Great Britain and England are frequently used country names in the media.
These are not two variants of the name of one country, but two different states, between which there is a certain difference.
Great Britain(Russian name from English. Great Britain) or United Kingdom(United Kingdom, abbreviated UK), the full official name is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland(English T the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), is an island nation located in the northwest of continental Europe.
The political union of Scotland and England (including Wales) led to the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
The form of government is a parliamentary monarchy.
The state religion is the Anglican Church, Protestantism.
The form of government is a unitary state, although Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales (3 out of 4 historical provinces) have enjoyed limited autonomy since the end of the 20th century.
Capital - London(English) London[ˈlʌndən]) is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, one of the largest cities in Europe and one of the largest financial and economic centers in the world.
Official languages: English(in fact), in Wales - Welsh.
The state religion is the Anglican Church, Protestantism.
Geographical position
The state is located on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, as well as a large number of smaller islands and archipelagos, including the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands, Anglesey, Arran, White) in the Atlantic Ocean. It is washed by the Northern, Irish, Celtic and Hebrides seas. The English Channel separates the southeast coast of Great Britain from the north coast of France.
The area of Great Britain is 243,809 km²(78th in the world), of which land - 240,579 km², inland waters - 3230 km².
Government of Great Britain
Great Britain includes several vast regions, where England represents the historical core of the Kingdom. State sovereignty extends to 14 territories - Bermuda, Gibraltar, St. Helena, Maine, Orkney, Hybrid, Channel Islands and others. Provinces: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Largest cities: Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Edinburgh. Formally, the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. The UK is one of the largest European countries. The high status of the UK among one of the largest European states is confirmed by the country's permanent membership in the UN Security Council and the presence of a nuclear potential. The United Kingdom does not have a unified legal system. The judicial bodies of Great Britain in their activities are guided by three judicial systems, in which there are significant differences: English law, the law of Northern Ireland and the law of Scotland.
General information about England
England (English England [ˈɪŋɡlənd]) is a state (kingdom) within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain). The largest administrative and political part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The population of England is 84% of the total population of the UK.
England became a union of once warring kingdoms in 927. The name of the country comes from the name of one of the Germanic tribes that settled there in the 5th and 6th centuries - the Angles. The capital of England is London, the largest city in Great Britain.
England is the birthplace of the English language and the Anglican Church, and English law forms the basis of the legal systems of many countries; in addition, London was the center of the British Empire, and the country was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. England was the first industrialized country in the world, and also a country with a parliamentary democracy, whose constitutional, governmental and legal innovations were adopted by other nations and countries.
The Kingdom of England, including the Principality of Wales, was a separate state until May 1, 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
England is currently made up of 9 regions and 48 ceremonial counties. An important role in the English economy is played by agriculture, industrial production, the high-tech industry and the sports industry. The form of government is a parliamentary monarchy (there is no constitution, it is controlled by the monarch, parliament and the government of Great Britain). The state religion is Anglicanism. The names of the inhabitants are Englishman, Englishwoman, Englishmen.
Currency - pound sterling.
Telephone code - +44
Time zones are Greenwich Mean Time.
Geographical position
England occupies two thirds of the island of Great Britain. Territory - 133,396 km². The landscape of England consists mainly of sloping hills, to the north the terrain becomes more mountainous. The mountainous and flat terrain are conventionally divided along a line running between the mouth of the Teess (Teesside) in the northeast and the mouth of the Aix (Devon) in the southwest. To the east is low-lying marshland, which has mostly been drained for agricultural use.
It borders Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The six largest cities in England (in descending order of population): London, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester.
Thus, "Great Britain", or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is the name of the state, while England is the dominant region of Great Britain.
What is the difference between England and Great Britain, the payment of the Lords from the House of Commons, and Prince Harry from Princess Beatrice, you will learn from this article.
Most of us use the words "England" and "Great Britain" as identical concepts, without going into the legal meaning of these concepts. Meanwhile, as they say in Odessa, these are “two big differences”, two completely different territories.
