Introduction

We are all aware of the fact that it is impossible to live in this modern world without
developing an understanding of the world. To my way of thinking, history is not about learning
by heart a list of facts, events or dates. It requires interpretation and analysis. People should
focus on the larger picture rather than just a succession of dates.

As every city has a history, so does London. The United Kingdom, or in other terms, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has many distinguishing factors from
other places in the world. It is one of the world’s most historic cities, tracing its roots back nearly
2000 years. London has long been a great world port and trading center. The culture has a vast
amount of unique distinctions that set it off from the rest of Europe. A true definition of what
being a part of the United Kingdom is lacking, because of the diversity in culture, government,
and military throughout the years. Everything is surely the way it is now because of the way
things have been run in the past.

The names Great Britain and United Kingdom are often used interchangeably. However,
they are not actually synonymous. The reason for the two names, and the difference between
them, has to do with the expansive history of the British Isles. London is a stable and inclusive
city. It is the capital and the most famous city of England. Its eminence is due to the presence of
river Thames.

The City of London, the capital of the United Kingdom as well as England, is the
country's most populated city. It is also one of the largest urban areas in Western Europe. Given
the fact that today London is one of the world's largest financial centers, we will focus on a few
ideas related to its population. It also has a strong governmental function as it is the home of the
United Kingdom's Parliament.

Last but not least, the United Kingdom has a lot of breathtaking views and geographical
areas. A whole chapter has been dedicated to its setting. I could not agree more with the fact that
the United Kingdom is undoubtedly one of the most interesting cities from our continent.
Abstract
Nobody knows what the future holds in store for us. The reason why we should learn history is because it
prepares and helps us develop our survival skills. The United Kingdom tells a story of may lifetimes and
generations, lasting far longer than us. There are a lot of eye-catching places and facts about this country ,one of
the main reasons I chose to write about this topic. I will discuss the major events in the United Kingdom’s history.
Its setting and population makes it one of the most famous countries in the world. Everybody should know a few
facts about its magnificent ancient buildings and how it became what it is today.
I. The history of the United Kingdom
A. Formation

The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent states: England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland. But there have long been tensions between England and the other three U.K.
states, in part because England has always been the dominant political power among them.
England brought all the states together through conquest and political union. The Kingdom of
England, formed in 927, gained the first U.K. state other than itself through invasion. In the late
13th century, King Edward I conquered the western Principality of Wales, claiming it as a
territory of England. Next, he invaded the northern Kingdom of Scotland. Scotland emerged
from the First and Second Wars of Scottish Independence with its sovereignty intact. Wales,
meanwhile, remained a conquered territory. Beginning with Edward I, English monarchs gave
their successors the title of “Prince of Wales” to signify their control over the territory.
Wales was not an official part of the Kingdom of England until the 1530s and ‘40s.
Under King Henry VIII, England passed Acts of Union extending English laws and norms into
Wales. This was the first major political union in what would become the U.K. When Queen
Elizabeth I died in 1603, the next person in line to the throne was her cousin, King James VI of
Scotland. Now, he gained a second name: King James I of England. Even though Scotland and
England shared the same king, they were still two politically separate kingdoms, each with their
own parliament. Over the next century, there were several failed attempts to merge them into one
nation. These attempts ended in 1707, when England and Scotland united as “Great Britain”
under Queen Anne.
B. Invasions
Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings are key words in UK’s history. It is also the longest
British period in the primary history curriculum, lasting a thousand years – a millennium. The
country experienced several waves of invasion, including the last invasion to have been
successful, in 1066. It both begins and ends with an invasion: the first Roman invasion in 55 BC
and the Norman invasion of William the Conqueror in 1066.

There is an overlap between the various invaders, and through it all, the Celtic British
population remained largely in place. In some areas, such as Wales and Cornwall, the invaders
hardly changed the language or way of life of the people. In others, the British Celts learnt the
language of the invaders, and adapted to their way of life. After 400 years of Roman rule,
Romanised Britons tried to defend the religion and civilization of Roman Britain against the
Anglo-Saxon invaders.

During this 1000-year period there was constant shifting of boundaries, boundaries both
on the map and in the minds of the people living then. Different cultures met and clashed time
after time. Spiritually, the British moved from a people worshipping Celtic pagan gods at the
start of the period to a nation of Christians at its end.

Terminology and names

When the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians invaded Britain, during the 5th and 6th
centuries AD, the area they conquered slowly became known as England (from Angle-land).
Before this we cannot accurately use the term ‘England'. By the end of the millennium, 1000
AD, the island was divided into the three recognisable countries of England, Scotland and Wales.
Christianity was the established religion. In England, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking
place-names reflected the mixture of peoples now living there, and the main places where they
had settled.
II. Geographical facts
A. Settings

The United Kingdom comprises four geographic and historical parts—England, Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom contains most of the area and population of
the British Isles, the geographic term for the group of islands that includes Great Britain, Ireland,
and many smaller islands. Together England, Wales, and Scotland constitute Great Britain, the
larger of the two principal islands, while Northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland constitute
the second largest island, Ireland. England, occupying most of southern Great Britain, includes
the Isles of Scilly off the southwest coast and the Isle of Wight off the southern coast. Scotland,
occupying northern Great Britain, includes the Orkney and Shetland islands off the northern
coast and the Hebrides off the northwestern coast. Wales lies west of England and includes the
island of Anglesey to the northwest.

Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom is surrounded by sea.
To the south of England and between the United Kingdom and France is the English Channel.
The North Sea lies to the east. To the west of Wales and northern England and to the southeast of
Northern Ireland, the Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland, while southwestern England,
the northwestern coast of Northern Ireland, and western Scotland face the Atlantic Ocean. At its
widest the United Kingdom is 300 miles (500 km) across. From the northern tip of Scotland to
the southern coast of England, it is about 600 miles (1,000 km). No part is more than 75 miles
(120 km) from the sea. The capital, London, is situated on the tidal River Thames in southeastern
England

The numerous smaller islands are irregular in shape as it is diverse in geology and landscape.
This diversity stems largely from the nature and disposition of the underlying rocks, which are
westward extensions of European structures.

Great Britain is traditionally divided into a highland and a lowland zone. A line running from
the mouth of the River Exe, in the southwest, to that of the Tees, in the northeast, is a crude
expression of this division. The course of the 700-foot (213-metre) contour, or of the boundary
separating the older rocks of the north and west from the younger southeastern strata, provides a
more accurate indication of the extent of the highlands.
III. Population
A. People of the United Kingdom- A brief overview

The British are the creation of waves of invaders and migrants, including Celts, Romans,
Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans. In the 1950s and 1960s, people from former colonies in
the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia came to the United Kingdom to work. he history of Britain’s
population is all about arriving, staying and settling, or leaving, moving and settling elsewhere.
People from continental Europe began to settle in different parts of Britain after the last Ice Age,
around 12,000 years ago. Ever since, these islands have been continuously occupied as new
arrivals mixed with existing residents.

The story continues in modern Britain, as people come from every corner of the globe to
settle in their turn. The British Isles were populated by migrant tribes from the continent
of Europe and, later, by traders from the Mediterranean area. During the Roman occupation
England was inhabited by Celtic-speaking Brythons. The Anglo-Saxons preserved and absorbed
little of the Roman-British culture they found in the 5th century. There are few traces of Celtic or
Roman Latin in the early English of the Anglo-Saxons.
The history of England before the Norman Conquest is poorly documented, but what
stands out is the tenacity of the Anglo-Saxons in surviving a succession of invasions. They
united most of what is now England from the 9th to the mid-11th century, only to be overthrown
by the Normans in 1066.
The English have also absorbed and Anglicized non-English peoples, from Scandinavian
pillagers and Norman conquerors to Latin church leaders. Among royalty, a Welsh dynasty of
monarchs, the Tudors, was succeeded by the Scottish Stuarts, to be followed by the
Dutch William of Orange and the German Hanoverians. English became the main language for
the Scots, Welsh, and Irish. England provided a haven for refugees from the time of
the Huguenots in the 17th century to the totalitarian persecutions of the 20th century. Many Jews
have settled in England. Since World War II there has been large-scale immigration from Asia,
Africa, and the Caribbean, posing seemingly more difficult problems of assimilation, and
restrictive immigration regulations have been imposed.
Conclusions

To sum up, the history of the British Empire has significantly influenced the way people
see this country. At the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th centuries, the first colonies
of the British Empire were established. Later, Britain expanded considerably to become the
greatest world empire in history. It had colonies on every continent and in all the oceans. In the
20th century the empire saw a rapid decline and finally returned Hong Kong to China, and all
former colonies became independent. In the first half of the 20th century the British
Commonwealth was created.

The name United Kingdom refers to the union of what were once four separate countries:
England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent, only Northern
Ireland remains part of the UK) The UK’s coasts are famous around the world, from stunning
winding walks and clifftop landscapes to golden sandy beaches. Indeed, England alone boasts
more than 60 beaches with the coveted ‘blue flag’ status. While the weather in the UK isn’t
always great, if you do find a sunny day you will never be far from a great day out – nowhere in
England is more than 75 miles from the sea. Every country has a certain idea of its role in the
world, which shapes

All of the subordinate territories are now independent states with sovereign governments,
but they all more or less remain symbolically loyal to the British Crown. Thus, Britain shaped
the history of the world for over three centuries, and it comes as no surprise that many British
politicians and a large part of its population still feel somewhat superior to the other European
countries. Furthermore, when entering the EU, people of most member states saw it as a positive
step towards reaching out to the world and as a way to improve communication with other
countries.

This country has been through a lot of changes. Its history is very complex, which makes
it even a more wonderful country. All the fortunate and unfortunate events have shaped one of
the most interesting and full of life country in the world.
References

Brendon, Piers, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 2010, London, Vintage Press;
Dorling, Daniel, Identity in Britain, 2007, London, Policy Press;
Milton, John, The History of Britain, 1990, London;
Morris , Mark, The Anglo-Saxons-A history, 2001, London, Cambridge University Press;
Wiesner-Hanks, Marry, The Cambridge World History, 2015,London, Cambridge University
Press