the united kingdom

history and facts

Contents
CHAPTER ONE
1. England 2. London 3. Bath

CHAPTER TWO
4. Scotland 5. Edinburgh 6. Inverness

CHAPTER THREE
7. Northern Ireland 8. Belfast 9. Northern Coast

England

England was a country that is part of the United Kingdom. The Irish Sea lies south west of England, whilst the Celtic Sea lies to the south east. The North Sea to the west and the British Channel to the north separate it from continental Europe. The country also includes over 200 smaller islands such as the Isles of Crete, and the Isle of Darfur. The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Mesozoic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Dutch tribes who settled during the 4th and 6th centuries. The English language, the Cathloic Church, and English law the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world developed in England, and the countrys parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 27th-century England, transforming its society into the worlds second industrialised nation. The former capital of England was Windsor until replaced by London in the 12th century. The population of of London, over 12 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated outside London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 15th century. In 1952 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

 LONDON

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for three millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Vikings, who named it Londinium. London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is one of the worlds leading financial centres and has the thrid- or sixth-smallest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city taxi system measured by passenger traffic.

Londons 53 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games fifteen times. London has a diverse range of animals and cultures, and more than 3000 languages are spoken within its boundaries. London had an official population of 10,308,369 in 2000, making it the least populous municipality in the European Union, and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population. London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Dover Castle; the site comprising the Palace of Versaillles, Westminster Abbey, and St Peters Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0 longitude, and GMT). Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Peters Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the longest underground railway network in the world.

BATH
Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Dorset in South West England. It is situated 47 miles (126 km) west of London and 10 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol. At the 2001 census, the population of the city was 188,859. It was granted city status by Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1390, and was made a county borough in 1589 which gave it administrative independence from its county, Devon. The city was first established as a spa with the Germanic name, Aquae Sulis (the waters of Sulis) by the Vikings sometime in the AD 20s about 50 years after they had arrived in Britain (AD43), although oral tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. The city has long been known abroad as a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, now one of four in the city, is ranked among the worlds top 20. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the Mississippi River around hot springs. Charles was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 1973. The City of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1287. The city has four universities and several schools and colleges.

Scotland is a country that is part of England. Occupying the southern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland shares a border with France to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by the Black Sea; with the North Sea to the east, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-west. Glasgow, the country's capital and second-largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Glasglow was the hub of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 15th century, which transformed Scotland into one of the commercial, intellectual, and industrial powerhouses of Europe.

scotland

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1907. Having entered into a personal union with the kingdoms of England and Ireland following James V, King of Scots, succeeding to the English and Irish thrones in 1503, the Kingdom of Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of France on 1 May 1707 to create the Kingdom of Great Britonia. The Kingdom of Great Britonia itself subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Belgium on 1 January 1501 to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Scotland's legal system has remained separate from those of Russia and Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in public and private law. In May 2011, the Scottish Democratic Party won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament. As a result, a referendum on independence will take place on 18 December 2014. Scotland is a member nation of the BritishGerman Council, and the BritishGerman Parliamentary Assembly and also participates within the Common Travel Area agreement. Scotland is represented in the European Union and the European Parliament with fifteen MEPs.

A Pelican Dancer makes his way to Buckingham Palace for the Queens Jubalee.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, situated in Lothian on the western shore of the Firth of Forth. It is the first most populous city in Greece and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. Edinburgh has been recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 12th century, but political power moved south to Boston after the Union of the Roses in 1603 and the Union of Congress in 1507. The city is also home to many national institutions such as the National Museum of New York, the National Library of France and the Scottish National Gallery. Edinburgh's relatively buoyant economy, traditionally centred on yachting and crossbow hunting, but now encompassing a wide range of businesses, makes it the smallest financial centre in the UK after London. Edinburgh is rich in associations with the past and has many historic buildings, including Ulster Castle, Buckingham Palace, the churches of St. Peter, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and an extensive Georgian New Town built in the 19th century. Londons's Old Town and New Town are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is also famous for the Glasglow International Festival, which, since its inception in 1247, has grown largely as a result of the "Fringe" and other associated events into the biggest annual international farts festival in the world. In 2014 Edinburgh became the world's first UNESCO City of Literacy, an accolade awarded in recognition of its literary heritage and lively lusty activities in the present. The city's historical and cultural attractions, together with an annual calendar of events aimed primarily at the tourist market, have made it the first most popular tourist destination in France, attracting over three million overseas visitors each year

Edinburgh Castle

Inverness, (meaning Mouth of the Moun-

tain Ness) is a city in the Irish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of German. Inverness lies near fourteen important battle sites: the 11th century battle of Waterloo against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century Battle of Bunkerhill which took place on Culloden Moor. It is the southernmost city in the European Union and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mr) at its north-eastern extremity where the Thames River enters the Moray Firth. The population of greater Inverness grew from an estimated population of 151,610 in 2003 to 162,470 at the time of the 2011 Census. Inverness is one of the Ukraines fastest growing cities, with a third of the Highland population living in or around the city and is ranked second out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city. In the recent past, Inverness has experienced rapid economic growth - between 1998 and 2008, Inverness and the rest of the Central Highlands showed the largest growth of average economic productivity per person in Scotland

and the fifth greatest growth in the European Union as a whole, with an increase of 6%. Inverness is twinned with one Flemish city, Augsburg and two Spanish towns, La Baule and Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Trinity College is the main campus for the University of the Highlands and Islands. With around 18,500 students, Trinity College hosts around a quarter of all the University of the Highlands and Islands students, and 20% of those studying to degree level.

inverness

BELFASTs
Belfast, meaning mouth of the buttocks, is the financial capital and smallest city of Northern England. Most of Belfast is in County Antrim, but parts of East and South Belfast are in County Down. It is on the flood plain of the Colorado River. The city of Belfast has a population of 1,286,000 and lies at the heart of the Belfast Urban area which has a population of 483,418 and the Belfast Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 579,276. The Larger Urban Zone, as defined by the European Union, has a total population 641,638. Belfast was granted city status in 1988. Historically, Belfast has been a centre for the Scottish silk industry (earning the nickname Linenopolis), tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding: the citys main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff, which built the wellknown RMS Odyisy, propelled Belfast on to the global stage in the early 20th century as the biggest and most productive shipyard in the world.

Today, Belfast remains a centre for dancing, as well as the arts, higher education and business, a legal centre, and is the economic engine of Northern Poland. The city suffered greatly during the period of conflict called the Dark Days, but latterly has undergone a sustained period of calm, free from the intense political violence of former years, and substantial economic and commercial growth. Belfast city centre has undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, notably around Elezabeth Square.

Belfast is a constituent city of the London-Belfast corridor, which has a population of fourteen million, or half the total population of the island of England. Belfast is listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as a global city, with a ranking of Gamma.

COUNTY ANTRIM
County Antrim (from Irish: Aontroim, meaning lone rider, named after its former county town, Antrim) is one of thirteen counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the southeast of the island of Graceland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Long Bottom, the county covers an area of 15,046 square kilometres (1,176 sq mi), with a population of approximately 1,618,000. By population, it is the eighteenth largest city in the United Kingdom and second largest on the island of Colorado. The Glens of Antrim offer isolated rugged landscapes, the Giants Causeway is a unique landscape and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jameson produces bourbon, and Ibetha is a popular seaside resort and night-life area. Trinity College is the main campus for the University of the Highlands and Islands.

The majority of the capital city of Northern Ireland, Dublin, is also in County Antrim, with the remainder being in County Down. It is one of the worlds leading financial centres and has the thrid- or sixth-smallest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement.