All About the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is a sovereign country located off the northwest coast of the European mainland with an area of 94,530 square miles. The UK comprises 4 countries – England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with London, Edinburg, Cardiff, and Belfast as their capitals respectively. The United Kingdom has a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarch. The longest-serving current head of the state is Queen Elizabeth II.
Union Flag also is known as the Union Jack is the flag of the United Kingdom and was created in 1606 and updated in 1801. Wales is not represented in the Flag as it was been conquered later after the formation of the United Kingdom. The national anthem for the people of the UK is ‘God save the Queen’.
The climate in the UK
The climate here in the UK is mostly with a temperate climate, with cool temperatures plentiful year all round. The temperature here varies with the season dropping to – 20° C and rises above 35° C. The official language here is English wherein 95% of the population speaks monolingual English. Polish is the second largest spoken language here and South Asian languages such as Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, and Hindi have 5.5% of the speakers of this language, and the reason being migration.
The British armed forces play a very important role in establishing the British Empire. Her Majesty’s Armed forces consist of The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, The British Army, and the Royal Air force which is managed by the Ministry of the Defence, controlled by the Defence Council, and chaired by the Secretary of state for Defence.
The economy of the UK is a highly developed social market and a market-oriented economy and considered the fifth largest economy in the world and second largest in Europe. London is considered as the world’s largest financial center with New York and the command center of the global economy with New York and Tokyo. The currency here is the pound sterling, the world’s fourth-largest reserve currency after the US dollar, Euro & Japanese Yen.
England and Scotland are considered as the leading center for the scientific revolution and the UK for the industrial revolution. Isaac Newton – Gravity & law of motion, Charles Darwin – theory of evolution, Alexander Fleming – Penicillin, Stephen Hawking – cosmology, quantum gravity, and black holes are all the great inventors and inventions.
Industrial Revolution saw some famous engineers with their great inventions which included James Watt – steam engine George Stephenson – Locomotive, Michael Faraday – electric motor, Charles Babbage – computer, Alexander Graham Bell – telephone.
Infrastructure and Education in UK
Transportation in the UK is very dense with a road network of 29,145 miles. The M25 in London is the largest & the busiest bypass in the world. The rail network is of 10,072 miles in the UK which carries 1.68 billion passengers daily and there are around 1,000 freight trains in daily operations. London Heathrow airport is considered as the world’s busiest airport and has the most international passenger traffic for any airport in the world and the hub for British Airways & Virgin Atlantic.
Education in the UK is renowned all over the world with each country having a separate education system. In England, the responsibility of education is with the Secretary of the State for Education, and administration and funding is the responsibility of the local authorities. England has two famous and oldest universities – the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
Education in Scotland is the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning whereas, administration and funding are the responsibility of the local authorities. Scottish students who get admission in Scottish Universities pay neither tuition fees nor graduate charges.
Welsh Government’s Minister of Education takes responsibility in Wales. Students here are taught in the Welsh language until the age of 16.
The Minister of Education is responsible for education in Northern Ireland and the local level is looked after by the education authority and subdivided into 5 geographical areas.
Health care here is in a devolved manner and each country has its system of private & public healthcare. Public health care is mostly free for the UK Permanent residents in the point of need and paid from general taxes.
The culture of the UK is influenced by its democracy, history, island status, and political union making it the ‘cultural superpower’ and is ranked third behind Germany & Canada for being the most positively viewed nation.
People of the UK have developed and influenced its cuisines from its settlements, immigrants, trade, and colonialism. The British Empire was very much impressed and influenced by Indian herbs & spices. Chicken Tikka Masala is called the British National Dish.
Sports in the UK comprised of football, tennis, rugby, golf, boxing, rowing, cricket, and netball all of this originated or were developed in the UK. The country and the people here are considered sports-loving.
Pop is the most popular genre of music in the UK with hip-hop, R&B, and rock music not much behind. Glasgow was named as the ‘City of Music’ by UNESCO. The Beatles are the most successful band in the UK. Cold Play, Spice Girls, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse had international success in the field of music.
Cinema is the UK has a lot of influence on history and the people. Many British actors have achieved fame & success internationally. Harry Potter & James Bond are produced in the UK and are one of the most commercially successful and highest-grossing film franchises.
The UK border agency was the border control agency for the Government of the UK and Home office which was replaced by UK Visas and Immigration which focuses on the visa system, and Immigration Enforcement focusing on law enforcement from 31 March 2013.
UK Visas and Immigration looks after the visa system, managing applications of foreign nationals who plan to visit or work in the UK. It also looks after the business & educational institutional applications and for foreign nationals who want British Citizenship.
Immigration Enforcement is responsible for enforcing Immigration Laws and visiting residence & business premises. This is often conducted with a court-issued warrant forced entry can also be used to apprehend immigration offenders.
Places to visit in the UK
Tourism in the UK is very welcoming. People love to travel to the UK to explore its natural beauty and some scenic locations which inspires people to make memories that last for a lifetime. While in the UK you can explore certain places and it must be a part of your things to do in the UK which includes visiting the Tower of London, The British Museum, Chester Zoo, Warwick Castle, Canterbury Catherdral, Loch Ness, Invernesshire, and London Eye.