UK TOPIC #1: COUNTRY AND PEOPLE
1) Welcome to the UK! But what exactly is the UK? Germany is Germany, France is France, but the
nation that is the “United Kingdom” is a bit more complicated. Take sports, for example: In the
Olympics, there is a team called Great Britain and Northern Ireland, while in football the national teams
are England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland separately. The reason for these differences is
history. The United Kingdom was formed from different groups of people with their own identity, all
fighting for a place in this part of Europe.
2) So, to make things simpler, this is how we normally refer to these islands in north-western Europe:
 GREAT BRITAIN = England, Scotland and Wales
 THE UNITED KINGDOM = Great Britain and Northern Ireland
 THE BRITISH ISLES = The United Kingdom + The Republic of Ireland
3) The Republic of Ireland, also known by its Gaelic name Éire, is a separate nation. Here we will be
focussing on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and NORTHERN Ireland. As this is a very long
name for a country, most people just say “The United Kingdom” or “The UK”. In internet and email
addresses .uk is used. Often, the name Britain is used instead of UK, and the normal word to talk
about something to do with the UK is British. In official contexts, the word Briton is used to mean “a
UK citizen”.
4) So, why is Britain “Great”? In this case, the word doesn’t mean “fantastic” or “amazing”, as many
people think. There is a region in France called Brittany, and “Great Britain” just means a “larger
Brittany”. The name Britain itself comes from the Roman invasion.
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5) Many people in Ireland and some people in Britain think that the term British Isles is old-fashioned,
because it makes them think of the time when the whole of Ireland was dominated by Britain. Various
ideas have been suggested as a way of referring to the “British Isles”. Perhaps “Great Britain and
Ireland”? Even this is not suitable, because there are some islands, for example Jersey, which are not
officially part of Britain. What a mess!
6) Demographic data
Some things are clearer:
 The population of the UK (2012) is approximately 63 million. England has 53 million, Wales
has 3 million, Scotland 5.5 million, and Northern Ireland 1.5 million people
 The capital cities are London (England), Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales), and Belfast
(Northern Ireland)
 The total area of the UK is approximately 245,000 square kilometres, that of England making up
130,000 sq km. The total area of Hungary is about 93,000 sq km.
7)
Be careful!
England has been the dominant part of the UK for so long that many people use “England” instead of
“Scotland” or “Britain”, for example. A Scottish person will not be happy if you are in Edinburgh and say
“how wonderful it is to be here in England”. It should always be remembered that England does not
make up the whole of the UK!
8)
Landscape
Britain is characterized by a lack of extremes. It has mountains, but none of them are very high. It also
has flat land, but you cannot travel very far without seeing hills. It has no really big rivers, no active
volcanoes; there are some earthquakes, but almost none can be felt by humans… This may sound
boring, but it is not – a journey of 150 kilometres can seem like twice as far because the landscape is
so varied. The forests that once covered the land have largely disappeared; most of Britain (especially
England) consists of farmland and towns/cities. Hedges dividing fields can be found all over the
southern part of the UK. In most areas you can find signs of human life everywhere.
9)
Climate
Even Britain’s climate lacks extremes – it is generally mild. There can be cool days in July and quite
warm days in January. Indeed, London’s average temperature for the hottest month is around 22
degrees Celsius, and for the coldest month 6 degrees. There is a saying that “Britain doesn’t have a
climate, it only has weather”. The weather is so changeable that you can never be sure of a dry day;
drizzle is common in most of the UK. However, the amount of precipitation (=rain + snow) falling in
London is on average about the same as some other European cities, for example Budapest. Of
course, the further north and west you go, the wetter Britain becomes. Another interesting feature of the
climate is the prevailing winds. These are usually from the south-west, so the “better side of town” can
usually be found in the west of British cities. Factories are often located in the east of cities, so the
smoke is blown over the eastern rather than western part of the city.
10)
Flags and symbols
The Union Jack
St George’s Cross
St Andrew’s Cross
The Welsh Dragon
St Patrick’s Cross
Note: The Union Jack is the national flag of the UK. It is a combination of the English, Scottish and
Irish flags, but without the Welsh dragon. More confusion: Northern Ireland does not have its own flag –
St Patrick’s Cross represents the WHOLE of Ireland! Many Irish people dislike the Cross because the
symbol was invented by the British…
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The English rose
The Welsh leek / daffodil
The Scottish thistle
The Irish shamrock
Britannia is a female symbol of Britain’s power over the sea, giving us the patriotic song starting “Rule
Britannia, Britannia rule the waves…” John Bull is supposed to represent certain English values,
rather like Uncle Sam in the USA. Typically, John Bull looks like an eighteenth century country
gentleman. The kilt, a skirt worn by men, is a very famous symbol of Scottishness. The bagpipes are
also associated with Scotland, while the harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland.
11)
National characteristics and names
There are certain stereotypes of national character which are well known in Britain. For example, the
Irish are supposed to be great talkers (and drinkers), the Scots have a reputation for being careful with
money, and the Welsh are famous for their singing ability.
The most common surname in England and Scotland is “Smith”. “Mac” or “Mc” (as in McDonald) is
Irish or Scottish, while the prefix “O” (as in O’Connor) is Irish.
