in all its parts each ten years. On census of 2001 the general population of Great Britain made 58 789 194 persons, the third state in EU, the fifth in the British Commonwealth of Nations and the 21st in the world on the size of the population. To the middle of 2011 it is estimated in 62 698 362. In 2008 the natural increase of the population began to influence more population growth, than migration for the first time since 1998. Since 2001 on the 2008th population grew with a mid-annual indicator in 0,5 % that is more than 0,3 % during the period since 1991 on 2001 and 0,2 % in previous decade. The data published in 2008 on the population in the middle of 2007 testify that for the first time in history Great Britain there were more people of a retirement age, than children till 16 years. By some estimates, the number of people age of 100 years and more will grow to 626 000 by 2080.
The population of England in the middle of 2008 was estimated at 51,44 million that does it by the country from one of the highest population density in the world, having 383 inhabitants on square kilometer by data on the middle 2003, with special concentration in London and in the southeast. Estimates of the middle 2008 assume the population of Scotland in 5,17 million, Wales — 2,99 million, and Northern Ireland — 1,78 million with much lower indicator of density of population of these territories. In a percentage ratio of growth of the population of Northern Ireland was the highest among other regions of Great Britain in all four years preceding 2008. London, Birmingham treat the largest cities, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds.
In 2008 the total factor of birth rate of Great Britain made 1,96 children on one woman. Though growth of an indicator of birth rate also brings the contribution in population growth, it remains rather below peak of "baby boom" of 1964 in 2,95 children on one woman and below reproduction level in 2,1, but above record-breaking low indicator of 2001 in 1,63 children on one woman. Scotland has the lowest indicator in 1,8 children on one woman while Northern Ireland had this indicator at level 2,11 in 2008.
4. British Parliament
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister.
Once the British Empire included a large number of countries all over the world ruled by Britain. The process of decolonisation began in 1947 with the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon. Now there is no Empire and only few small islands belong to Britain. In 1997 the last colony, Hong Kong, was given to China. But the British ruling classes tried not to lose influence over the former colonies of the British Empire. An association of former members of the British Empire and Britain was founded in 1949. It is called the Commonwealth. It includes many countries such as Ireland, Burma, the Sudan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others. The Queen of Great Britain is also a Head of the Commonwealth, and also the Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
The British Constitution. The British Constitution is to a large extent a product of many historical events and has thus evolved aver many centuries. Unlike the constitutions of most other countries, it is not set out in any single document. Instead it is made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The constitution can be change by Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention.
The Monarchy in Britain. When the Queen was born on 21 April 1926, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir. The death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle (King Edward VIII) brought her father to the throne in 1936 as King George VI. Elizabeth II came to the throne an 6 February 1952 and was crowned on 2 June 1953. Since then she made many trips to different countries and to the UK also. The Queen is very rich, as are others members of the royal family. In addition, the government pays for her expenses as Head of the State, for a royal yacht, train and aircraft as well as for the upkeep of several palaces. The Queen’s image appears on stamps, notes and coins.
The Powers of Parliament. The three elements, which make up Parliament –the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons –, are constituted on different principles. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the Commons are invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.
Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which is true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members aren’t in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only than it becomes law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch hasn’t refused to sign one.
The Functions of Parliament. The main functions of Parliament are: to pass laws; to provide, by voting taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government; to scrutinise government policy and administration; to debate the major issues of the day. In carrying out these functions Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate. By custom, Parliament is also informed before all-important international treaties and agreements are ratified.
A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October or November. The adverse number of "sitting" days in a session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start of each session the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the Government’s policies and proposed legislative programme.
The House of Commons. The House of Commons is elected and consists of 651 Members of Parliament. At present there are 60 women, three Asian and three black Mps. Of the 651 seats, 524 are for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland. Members are paid an annual salary of 30,854. The chief officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by the MPs to preside over the House. The House of Commons plays the major role in law making.
The House of Lords. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the 24 next most senior bishops of the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consist of: all hereditary peers of England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom; all other life peers. Peerages, both hereditary and life, are created by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. They are usually granted in recognition of service in politics or other walks of life. In 1992 there were 1,211 members of the House of Lords, including the two archbishops and 24 bishops. The Lords Temporal consisted of 758 hereditary peers and 408 life peers. The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor, who takes his place on the woolsack as the Speaker of the House.
