About the UK
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Basic information
Country name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ), referred to as the United Kingdom (UK)
Welsh: Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawra Gogledd Iwerddon
Scottish Gaelic: An Rìoghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn Mhòr agus Eirinn mu Thuath
Irish: Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire
Scottish: agus Thuaisceart éireann Unitit Kingdom o Great Britain an Norlin Airlann
Country name definition: "Britain" in Celtic It means "variegated and colorful". Because some Britons moved to France, the mainland was called Great Britain.
The national flag is a horizontal rectangle with a length-to-width ratio of 2:1. It is the flag with the word "rice" in it, consisting of a dark blue background and the word "rice" in red and white. The red cross with a white border in the flag represents Saint George, the patron saint of England, the white cross represents Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, and the red cross represents Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. This flag was produced in 1801. It is an overlapping combination of the original red cross flag of England, the white cross flag of Scotland and the red cross flag of Ireland.
National emblem: the emblem of the British King. The central pattern is a coat of arms. In the upper left and lower right corners of the shield are three golden lions on a red ground, symbolizing England; in the upper right corner is a red lion standing on a golden ground, symbolizing Scotland; in the lower left corner is a golden harp on a blue ground. Symbolizes Northern Ireland. The coat of arms is supported on both sides by a lion wearing a crown, representing England, and a unicorn representing Scotland. There is a motto written in French around the coat of arms, which means "evil begets evil"; the Medal of the Garter hangs at the bottom, and the ribbon reads "There is God, I have rights." At the top of the coat of arms is a gold and silver helmet set with jewels, an imperial crown and a crowned lion.
National anthem: "God Save the Queen" (if the reigning male monarch is a male monarch, the national anthem is changed to "god save the king")
Area: 243,600 square kilometers
Population: 60.2 million (June 2005). According to statistics in 2006, the British population was approximately 60.6 million. The current total British population is approximately 60.78 million. Among them, there are 49.18 million people in England, 2.9 million people in Wales, 5.06 million people in Scotland, and 1.69 million people in Northern Ireland (in mid-2001). The official and lingua franca is English. Welsh is also spoken in northern Wales, and Gaelic is still spoken in the northwest Highlands of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland. Most residents believe in Protestant Christianity, mainly divided into the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church, whose members account for about 60% of British adults) and the Church of Scotland (also known as the Presbyterian Church, with 660,000 adult believers). There are also larger religious communities such as the Catholic Church and Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam.
British Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth II), the full name is "Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and other lands and territories, and Head of the Federation". Born in London on April 21, 1926, her original name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. She was the fourth generation monarch of the Windsor dynasty of England and the eldest daughter of King George VI. He received education in the palace since childhood, majoring in constitutional history and law. She is accomplished in history, languages and music, and speaks French, Spanish and German fluently. At the end of World War II, he joined the British Native Auxiliary Force and received training in driving and repairing motorcycles. On July 9, 1947, she became engaged to her distant cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, Prince of Greece and Denmark (now Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh), and they married on November 20 of the same year.
Elizabeth II began to attend various official occasions on behalf of King George VI in 1951. When the king died on February 6, 1952, she succeeded to the throne. Crowned on June 2, 1953. In December 2003, Queen Elizabeth II underwent surgery on her face and knees at King Edward VII's Hospital in London. Doctors removed a piece of bad skin from the Queen's face and broken cartilage from her left knee. The Queen is the hereditary head of state of the United Kingdom. In addition to the United Kingdom, the Queen is also the head of state of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other countries. Elizabeth II has three sons and one daughter. The eldest son Prince Charles is the heir to the throne, the second son Andrew, the third son Edward, and the daughter Princess Alice Louise. Queen Elizabeth II visited China in October 1986 and was the first head of state to visit China in British history.
On June 17, in London, the British capital, Queen Elizabeth II (left) and her husband Prince Philip drove out of Buckingham Palace in a carriage to attend her 80th birthday celebration. Queen Elizabeth II's birthday is April 21st. As usual, British officials usually choose a Saturday in June to celebrate his birthday.
Capital: London; population: 7,172,036 (2001). The hottest month is July, with the general temperature ranging from 13℃ to 22℃; the coldest month is January, with the general temperature ranging from 2℃ to 6℃. In April 2006, Beijing and London became sister cities. London is the political center of the country and is the seat of the British royal family, government, parliament and the headquarters of various political parties. The Palace of Westminster is the venue for the upper and lower houses of the British Parliament, so it is also called the Hall of Parliament. Westminster Abbey, south of Parliament Square, has been the place where the British king or queen is crowned and where royal members hold weddings since its completion in 1065. There are the tombs of more than 20 British kings, famous politicians, military strategists, scientists, writers and artists such as Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Hardy. Buckingham Palace is the British royal palace, located in the central area of West London, bordering St. James Park to the east and Hyde Park to the west. It is where members of the British royal family live and work, and is also the venue for major British state events.
British City
Birmingham is the most culturally diverse city in the UK, with a total population of approximately 2 million. According to statistics in 2001, 29.7% of the population is non-white. There are many immigrants from the Caribbean, South Asia and Ireland. It is the area with the largest number of black Christians in Jamaica outside of Jamaica. The Irish celebrate "St. Patrick's Day" parade, Birmingham is the third largest city in the world after Dublin and New York. The "Bharati" curry cooking method invented by Indians in Birmingham has become popular everywhere.
Birmingham receives about 22 million tourists every year, and its commercial center is second only to the West End of London.
There are 60 kilometers of rivers in the center of Birmingham. During the Industrial Revolution, these rivers were the lifeblood of industrial transportation, but now they are only used for tourism. People often say that the rivers in Birmingham are longer than those in Venice. Venice is only 43 kilometers away. In fact, Birmingham is larger than Venice, so the river ratio is not as large as Venice.
During World War II, Birmingham was severely bombed and the Victorian-era buildings were completely destroyed. They were all rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s, making Birmingham the "ugliest" city in the UK. Often referred to as the "concrete forest".
In recent years, the city center has been vigorously transformed, with many old streets restored and many squares built.
History
Birmingham was originally a small village. It became a large town in the 14th century. After the Industrial Revolution, due to the discovery of coal mines nearby, the city developed rapidly. The urban population was 75,000 in 1800. , 650,000 in 1900, and was only included in the British City Directory in 1889.
National Day: There is no National Day in the traditional sense in the UK, only the Queen's "official birthday". Queen Elizabeth II's real birthday is April 21, 1926, but her "official birthday" is held on the Saturday close to June 11 every year. At this time of year, the weather in London, which has always been known as the "Fog City", is also relatively good. The main event is the Queen's personal review of the "Color Flag Salute Parade". Since Saturday is not a working day, it is not a holiday.
National dignitaries: The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II; the head of government is Labor Party leader Gordon Brown
National flower: rose
National bird: red breast Pigeon
National stone: diamond