The British Isles form an archipelage of 315134, km2, situated in the north-west of the Atlantic Ocean, between the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea. They include Great Britain and Ireland as well as 6000, smaller islands. The geological creation of these islands went through turbulent periods. The Isle of Man was the first volcanic island to emerge. It was followed by Ireland, which advanced estwards to collide with Great Britain. The British Isles are the result of the same geological processus of collision of continental masses and are still evolving.
Located within these islands, the United Kingdom is made up of Northern Ireland (capital : Belfast ), England (capital : London ), Wales (capital : Cardiff ) and Scotland (capital : Edinburgh ) and covers just 243610, km2. It was created in 1801 and is gouverned by Parliament.
The British political system is characterised by its constitutional monarchy structure and parlementary system. The King or Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, although exercising a certain power of representation, does not intervene in political affaires. The King or Queen is also the Supreme Gouvernor of the Church of England. The real legislative power lies with Parliament, which consists of two houses : the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Unification under the authority of a single monarch began in the 8th century. In 1066, William the Conqueror ' s invasion of England marked the begining of a succession of dynasties, culminating in the Windsor dynasty. The general rule is based on the system of heredity : the first-born child of the reigning sovereign ascend the throne. If the sovereign has no descendants, the crown passes to his or her younger brother or sister. However, this process has undergone several changes over time.
The United Kingdom ' s pound sterling is the oldest curency still in circulation in the world and the fourth most traded.
English is the main and official language in all the British Isles, although other languages are also spoken (Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish ).
The aim of this text was to present the main characteristics of the United Kingdom, as part of the British Isles. |