The division of Parliament into two Houses goes back over some 700 years when feudal assembly ruled the country. In modern times, real political power rests in the elected House although members of the House of Lords still occupy important cabinet posts.
The Political Party System. The present political system depends upon the existence of organised political parties, each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. The parties are not registered or formally recognised in law, but in practice most candidates in elections, and almost all winning candidates, belong to one of' the main parties.
For the last 150 years there were only 2 parties: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. A new party – the Liberal Democrats – was formed in 1988. Social Democratic Party is also the new one founded in 1981. Other parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925) and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934).
The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament rests largely on the relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. Depending on the relative strengths of the parties in the House of Commons, the Opposition may seek to overthrow the Government by defeating it in a vote on a "matter of confidence". In general, however, its aims are to contribute to the formation of policy and legislation by constructive criticism; to oppose government proposal - it considers objectionable; to seek amendments to government bills; and to put forward its own policies in order to improve its chances of winning the next general election.
Because of the electoral method in use, only two major parties obtain seats in the House of Commons. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt. The exception to this are members of the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties, who, because their influence votes are concentrated in specific geographical areas, can manage to win seats although their total support is relatively small.
Her Majesty's Government: Prime Minister, the Cabinet. Her Majesty's Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The composition of governments can vary both in the number of ministers and in the titles of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.
The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Minister's Office is situated at 11 Downing Street.
The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of government departments. The exercise of these functions is vitally affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives, depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in private and its proceedings are confidential. Its members are bound by their oath as Privy Counsellors not to disclose information about its proceedings, although after 30 years Cabinet papers may be made available for inspection.
So Great Britain is the constitutional monarchy. Monarch is the Head of the State. But Queen or King rules with the support of the parliament. And practically monarch have no real political power. The main political decisions are made by the Parliament and Cabinet. And the House of Commons are more powerful.
5. English Language
English Language, chief medium of communication of people in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and numerous other countries. It is the official language of many nations in the Commonwealth of Nations and is widely understood and used in all of them. It is spoken in more parts of the world than any other language and by more people than any other tongue except Chinese.
We live in the modern world and you can’t imagine an educated person who doesn’t know any foreign language. It is especially important nowadays. Some people learn languages because they need them in their work, others travel abroad.
English is a widely spoken language all over the world. You can hear it everywhere: in a street, in shops and restaurants, in offices. You don’t need to know Japanese when you go to Japan, or French when you visit Paris. English will help you to understand each other.
A modern engineer or even a worker deals with instruments and machines from other countries and must be able to read the instructions, which are usually written in English. Computer programs and games, most of Internet pages are also written in English. Science magazines are mostly published in English and scientific and business conferences are held in English as well. Diplomats and militaries use English to solve their problems.
Besides, the knowledge of English helps to know more about the countries, read many books in the original and to make new friends.
6. Religion
Christianity is the largest religion on the island and has been since the Early Middle Ages, though its existence on the island dates back to the Roman introduction in antiquity and continued through Early Insular Christianity. The largest form practised in present day Britain is Anglicanism; dating from the 16th century Reformation, the religion regards itself as both Catholic and Reformed. Head of the Church is the monarch of the United Kingdom as the Supreme Governor. It has the status of established church in England. There are just over 26 million adherents to Anglicanism in Britain today, although the number of active adherents is only around one million. The second largest Christian practice in Britain is the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church which traces its formal, corporate history in Great Britain to the 6th century with Augustine's mission and was the main religion on the island for around a thousand years. There are over 5 million adherents in Britain today; 4.5 million in England and Wales and 750,000 in Scotland, although less than a million Catholics regularly attend mass.
The Church of Scotland, a form of Protestantism with a Presbyterian system of ecclesiastical polity is the third most numerous on the island with around 2.1 million members. Introduced in Scotland by clergyman John Knox, it has the status of national church in Scotland. The monarch of the United Kingdom is represented prominently by a Lord High Commissioner. Methodism is the fourth largest and grew out of Anglicanism through John Wesley. It gained popularity in the old mill towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire, also amongst tin miners in Cornwall. The Presbyterian Church of Wales, which follow Calvinistic Methodism, is the largest denomination in Wales. There are other non-conformist minorities, such as Baptists, Quakers, the United Reformed Church, Unitarians and more. The first patron saint of Great Britain was Saint Alban. He was the first Christian martyr dating from the Romano-British period, condemned to death for his faith and was sacrificed to the pagan gods. In more recent times, some have suggested the adoption of Saint Aidan as another patron saint of Britain. Originally from Ireland, he worked at Iona amongst the Dál Riata and then Lindisfarne where he restored Christianity to Northumbria.
The Swaminarayan Temple at Neasden, London - one of the largest Hindu Temples in Europe. Three constituent countries of the United Kingdom located on the island have patron saints; Saint George and Saint Andrew are represented in the flags of England and Scotland respectively. These two saintly flags combined form the basis of the Great Britain royal flag of 1604. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales. There are many other British saints, some of the best known include; Cuthbert, Columba, Patrick, Margaret, Edward the Confessor, Mungo, Thomas More, Petroc, Bede and Thomas Becket.
Numerous non-Christian religions are practised in Great Britain. Judaism has a history of a small minority on the island since 1070. The Jews were expelled from England in 1290 until being allowed to return in 1656. Their history in Scotland is quite obscure until later migrations from Lithuania. Especially since the 1950s religions from the former colonies have become more prevalent; Islam is the most common of these with around 1.5 million adherents in Britain. A total of more than 1 million people practise either Hinduism, Sikhism or Buddhism, religions introduced from India and South East Asia.
7. Biodiversity
Animal diversity is modest, as a result of factors including the island's small land area, the relatively recent age of the habitats developed since the last Ice Age and the island's physical separation from continental Europe, and the effects of seasonal variability. Great Britain also experienced early industrialisation and is subject to continuing urbanisation, which have contributed towards the overall loss of species. A study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate. However, some species, such as the brown rat, red fox, and introduced grey squirrel, are well adapted to urban areas.
Rodents make up 40% of the total number of mammal species in Great Britain. These include squirrels, mice, voles, rats and the recently reintroduced European beaver. There is also an abundance of rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, shrews, moles and several species of bat. Carnivorous mammals include the fox, badger, otter, weasel, stoat and elusive wildcat. Various species of seal, whale and dolphin are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are deer. The red deer is the largest species, with roe deer and fallow deer also prominent; the latter was introduced by the Normans. Sika deer and two more species of smaller deer, muntjac and Chinese water deer, have been introduced, muntjac becoming widespread in England and parts of Wales while Chinese water deer are restricted mainly to East Anglia. Habitat loss has affected many species. Extinct large mammals include the brown bear, grey wolf and wild boar; the latter has had a limited reintroduction in recent times.
There is a wealth of birdlife in Britain, 583 species in total, of which 258 breed on the island or remain during winter. Because of its mild winters for its latitude, Great Britain hosts important numbers of many wintering species, particularly ducks, geese and swans. Other well known bird species include the golden eagle, grey heron, kingfisher, pigeon, sparrow, pheasant, partridge, and various species of crow, finch, gull, auk, grouse, owl and falcon. There are six species of reptile on the island; three snakes and three lizards including the legless slow worm. One snake, the adder, is venomous but rarely deadly Amphibians present are frogs, toads and newts.
In a similar sense to fauna, and for similar reasons, the flora of Great Britain is impoverished compared to that of continental Europe. Great Britain's flora comprises 3,354 vascular plant species, of which 2,297 are native and 1,057 have been introduced into the island. The island has a wide variety of trees, including native species of birch, beech, ash, hawthorn, elm, oak, yew, pine, cherry and apple. Other trees have been naturalised, introduced especially from other parts of Europe and North America. Introduced trees include several varieties of pine, chestnut, maple, spruce, sycamore and fir, as well as cherry plum and pear trees. The tallest species are the Douglas firs; two specimens have been recorded measuring 65 metres or 212 feet. The Fortingall Yew in Perthshire is the oldest tree in Europe.
There are at least 1,500 different species of wildflower in Britain, Some 107 species are particularly rare or vulnerable and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to uproot any wildflowers without the landowner's permission. A vote in 2002 nominated various wildflowers to represent specific counties. These include red poppies, bluebells, daisies, daffodils, rosemary, gorse, iris, ivy, mint, orchids, brambles, thistles, buttercups, primrose, thyme, tulips, violets, cowslip, heather and many more.There are also many species of algae, lichens, fungi and mosses across the island.