England- a territory on the island of Great Britain, its largest administrative unit. The name "England" goes back to the name of one of the Germanic tribes (Angles) who once inhabited this historical region.
Scottish man in traditional dress
In the era of medieval fragmentation of Europe, England was an independent kingdom, whose possessions either increased or decreased depending on the military successes of local rulers.
Great Britain- this is the name of the largest island of the British archipelago, on which, in addition to England, there are two more independent territories that were previously independent states: Wales and Scotland.
Henry VIII - one of the most famous rulers of medieval England Country England or UK?
The country that we call either England or Great Britain is officially called The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Therefore, strictly speaking, both names are erroneous.
The possessions of the United Kingdom: the island of Great Britain, the north of the island of Ireland, as well as many small islands and archipelagos around the world, such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Falklands and the Cayman Islands.
Tower Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in the UK. In Russia, this cumbersome name is often shortened to "Great Britain". In Europe, the abbreviation UK is almost always used for abbreviation (from "united kingdom" - United Kingdom).
Dress uniform of the Royal Guards of Great Britain United Kingdom of Great Britain: general information
What continent is the UK in?
Great Britain, not counting the small islands, is located in the British Archipelago, in the North-Western part of Europe. This region is often called Foggy Albion because of the abundance of rain, dampness and endless fog that cyclones bring from the Atlantic.
The warm waters of the Gulf Stream soften the climate a little: there are no too cold winters here (with the exception of the highlands of Scotland and Wales), and in summer the average temperature is around 20 C warm.
Rain and fog are common in England Capital of England and Great Britain
London is the capital of Great Britain, it is also the capital of the administrative region of England. This is the largest city of the kingdom, its cultural and economic center. London is also one of the global financial centers of the world.
World-class economic institutions are concentrated here, the main financial flows of the largest transnational corporations and currency centers of smaller states pass through London.
London is the capital of England and Great Britain London was founded by the Romans as the capital of the Roman province of Britain, located in the British Isles. The first mention of London is found in 117 by the Roman historian Tacitus - at that time the city had existed for more than 50 years.
London has occupied its leading position among other capitals since the Middle Ages. In terms of influence on world politics, few of the cities of the Old World can compete with the center of the British Empire.
In the 20th century, London also gained fame as one of the world's main centers of fashion and youth subculture. It is to London that we owe the appearance of dandy and casual styles, rock musicians and the Beatles.
The Beatles are Britain's most famous rock band. Great Britain on the world map
Today, the United Kingdom occupies a modest 78th place in the world in terms of territory. It accounts for only 2% of the earth's surface. We can say that the UK is just a small spot on the world map. But it was not always so.
At its peak, the British Empire literally owned a quarter of the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, Great Britain was the largest state that ever existed on the planet (its record has not been broken so far).
Former British colonies on the world map In addition to the crown territories in the British Isles, Great Britain owned: Canada, Australia, half of the African continent, India, Oman, Iraq, Honduras, Bermuda and the Bahamas, Malaysia, Burma, New Zealand, New Guinea, Cyprus and other smaller territories. The United States was also territory of the British Crown until its war of independence in 1776.
Contemporaries said that the sun never sets on the British Empire. In fairness, it should be noted that the colonial policy of Great Britain did not bode well for the conquered territories. In the history of the British Empire, there were many bloody wars and the most brutal punitive operations in the territories under their control.
Modern territory of Great Britain on the map of Europe UK map in Russian
Detailed maps of Great Britain, including a map of attractions, roads and railways, administrative divisions and many others you can see. All maps are available for download.
The political structure of Great Britain
Who is the head of state in the UK?
The UK has a rather complex and confusing system of government. In addition to the monarch, there are such governing bodies of the country as the House of Lords, the House of Commons, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Prime Minister.
British Parliament building in London UK House of Commons
The main task of the House of Commons is to represent the interests of all classes of the population in the adoption of laws in the state. Members of the House of Commons are elected by voting in the administrative districts of Great Britain for a term of 5 years. It is the lowest rung of the UK legislature.
UK House of Lords
The House of Lords represents the interests of the highest aristocracy and clergy in Great Britain. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the House of Lords had the right to reject any bill proposed by the House of Commons, if it considered that this bill infringes on the interests of the nobility.
UK House of Commons At present, the Lords can only delay such laws for periods ranging from one month to a year. The duties of members of the House of Lords also include the consideration of judicial appeals.
The seat in the House of Lords is hereditary (with the exception of representatives of the Church, where the members of the Palana of Lords are appointed by the Council of Bishops), and this is one of the most archaic bodies of government in Europe. Members of the House of Lords, unlike the House of Commons, do not receive a fixed salary for attending meetings and are not required to attend every meeting.
UK House of Lords UK Parliament
The Commons Board and the House of Lords are collectively referred to as the British Parliament. If necessary, the monarch can dissolve parliament and announce early elections, or vice versa extend its powers.
Cabinet of Ministers
The Cabinet of Ministers is the highest governing body of the country. Members of the cabinet of ministers head various state structures (departments or ministries). Ministers are appointed from among the representatives of Parliament, their duties include leading ministries, as well as consulting with the monarch on important decisions. The British Cabinet is subordinate to the Parliament.
UK Cabinet Office 2012 British Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Great Britain is the most important official in the country after the monarch. He heads the government, in certain matters he can act on behalf of the monarch. The candidate for the post of prime minister is approved by the king or queen from among the most influential members of Parliament.
Kings and Queens of Great Britain
The UK is one of the oldest monarchies in the world. The highest head in the country is the monarch (king or queen), the throne is transferred by majority inheritance (that is, the eldest in the family).
Throne room at Buckingham Palace in the UK Despite the fact that outwardly the members of the royal house of Great Britain perform purely representative and ceremonial functions, the monarch in Great Britain has very real power.
The King or Queen of Great Britain can dissolve the government, assign the title of Lord to citizens of non-noble origin to enter the House of Lords, approve bills, appoint ministers and pardon criminals.
Queen Elizabeth II on the throne Conservative Party of Great Britain
The Conservative Party of Great Britain (Tory Party) is the oldest political party in Europe, which originated in the 17th century. The party traditionally represents the interests of the nobility, the clergy and the bourgeoisie.
Historically, this is the most influential political force in the kingdom, which invariably holds the majority of seats in Parliament. The most brilliant prime ministers in recent British history have belonged to the Conservatives: Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron.
The current British Prime Minister, Theresa May, is also a member of the Conservative Party.
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is one of the oldest reigning monarchs in the world. She took the throne from her father George VI in 1952, the second year, and has been in power for more than 60 years (in 2016, Elizabeth II turned 90 years old). According to most Britons, Elizabeth is an example of an impeccable ruler who has not tarnished her royal title in any way.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain Despite belonging to the weaker sex, Elizabeth II is famous for her iron character, and will give odds to many men. Some interesting facts from her biography:
At the age of 18, Elizabeth persuaded her father to let her go to the active army and in 1944 she took courses as drivers-mechanics, after which she entered the military service in the women's self-defense squad and served for about six months until the end of World War II. She is the only lady in the royal family who has taken part in hostilities.
Queen Elizabeth II as a child Elizabeth fell in love with her future husband, Prince Philip, as a child. Philip is the heir to the impoverished Greek monarchy, whose representatives were forced to flee their own country after being exiled. Philip's candidacy did not suit Elizabeth's parents and the ruling elite of Great Britain at all, but the princess managed to get consent to the marriage. Moreover, she herself offered him a hand and a heart, without waiting for reciprocal signs of attention.
Queen Elizabeth II with her future husband Prince Philip Elizabeth bought the fabric for her wedding dress with discount coupon cards. In 1947, the British economy had not yet had time to recover from the war, and Elizabeth considered it indecent to spend the kingdom's treasury on magnificent celebrations.
Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation Even at the age of 90, Elizabeth still personally holds all the most important meetings in the state and, as the supreme commander, inspects all the military installations of the kingdom. The heir apparent Prince Charles, she does not trust any of these matters.
