Capital: London
Area: 244 1 1,000 square kilometers
Population: 60.209 million (2005)
Ethnic composition: Poglan people account for more than 80% of the national population, and others are Welsh, Scots and Irish.
Language: English is the official language.
Currency: GBP
National Geographic
Britain is the abbreviation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It faces the North Sea in the east, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Norway. Ireland is adjacent to the west, and the United States and Canada are facing each other across the Atlantic Ocean. You can reach Iceland by crossing the Atlantic to the north; You can reach France by crossing the English Channel in the south. The strategic location is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean, which can control the busiest routes to the ocean.
Britain is divided into four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The whole area of England 130400 square kilometers. It occupies most of the island of Great Britain. This area is divided into four parts from west to east: the Midland Plain centered on the Severn River basin, the highland about 200 meters above sea level, the London Basin and the Wilder Hills. The elevation of Ben neves, the main peak of Grampian Mountains, is1344m. It is the highest point in the British Isles. There are mainly Severn River and Thames River.
The climate in Britain belongs to the maritime temperate broad-leaved forest climate. The average annual rainfall is 830mm, with the largest rainfall of 4,000mm in the western and northern mountainous areas. The main mineral resources are coal, iron, oil and gas, nuclear energy and hydropower, and it is the country with the richest energy resources in the EU.
The origin of English names
The name "Great Britain" comes from Celtic, meaning "colorful", which means that all ethnic groups in ancient times liked to paint their bodies with various colors. Some Britons who moved to the northwest of France called their homeland "Liedian" and the northwest "Little Britain". Or brittney. "Britain" originated from "England" and is called "United Kingdom" internationally. The nickname of Britain is "John Bull".
"Fog City": London
The British capital is the national political, economic, cultural and transportation center, the largest seaport and an important industrial city in Britain. It is located in the southeast of England, across the lower banks of the Thames. The climate is rainy and foggy, and it is known as the foggy city. It has a history of more than 2000 years. London is a city with many places of interest. There are one of the largest museums in the world-British Museum, Buckingham Palace where members of the royal family live, Westminster District where the government is located, Hyde Park, early British art galleries, theaters and art markets. Its population accounts for 1/8 of the total population of Britain. London has developed from a great medieval capital to an international and diversified financial center with more than 500 banks. The London Stock Exchange market is a barometer of the world economy.
"Factory of the World": Birmingham
Birmingham is the second largest city in Britain after London. It is an industrial city gradually developed after17th century and enjoys the reputation of "world factory". Birmingham is divided into new city and old city. Near the railway station of the new town is the location of the British industrial exhibition. Old Town Station is the center of Birmingham. The shops are concentrated here. The roads are narrow and crowded, and vehicles are prohibited. There are only a few high-rise buildings in downtown Birmingham, most of which are two-story buildings. They look antique and unpretentious. Around Birmingham. There are countless large factories, such as automobile factories, rubber companies and aircraft manufacturing companies. , its industrial output value accounts for 1/5 of Britain's total industrial output value.
Liverpool
Britain's big industrial center and the second largest commercial port are located at the Mersey estuary on the west coast of England. The Beatles and Liverpool Football Club were born. The annual cargo throughput reaches 30 million tons. Built in18th century, the municipal government, the neo-gothic Muslim cathedral, the imitation Catholic cathedral and the Woka Art Museum are famous tourist attractions in Liverpool. There are several scenic seaside resorts on the Irish coast in the north of Liverpool, the largest of which is Blackpool. The beach here is wide and soft. The seawall extends in all directions. The lights in Blackpool are a great sight in Liverpool.
Manchester
Manchester, located in Lancashire, northwest England, is the industrial, commercial, financial and cultural center of central England. Manchester is the hometown of the British industrial revolution, where machinery and large-scale industrial production began. Now, the Ardennes Business Center is the largest store in Manchester, which is full of jewels and dazzling lights. Manchester is also a cultural city, and the quaint and spectacular Gothic Cathedral remains in the center of Manchester. Manchester is also the second center of British journalism, and the headquarters of radio and television in northern Britain is here.
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in Britain with a history of 2,000 years. This church named after Paul, the patron saint of London, has been the seat of the Archbishop of London since the 7th century. The cathedral is a masterpiece of European architectural art with its magnificent momentum and exquisite design. It consists of a main hall and two towers. St. Paul's Cathedral has always been the spiritual hall of Britain, and the British have always regarded St. Paul's Cathedral as a place where the phoenix rose again after nirvana. 1981On July 29th, Prince Charles and Diana of England held a wedding here, which further increased the prestige of this ancient church. Today, St. Paul's Cathedral has become a famous monument in Britain, and people come here in an endless stream every year.