8. London
London is one of the largest cities in the world. More then 10mln people live in London and its suburbs. London is a city of striking contrasts. Here one can come across the past and the present, the old and the modern, live side by side in mutual tolerance and respect.
In London, one can see architecture of different centuries and styles. It is inseparably connected with the history of the city. The Romans, the Saxons and the Danes settled here in turn, after them came the Normans, and brought the French civilisation. London survived the Plague and the Great Fire, which followed in 1666. During the Fire all wooden houses were smashed to the ground and a New London, London of stone with bigger houses and wider streets was built. During the World War II, many buildings of great historic value lay in ruins and today the face of London is changed.
Traditionally London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.
The city first started in the place, which is known as the City. It is the Heart of London, it's commercial and business centre. It occupies a territory of a square mile. During a day, it is full of people, nearly half a million people work there.
The West End is the richest part of the city with its beautiful avenues, parks and gardens, grandhotels, theatres and fashionable shops. It is a symbol of wealth and luxury.
While the City is the money of London and the West End is the good of London, the East End is the hands of London, that built the banks of the City and beautiful mansions and hotels of the West End. It is a district, inhabited by the workers. There are many factories and the Port of London there.
As for me, I cannot imagine London without Thames. In fact, painters and writers regard the river as the source of inspiration. Turner, Monet, Canatello painted it countless times and their impression of the river in all seasons can be seen on the walls of museums, throughout the world. Pope, Spensor and many other poets sang it in their poems. The most famous books about the Thames are ‘Three men in a boat' by Jerome-k-Jerome and ‘The wind in the willows' by K. Graham. If there had been no Thames, there would be no London. It was born many centuries ago in the place, which is known as the City. The City is not only the centre of business. It's the burth place of London. London was born in the place not far from St. Paul's cathedral hundreds of years before our era. It was called Lynn-din (the lonely port) at that time. After the Norman Conquest, it became Londinium.
If you want to get some glimpses of London, you'd better start sightseeing with the Tower of London, that comes first among the historic buildings of the city. It was built as the fortress after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It has been used as the Royal Palace, as an observatory, an arsenal and a prison. For many visitors the principal attraction is the Crown Jewels, the finest precious stones of the nation.
A twenty minutes' walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren. St. Paul's Cathedral, with it's famous Whispering Gallery, is considered to be a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. In one of its towers hangs one of the largest bells in the world – Great Paul.
Not far from Cathedral is Westminster Abbey. It was founded by Edward the Confessor in 1050. The best part of the Abbey is a wonderful chapel, dating back to the 16 th century. It is famous for its magnificent architecture. There are many monuments and statues there. Many English kings and queens are buried there. Since William the 1 st, almost ever monarch has been crowned in this great church. One of the greatest treasures of the Abbey is oaken Coronation Chair made in 1300. On the south side of Westminster Abbey is Poet's Corner, where the greatest English writers are buried. Here also are memorials to Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Scott and so on.
Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, which is spread magnificently on the north bank of the Thames. It is a remarkable example of Gothic architecture.
9. Cities of Great Britain
It is impossible to tell that all English cities are similar at each other, as like as two peas. Certainly, no. In each city there is the unique highlight, the monuments of history and architecture. Many started to be erected still by ancient Romans and practically all already held the ground a place during the Middle Ages era.
Bath. The status of the city of Bath received in 1590, agrees royal эдикту queens Elizabeth I. The city was founded among hills of a valley of the river Avon, near hot springs of a natural origin. On this place Romans erected thermal baths and the temple called "Aquae Sulis". Every year Bath visits some million the tourists, wishing own eyes to see literally all important historical milestones of development of England – from Celtic times to the present. In 1987 Bath became a place of world heritage of UNESCO, in it the set of theaters, museums and the other cultural centers is located.
Birmingham. Birmingham – the second-large city of Great Britain. In the past the territory of modern Birmingham represented the northernmost tip of the Ardensky wood. Of those times remind numerous oak groves, "whether" and also an affix (ley) in the name of such areas as Soltli and Hokli – it occurs from Old English суффиксоида "-leah", designating a light forest. Turn in the history of Birmingham came in 1166 when Peter de Birmingem got the privilege at Henry II to organize the weekly markets "near the lock in Birmingham" and to raise collecting from trade.