Queen Elizabeth II with her son The steel character of the queen does not prevent her from having small human weaknesses.
Elizabeth II is considered a trendsetter and a great lover of hats. She wears bright colors regardless of her age, but never crosses the boundaries of strict classics.
Queen Elizabeth II and one of her hats According to protocol, the queen cannot appear at official events in the same outfit twice. Each of her toilets is entered in a huge catalog, has its own serial number and is accompanied by a record: where, when and under what circumstances she put it on - this avoids repetition and embarrassment.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and her outfits The queen is supposed to be the standard of courtesy, but the number of meetings and audiences is so great that it takes too much effort. Elizabeth II has several secret signs by which the courtiers must understand that it is time to end the event. For example, if Elizabeth twists the ring on her finger, the conversation must be completed within the next 5 minutes.
Queen Elizabeth II and her handbag In her busy schedule, Elizabeth II makes sure to set aside time to watch her favorite series and TV shows. She is known to be a fan of the English version of "X-Factor", as well as several series, including "Game of Thrones".
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Something went wrong. Once a year, Elizabeth takes an extended vacation and retires to a castle in Scotland, where she spends most of her time reading books and walking. In the same place, Elizabeth takes a warm bath every day for several hours, in which, according to the assurances of the courtiers, she cannot do without a small rubber duck, presented to her as a child.
Queen Elizabeth II on vacation Other representatives of the royal house of Great Britain
Elizabeth II belongs to the royal branch of the Windsors, whose descendants in modern Britain are quite a lot. The British are very sensitive to the institution of the monarchy, among the members of the royal family they have their favorites and scandalous persons, whose name is on everyone's lips.
Members of the British Royal Family Princess Diana
Diana Spencer (or Lady Dee) is consistently ranked in the top 10 greatest Britons in national polls. The first wife of Prince Charles (son of Elizabeth II) won the true sincere love of her subjects and millions of people around the world.
She is often called the "Queen of Hearts" for her great contributions to charity, as well as boundless personal charm, modesty and simplicity.
Princess Diana with sons According to rumors, Elizabeth II really disliked her daughter-in-law for her popularity among the people (at times she overshadowed the queen herself).
In 1997, Lady Dee suddenly died in a car accident, which still causes a lot of rumors and suspicions: there is a version that members of the ruling family set up the disaster. But even after her death, Princess Diana remains the queen of people's hearts.
Princess Diana (Lady Di) Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William is the grandson of Elizabeth II, the son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. William inherited many features from his mother (he is also charming, does a lot of charity work), and in recent years he has been rapidly overtaking his grandmother in terms of the degree of adoration of his loyal subjects. He serves as a helicopter pilot for the English medical service and takes part in rescue operations.
Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton Kate Middleton comes from a simple family. With her future husband, Prince William, she met while studying at the university. Shy Kate demeanor is very reminiscent of the British Diana. They admire her attitude towards children, impeccable manners, but most of all, the audience is touched by the romantic story of Kate and William, which is very reminiscent of the fairy tale about Cinderella.
William and Kate with children Prince Harry
The youngest son of Diana and Prince Charles causes mixed feelings among the British. On the one hand, he does not differ in impeccable behavior, but on the other hand, he is such a cutie that the citizens of Great Britain forgive him everything. In addition, his antics are caused more by curiosity and youthful carelessness than by a spoiled temper.
Prince Harry The loudest "exploits" of Prince Harry: boundless amorousness (photos of Harry with cute young ladies regularly get into the press), hussar antics and merry partying. But there are also serious achievements: Prince Harry took part in the fighting in Afghanistan as an ordinary pilot, and put his life in danger on an equal basis with others without any concessions.
Prince Harry with his partner while serving in Afghanistan Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie
Sisters Beatrice and Eugenie are granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth II, daughters of her second son, Prince Andrew. Unlike William and Harry, the girls cannot boast of an ideal reputation in the eyes of others, or even relative charm.