12)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Think of well-known symbols of nationality in your country. Are they the same types of real-life
objects (e.g. plants and clothes) that are used in the UK?
2. In the British government, there are ministers with special responsibility for Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, but there is no minister for England. Why do you think this is?
13) BRITISH ISLES PATRON SAINTS AND THEIR LEGENDS
Every country in the UK has its own patron saint who is called upon to protect and save the country in
times of danger.
SAINT ANDREW
St Andrew’s Day, November 30th, is Scotland’s National Day. St Andrew is the patron saint of
Scotland, as well as of Russia and Greece. He is also the patron saint of fishermen. St Andrew’s Cross
is thought to be the oldest flag in Europe. The colours of the flag represent white clouds and blue sky.
In the year 832, there was a battle between the Scots, and the Angles from England. It seemed as if
King Angus of Scotland would lose, but while Angus was praying before the battle, Saint Andrew
appeared to him promising victory. When Angus did indeed win, he decided that Andrew would be the
patron saint of Scotland.
St Andrew’s Day is celebrated with traditional Scottish food and dancing, but is not a bank holiday.
ST DAVID
The founder of many churches and monasteries, David was an important figure in the Welsh church in
the 6th century. He is buried in St David’s Cathedral, in the far south-west of Wales. He was so
respected that one medieval pope believed that two pilgrimages to St David’s were worth one
pilgrimage to Rome. March 1st, St David’s Day, is now celebrated by Welsh people all over the world
by wearing either of the national emblems – a leek or a daffodil. One legend states that Saint David
advised Welsh soldiers to wear leeks in their caps so as to easily distinguish friends from enemies, thus
ensuring great victory.
St David’s Day usually means singing and eating. Concerts are held, and leeks are worn – and eaten.
School pupils dress in the Welsh national costume. It is, however, not a public holiday.
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Today, the tiny city St David’s still welcomes thousands of ´pilgrims´, this time mostly in search of
beautiful scenery and the fresh air of west Wales.
ST GEORGE
St. George's Day is on 23 April. It is England's national day. George was a brave Roman soldier who
protested against the Romans’ torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St George
in England stems from the time of the Normans, who saw him in a vision and were victorious. He
became patron saint of England in the 14th century.
One of the best-known stories about St George is his fight with a dragon. But it is highly unlikely that he
ever fought a dragon, and even more unlikely that he ever actually visited England. Despite this,
George is known throughout the world as a knight carrying a shield with a red cross, sitting on a horse
and always killing a dragon.
It is ironic that British fascists / racists use the flag of St George to symbolize white power, not only
because George probably never visited England, but because he was born in Turkey and is also
honoured by Muslims as well as Christians. It is also possible that he was buried in Israel. In a way, he
could be considered the ideal multicultural saint!
Traditionally, 23 April is the day for wearing a red rose, the national flower, in the button-hole. But for
most people in England, St George’s Day is just another ordinary working day. Indeed, only one in five
people in England know that it falls on 23 April, and more than a quarter of people living in England do
not even know who their patron saint is!
ST PATRICK
Saint Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints, but he was not Irish. He was a Briton,
born in the Roman province of Britannia to a wealthy Roman-Briton family. He was not the first
Christian missionary in Ireland either. However, it is commonly agreed that he converted almost the
entire population of Ireland to Christianity during his lifetime. Irish monks played an important part in
keeping Christianity alive in Dark Age Europe. The popular green shamrock -the internationally known
symbol of Ireland- and Saint Patrick are closely associated. According to legend, Saint Patrick
traditionally used the three leaves of the shamrock to teach the Irish about the concept of the Holy
Trinity.
Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th, is Ireland's National Day and a public holiday. It is celebrated
throughout the world, linking many millions of people of Irish descent, but nowhere in the world is it
more special than in Ireland. The Irish are famous for their parties. In Dublin, the capital city enjoys a
spectacular week long festival. An exciting programme of events includes street theatre, fireworks,
music, exhibitions, open-air markets, and fun fairs. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated throughout the
world and links many millions of people of Irish origins, especially in the United States, where there are
about 39 million of them. The largest Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the world takes place in New York
City.
Patrick could be said to be the perfect saint to bring together Protestants and Catholics in Northern
Ireland, where St Patrick's Day is an opportunity to overcome the bad feeling between the two groups.
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NAME________________________
TASKS
(2 points for question A4, 3 points for A7, 10 points for question B)
A. QUESTIONS on “PATRON SAINTS”:
1. Which UK flag is thought to be the oldest in Europe? ____________________________
2. Which of the four nations has a public holiday on its national day? __________________
3. Where is the world’s largest St Patrick’s Day Parade held? _________________________
4. In your own words, explain why the Welsh wore leeks in battle. _____________________
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5. Which saint is also the patron saint of fishermen? _______________________________
6. Where is St David’s Cathedral? ______________________________________________
7. Which of the four nations do you think celebrate their patron saint best? Why do you think so?
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B. WRITE 10 LINES COMPARING THE CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE OF THE UK WITH THAT OF
YOUR COUNTRY !
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Adapted from O’Driscoll, Britain, by Julian Goddard
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