Bolton. Bolton is located in a northwest part of England, it enters into agglomeration of Manchester (Greater Manchester) and is an administrative center and the largest city of the administrative district with the same name. In Bolton and the next settlements the enterprises of defensive branch which are letting out rockets and rockets work. The central component of this production complex is the British Aerospace corporation plant in Lostoka. Grandsons of the inhabitant of Bolton Joseph William Foster based the well-known sports brand of Reebok.
Bristol. Exact data on time of the basis of Bristol doesn't exist. The first mentions of the city under Brikgstou's name belong by the beginning of the XI century. Located near the Atlantic coast Bristol – the city of centuries-old trading traditions and though its port lost the former value, trade and transport enterprises are included still into number of large employers along with the companies of financial sector and hi-tech productions. In the city works about fifty companies occupied with design of microprocessors and integrated schemes.
Windsor. Windsor – the small city in the royal district Windsor and Meydenkhed, the County of Berkshire. Windsor is in the southwest of England, in close proximity to London (and also from Eton and Datcheta). Became famous, first of all, thanks to the Windsor Castle which for many years was the royal residence. Also the lock served as a place of an imprisonment of many titled persons. Till 1974 the city carried the official name New Windsor (the village under the name Old-Windsor is located in four kilometers to the South from the city).
Gloucester. Gloucester – the city, the district and an administrative center of the County of Gloucestershire in the southwest of England. The history of Gloucester in the XVII century is directly connected with events of English civil war. In August and September of the 1643rd the operations which have become history under the name the Siege of Gloucester here were developed. In a cathedral of Gloucester some episodes from films about Harry Potter's adventures are removed: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets", "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince".
Derby. Derby – the city in the ceremonial County of Derbyshire located in the region Ist-Midlands. In 1778 during a festive dinner Edward Smith-Stanley's 12th column Derby participants of a celebration decided to carry out jumps to an estate and to organize a tote. The estate name – Epsom Ouk – became the name of races. In 1779 of the first to the finish the horse of Derby – Bridzhet came. During the celebration devoted to this victory, the decision on the organization of races for stallions was made. To decide on their name, present cast lots. The lord of Derby appeared the winner.
Dover. Dover settled down in the mouth of the river Due (Dour), in the coastal valley surrounded with the well-known white rocks which open to a look of the travelers crossing Strait of Dover. The width of Strait of Dover in the narrowest part makes 34 kilometers. On heights to the West and the East from Dover there are the defensive works erected at different stages stories of the city for protection against attacks from the sea. Most known of them is Dover Castle (Dover Castle) which belongs to number of the largest locks in the territory of Great Britain.
Ipsvich. Ipsvich is located in the county Saffolk, near to east coast of England. In the XIV century Dzhefri Chaucer placed the satirical image of ipsvichsky merchants in "The Canterbury Tales". Besides, exactly here Frederick Forsyte lodged one of characters of the best-seller "Fourth protocol" – the Soviet agent Valery Petrofskogo. Ipsvich's history originates in the VII century. Before, in the Roman occupation, roads here were cleared, large country houses and forts are constructed, but no settlement in Ipsvich's territory existed.
York. York – the city and unitary area in the county Northern Yorkshire in the northeast of England. Throughout two millennia of the existence York repeatedly became the witness of crucial events of English history. According to researchers, the modern name of the city occurs from Latin Eborakum which brittsky Eborakon, in turn, goes back to. In the VII century the city was called as Eoforvik (Eoforwic – the city of a wild wild boar), and in the second half of the IX century – Yorvik. After a Norman gain the reduced option – York gradually was extended.
Cambridge. Cambridge – the university city, an administrative center and the nemetropolny district of the County of Cambridgeshire. As well as Oxford, Cambridge endured a train of the conflicts between citizens and teachers. At the Cambridge university got education a great number of prominent politicians, scientists of art: Oliver Cromwell, John Milton, Charles Darvin, John Fletcher, John Garvard, Lawrence Stern, Henry Cavendish, William Wordsworth, Peter Ekroyd, Christopher Marlow, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, David Owen. Among his graduates 85 Nobel winners are.
Canterbury. The territory of today's Canterbury was populated during prehistoric times. Here, in an environment of bogs, there was a crossing through Stauer. The first documentary mentions of the settlement on local lands belong to that period when the territory of Kent was occupied by a brittsky tribe кантиациев. On a place of modern Canterbury there was their settlement which was grasped by the Romans who have given to the city the new name - Durovernum Cantiacorum (the fortress of kantianets near alder thickets" is translated as "). The city is known around the world thanks to Jeffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales".
