Iliana Herrera and Ainara Silva

UK CULTURE
1. What’s the difference between the terms “United Kingdom” and “Great Britain”?
The difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain is that Great Britain is
composed of Wales, Scotland and England.
The United Kingdom is the combination of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

2. Which are the nations that form the United Kingdom?

Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

3. Which is the capital of the U.K.?

London.

4. Which is the main official language of the U.K.? Are there other official languages?
Which ones?
The official is English and British, but it also speaks, Welsh,Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish

5. What do the terms “parliamentary democracy” and “constitutional monarchy”

mean? How are they related to the U.K.?
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. This
means that:

Constitutional monarchy:
● Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the UK.
● The monarch is the Head of State, but their role is primarily ceremonial and
representative.
● The legislative power resides in a democratically elected Parliament, which is
responsible for making and passing laws.

Parliamentary democracy:
● The UK has a parliamentary system of government, where the executive power (the
Government) is responsible to the Parliament.
● Members of Parliament are elected by popular vote in each electoral district.
● Parliament is sovereign and has the power to enact, modify or repeal any law.
Iliana Herrera and Ainara Silva

In summary, the UK combines the monarchical tradition with a democratic system of

parliamentary government, where the monarch has a symbolic role and the Parliament is the
institution that exercises legislative power and controls the executive power.

6. What is the “Commonwealth”? Which countries are part of it right now?

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign
states, most of which were formerly territories of the British Empire.
Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, New Zealand, Pakistan, Togo, Gabon,
Papua New Guinea, …

7.Research which are the countries where English is one of the official languages.
North America:
Canada, Antigua, Barbuda, Bahamas, …
South America:
Falkland Islands and Guyana
Europe:
Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Ireland, …
Africa:
Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini and Gambia, …
Asia:
Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Hong Kong,...
Oceania:
Australia, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji,...