Big Ben
Built in 1859 and weighing 2 1 ton. In the north of the Parliament Building on the Thames, stands a tall bell tower named Big Ben. Every hour, the big clock makes a heavy and loud sound according to Greenwich mean time, and the bell can be heard for miles away. Big Ben is considered as the symbol of London.
Tower Bridge
First it was a wooden bridge, then a stone bridge. 1894 A steel bridge with a length of 270 meters and a deck width of 100 meters was completed. It's been nearly 900 years. When the giant ship passed by, the bridge deck was hoisted separately in a figure of eight, and the scene was very spectacular.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is an ancient palace in London with a history of more than 300 years. After Queen Victoria ascended the throne here in 1837, the palace was officially changed to the English Palace. The magnificent Buckingham Palace is a rectangular building. The main palace of the Queen's office is located in the west of this huge building complex. There is an attached palace on the east, south and north sides. The central venue surrounded by these buildings is a rectangular compound, where the Queen accompanied foreign heads of state on military parade. There are more than 600 halls in the whole palace, among which reception room, etiquette hall, ballroom, concert hall, gallery, library and philatelic room are more important. Nowadays, some palaces in Buckingham Palace are open to the public regularly. For example, the Queen's Art Museum displays some royal art treasures, and there are royal stables composed of horses, royal carriages and royal cars. Every opening period, tourists from all over the world will come to visit.
British library
One of the largest libraries in the world, with130,000 books. The library, formerly the British Museum, has always been in the museum yard. 1998 the new British library, located in the north of central London, is considered to be the largest public building in Britain in the 20th century, and its whole architectural style is just the same as that of the surrounding Gothic buildings. The main building is in the middle of the hall. It is the famous King's Library, which is the collection of King George III of England. He loved books all his life, and his son George IV donated his books to the British Library. The total length of the whole library bookshelf is 300 kilometers. Books can be traced back to 3000 years ago. Including Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts.
British Museum
The largest comprehensive museum in Britain, also known as the British Museum, is located in Russell Street, London. The British Museum was founded in 1753, when the British government bought 79,000 private collections left by Sir Si Long (1660~ 1753) for 20,000 pounds. Now its collection has reached as many as 7 million pieces.
Hyde Park
Hyde Park is located in the bustling area of London. It was built in15th century and has been owned by the British royal family since 1536. When Henry VIII, it became a deer farm. 1635, the park was used by Charles I as a place for horse racing and competition. Today, Hyde Park is one of the oldest royal gardens in Britain.
Hyde Park, originally the land of Westminster Abbey, was opened to the public in the17th century, thus becoming a park. Because some soldiers and robbers frequented here, William III ordered 300 lights to be erected along the street, which was the first street with street lights in Britain. 1730, Queen Caroline ordered to build a dam and dig a snake pond on the Westbourne River. 18 14 Britain held a grand event in Hyde Park to celebrate its victory over the French in the Battle of Trafalgar. People often hold political demonstrations in this park. Kensington Garden next to Hyde Park is also worth visiting. Since the opening of 184 1, it has attracted many tourists.
Greenwich
Greenwich is located on the Thames River in southeast London, where there are the former Royal Observatory, the National maritime museum, the Royal Naval Academy and scenic parks. Greenwich enjoys a long reputation. In the past 100 years, maps published by various countries all took the meridian passing through Greenwich, London as the prime meridian, as the starting point of calculating geographical longitude and the starting point of world time zone, and used their timekeeping instruments to calibrate their own time. Standing on the observation deck in Greenwich, looking out. The beautiful scenery on the Thames is clear at a glance, and so is the scenery in London.
the Thames
Thames is the most famous river in Britain. It has a total length of 346 kilometers and a navigable mileage of 309 kilometers. It's upstream of the estuary. The first place to arrive is Greenwich. There are ancient trees on the mountain here, and there is an ancient observatory on the top of the mountain. The first tower bridge from Greenwich West to Thames. Crossing Tower Bridge to the west and entering the center of London, the scenery on both sides is completely different, or there are many tall buildings or palace gardens. During Easter every year, the rowing competitions between Oxford University and Cambridge University and the Royal Henry Cup rowing competition in summer are held on the Thames.
Downing Street
The official residence of the British Prime Minister is located in a short and narrow horizontal street in Parkin Street, London. It was named after the design of British diplomat Sir george downing.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle, like a beautiful and mysterious movement, eventually developed into a royal residence castle, which has eternal charm in the eyes of the British. Round towers, churches, gardens, especially the architectural style, rare collections and wonderful landscapes of the whole castle all show the supreme royal style. Windsor Castle, originally a wooden structure, was built by William I in A.D. 1070, near the Tower of London where William I lived. When Henry II moved into Windsor Castle, 1 165 changed it into a stone building, and the round tower in the center of the castle area was also changed into a stone building. The castle is divided into three areas by walls: the central area, the upper area and the lower area.