Coventry. Coventry – the city and the district of the metropolny County of West Midlands. Coventry – the city of the United Kingdom most remote from the coast. The dark blue thread for the embroidery, made in Coventry, was in demand across all Europe. It didn't fade over time – quality which, according to researchers, caused to life idiomatic expression of "true blue" (true, resistant). In the XVIII century of Coventry became the large center of the English hour industry. In the 1930th years here developed the productions such giants of the British automotive industry, as Jaguar, Rover and Rootes.
Colchester. Colchester – the settlement located in the district with the same name of the County of Essex in the east of England. Now Colchester has no official status of the city. Traditionally one of the most important branches of economy of Colchester was the mechanical engineering. Besides a set of sights, Colchester involves tourists with the saturated program of entertainment and mass actions. The most appreciable place in their row occupies the Oyster holiday. The centuries-old history of Colchester is inseparably linked with trade of oysters.
Crosby. Crosby – the small town in the metropolny County of Merseyside on the northeast coast of England. The number of sights includes the sculptural group "Another Place" created by Anthony Gormley. It consists of hundred pig-iron sculptures, each of which represents an exact copy of a body of Gormley full-scale. Sculptures are established on a sandy beach in length of 3,2 km and during inflow partially disappear under water. Anthony Gormley's work for many years is a subject of heated debates between critics, a coast guard and ecologists.
Liverpool. In England inhabitants of Liverpool sometimes call "skauzer" ("Scousers") is a name occurs from the name of a local dish - "скауза", a potato ragout. Also "skauzy" call a local dialect and accent. The seaside arrangement of Liverpool and its numerous ports affected the extremely various structure of its population - in it the set of cultures, languages and religions is presented. Quite recently the city which by quantity of historical buildings concedes only to London, celebrated the 700-year anniversary.
Leeds. Leeds – the city in the county the Western Yorkshire located in the north of England. According to historians, the name of the city occurs from a name Loidis - the forest area occupying the most part of the brittsky kingdom of Elmet so was called. In the 1960th years in Leeds the ambitious project of the district highway was realized. The considerable part of this road is laid in underground tunnels. So, unlike Birmingham, Leicester and other English cities, Leeds minimized a damage put to historical shape of city quarters with development of a road network.
Manchester. Manchester – the city of the metropolny county Greater Manchester in a northwest part of England. In the XIX century the city was the center of the textile industry of Lancashire, having received the playful name "Hlopkograd" (Cottonopolis), however the civil war which has begun in the USA in 1861, immediately caused interruptions in supply of the cotton, shipped all region in crisis. The history of the Labour party and movement of sufrazhistka is connected with Manchester. The Golden Age of Manchester is necessary for the end of the XIX century: in six kilometers from Manchester the Trafford-park – first-ever science and technology park was constructed.
Nottingham. Nottingham – the city in the ceremonial County of Nottinghamshire in the central England. In representation of British Nottingham associates with a legend about Robin Hood and production of laces. In 1849 John But opened here a small drugstore on Guz-Geyt Street. Together with the spouse he was engaged in collecting herbs and preparation of drugs. His son, Jesse But turned small family business under the name "Boots the Chemists" into one of the largest companies of the British pharmaceutical branch. In days of the Second World War the city enterprises carried out defensive orders.
Newcastle. Newcastle – the city and the district of the metropolny county of Secrets and Weir in a northeast part of England. Once on a place of the city the settlement Mankchester settled down. In 875 the army of Danes under Halvdan's command made devastating attack on the lands of Northumbria, having plundered and having razed to the ground many settlements, and at the same time having deprived the future generations of possibility to be ill for club "Mankchester Yunayted".
Oxford. The English historian John Rus who has written in 1490 work of "Historium Regum Angliae" ("Royal history of England"), argued that the first city on a place of modern Oxford was constructed on the Thames by king Mempritsius at the same time when prophet Samuil was the judge of Israel. Thus, he argued that Oxford was founded in the XIV-XV centuries BC and was known under different names, Saxon "Oxenfordia" didn't get accustomed yet. Other historians considered that Oxford was founded by the Trojans who have moored to coast of Britain in 1100 BC.
Plymouth. Plymouth – the city in the County of Devon in the southwest of England. At the end of the XVII century writer Celia Finnes so described Plymouth: "Streets are good and pure, are thus very numerous, though some fairly narrow. The most part they are occupied by seamen and those who is anyway connected with the sea. The mouth of the river represents convenient harbor for the ships; docks are located approximately in two miles from the city. They are included into number of the best in England – here build great variety of the sound ships". In 1815 after defeat of the French armies at Waterloo Napoleon was delivered to Plymouth onboard the vessel "Bellerophon".
Portsmouth. Portsmouth – the city in the ceremonial county Hampshire on the southern coast of England. The most part of the city is on the island Portsi therefore Portsmouth quite often call the unique island city of the United Kingdom. The history of Portsmouth throughout many centuries is inseparably linked with history of the British navigation. The immigrants who have sailed from the city by eleven ships on May 13 1787th, founded the first European colony on the Australian earth. In the spring of 1982 from Portsmouth for participation in the Falkland war the British squadron came up.
Svindon. Svindon – the settlement and the unitary district of the ceremonial County of Wiltshire. The name, probably, occurred from nouns swine (pig) and down (hill) though some researchers consider that originally the height was called as Sweyn dun – Sveyn's hill (probably so called one of local land owners). The finds made by archeologists during excavation on a hill Svindon-Hill, testify that the earliest settlements appeared here in a bronze age – burials belong to this era, tools and fragments of house utensils.
Salisbury. Salisbury - the city in the ceremonial County of Wiltshire in the south of England. The major place among historical and architectural monuments of Salisbury occupies a cathedral. Its spike in height 123 meters, created in 1334, became the highest spike in the United Kingdom. William Golding's novel the "Spike" which was issued in 1964 is devoted to construction of a spike of the Solsberiysky cathedral. The most important sight in vicinities of Salisbury, certainly, is the Stonehendge. It settles down in 13 km from the city and is an important source of the income of tourist branch of Salisbury.
Cheltenkhem. Cheltenkhem – the city settlement of the County of Gloucestershire in the central part of England. Three centuries ago thanks to mineral sources Cheltenkhem turned into the popular resort, and today it is obliged by the international popularity to the hippodrome located nearby. The history of races in Cheltenkhema originates in 1815, they found national popularity in the 1902nd when here passed the first Cheltenkhemsky festival. The festival is conducted in March and became the most prestigious event in the world of equestrian sport, involving in Cheltenkhem tens of thousands of tourists.
Chester. Chester – the city and the district in the ceremonial County of Cheshire in the northwest of England. The name of the city occurred from the Roman castrum (military camp). In 1899 in Chester Istgeytsky hours were established. They settle down on that place where many centuries there was an entrance in the Roman fort Maiden Viktriks back. Its convenient arrangement allowed to supervise an outlet to the sea and to divide tribes of brigant and the Ordovician. Istgeytsky hours are included into number of the most known city sights, after Big Ben it is the second for popularity at tourists hours in Great Britain.
Sheffield. Sheffield – the city in the metropolny county the Southern Yorkshire located in the central part of England. Sheffield applies for a rank of most green of the British cities: in its territory more than 2 million trees grow, the city call largest of English villages. The name "Sheffield" occurs from an Old English verb of shed (sheth – to divide) which Shif, and a semi-suffix of feld designating the cut-down site of the wood entitled the river. The beginning gave to modern Sheffield the Anglo-Saxon settlement on the site cleared of the wood near to merge of Don and Shif.
10. British Traditional Holiday
Great Britain is famous for its old traditions. Some of them existed in an-cient times and survived through centuries. Some of them appeared when Christianity came to British isles. Speaking about religious holidays one can’t but mention Easter, Pancake Day and Mother’s Day. The dates of these holi-days aren’t strict, they depend on the date of Easter, that varies every year.
Pancake day is the popular name for the Shrove Tuesday, the day before the first day of Lent. In the middle ages people on that day made merry and ate pancakes. The ingredients of pancakes are all forbidden by Church during Lent, that is why they have to be used the day before. The most common form of celebrating this day in the old times was the all town ball game or tug-of-war, in which everyone was tearing here and there, trying to get the ball or rope into their part of the city. Today the only custom, that is observed throughout Britain is pancake eating.
For the English people the best-known name for the fourth in Lent Sun-day is Mothering Sunday or Mother’s Day. For 3 centuries this day has been a day of small family gatherings when absent sons and daughters return to their homes. Gifts are made to mothers by children of all ages. Flowers and cakes are still traditional gifts. Violets and primroses are most popular flowers. Sometimes the whole family goes to church and then there is a special dinner at which roast lamb, rice-pudding and home-made wines and served.
Easter is one of the most important holidays in Christianity. In England it’s a time for giving and receiving presents, mostly Easter eggs. We can say that the egg is the most popular emblem of Easter, but spring-time flowers are also used to stress the nature’s awakening. Nowadays there are a lot of choco-late Easter eggs, having some small gifts inside. But a real hard-boiled egg, decorated and painted in bright colours, still appears on breakfast tables on Ester Day, or it’s hidden in the house or garden for children to finny. In egg that is boiled really hard will last for years. Egg-rolling is a traditional Easter pastime. You roll the eggs down a clope until they are cracked and broken, after they are eaten up.
11. Christmas in Britain
Christmas Day, December 25,is probably the most popular holiday in Great Britan. It is a family holiday. Traditionally all relatives and friends give each other presents. So before Christmas all the department stores and shops are crowded, everybody is choosing a present. In general, people get prepared for this holiday very carefully. They decorate their houses in the traditional way, that is the Christmas trees are set up in houses, in the streets and churches. The Christmas trees are always decorated with fairy lights, angels and small toys. In addition litlle packets with nuts, candies and special biscuits are hung on the tree. Presents are put around the tree and artificial ''frost'' is scattered over the branches.
The Germans are believed to be the first to use the Christmas tree in their celebrations, and Martin Luther was the first to place a star on the top of the tree. This star represent the star that appeared over the stable in which Christ was born.
In Great Britain the Christmas tree became popular when Queen Victoria used it.
Branches of holly are put up behind pictures and mistletoe is hung over doors, so the young people have a chance to kiss the girls under it, plucking each time a red berry from the mistletoe. It is said that the girl who was not kissed under it at Christmas would not get married that year.
On the eve of the Christmas children hang their stockings so that Santa Claus could put presents into them: oranges, sweets, nuts and if the child didn't behave properly Santa Clause can put there a piece of coal as punishment.
Santa Claus got his name from a man known as St.Nickolas who lived in Asia in the fourth century. He gave his wealth to the poor and often to children. Carol singing is an essential part of Christmas. No church or school is without its carol service. Carols may be traditional or by known composers they can express different feelings. Carols appeared in Christmas history about the fifteenth century.
Usually children come around in the evening to the front doors and start singing carols and the people living in these houses give children candies, nuts, pies and so on, to thank them for carol singing.
A typical Christmas lunch includes turkey with cranberry sauce and pudding. Every young woman in each household helps to stir the Christmas pudding if she wishes to be married that year.
Usually a coin or two are hidden inside the pudding and part of the fun is to see who finds it. After the lunch they go to the sitting room to listen to the Christmas speech of the Queen, shown on TV.
12. Outstanding people of Great Britain
Great Britain made a great contribution to the science, literature, music and arts of the world. It gave mankind a lot of outstanding scientists, writers and poets, musicians and painters.
Thomas More, who lived in the 15th century was an outstanding humanist, scientist and statesman. His work “Utopia” brought him worldwide acknowledgement. Many prominent people were influenced by his ideas of a free democratic state described in “Utopia”.
William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in the world. His plays “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, “King Lear”, “Macbeth” were translated into almost every language and staged in every theatre. He described the characters and feelings, which can be called international and living forever.
Daniel Defoe, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll are only a few names well-known all over the world.
William Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable contributed to the world’s painting treasures.
Great Britain has also given the world many outstanding scientists. Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin was born in Scotland. He spent his working hours almost entirely in hospitals and laboratories. His discovery of penicillin did more to help suffering people than anything else for centuries. When he died in 1955 his old friend said: “… by his work he relieved more suffering than any other living man”.
Ernest Rutherford, a famous English physicist worked in the field of radioactivity. His brilliant researches established the existence and nature of radioactive transformations. He was one of the founders of the atomic theory of physics and creators of the first atomic model.
M. Faraday made his major discovery in the field of electricity — the electromagnetic induction. He also made several important observations on the conductivity of different materials. Enjoying world-wide popularity, Faraday remained a modest man, who rejected high titles.
All of them considered hard labour and love for mankind to be the main reason of their success.
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