Princess Beatrice The elder Beatrice is often criticized by residents of the UK for being too extravagant and not always in accordance with the protocol. She also gets it for being too curvaceous and an idle lifestyle (in the UK, belonging to the royal house does not at all mean the right to idleness). Otherwise, Beatrice manages to keep within the bounds of decency.
Princess Eugenie Younger Evgenia is a real headache for her family. The girl regularly excites the British public with her antics and another batch of paparazzi photos: drunken dances, cigarettes and indecent antics are the main thing that Evgenia is famous for.
Video. Interesting facts about Great Britain
These names are often heard in speech, used in newspaper publications, pronounced on radio and television. By them is meant an island country in the north-west of Europe. But how identical are these concepts, is there a difference and in what? For starters, it's all about the UK.
Geographic realities
It is necessary to distinguish between the generally accepted geographical name of the region and its state structure. Intuitively, most people understand that behind the concept of "Great Britain" lies a much more extensive territorial and state entity than behind the term "England". And this is fair.
In geographical terminology, "Great Britain" refers to only one island of the archipelago.
- Footprint at 229946 sq. km makes it the 9th largest in the world.
- Population in 30 million people puts in the world table in third place.
- In a meridional perspective reaches 966 km, in parallel - 2 times less. Separated from mainland countries by the Pas de Calais and the English Channel. The largest peninsulas are Cornwall and Wales.
Historical excursus of toponymy
In the 5th century AD e. there was a resettlement of the islanders across the English Channel to the mainland of modern France, where the so-called "Little Britain" was formed, today it is the French province of "Brittany".
In the 6th century A.D. e. to distinguish between the places of settlement of the ethnic group, the island part of the land was called "Big Britain", which in Russian was transformed into "Great Britain".
Government of Great Britain
England
- Its territory is the largest historical and administrative unit"United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". It occupies 2/3 of the island of "Great Britain", borders in the north with Scotland, in the west - with Wales.
- England Square- the largest in the state of Great Britain and is 130395 km.
- England is separated from Europe only 34 km in the area of the English Channel, which made it possible to lay the Eurotunnel connecting the UK with continental Europe by a high-speed railway line.
- England does not have its own parliament. The county councils are the link of the regional level of government.
Thus, the term "Great Britain" in the sense of the abbreviated designation of the state "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" in geographical and socio-political aspects is much wider than the term "England", denoting only one, albeit the dominant, region of the country.
Let's see how England works - the birthplace of Jack the Ripper, Winston Churchill and Francis Drake. After all, we must understand when to write "Great Britain", when "England", and when "British Isles" or, say, "United Kingdom".
Geography first. As you can see on the map at the beginning of the post, the British Isles consist of two large islands (the islands of Great Britain and the islands of Ireland), as well as several groups of smaller formations. It should be noted that the Channel Islands, located in the English Channel, although they belong to the British, are still located off the coast of France. Therefore, they are sometimes reckoned, and sometimes not reckoned with the British Isles.
Now a little history with etymology. In the north-west of France is the historical region of Brittany, which owes its name to the people of the Britons. Displaced from their native Britain, the Britons settled in Brittany in the late Roman period. After that, two "Britain" were formed on the map - a small one (Brittany in France) and a large one (the island of Great Britain).
In French, these areas are called "Bretagne" and "Grande Bretagne" - that is, "land of the Britons" and "great land of the Britons."
The Channel Islands owe their name to another region of France - Normandy. Normandy, in turn, became known as such after the invasion of the Vikings, whom the locals oppressed by the Vikings called "Nortmanni" or "Normanni" - northern people. If you want to read a beautifully presented history of these places, I recommend a good book by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, A History of England.
The origin of the names of Orkney and the Hebrides is lost in the darkness of time. The Shetland Islands are part of Scotland and obviously owe their name to it. The name of the Isle of Man comes from a character in Celtic mythology called "Manannán mac Lir" by the Irish and "Manawydan" by the Welsh.
Let's move smoothly to the political structure of the region.
As you can see on the multi-colored map, the smaller part of the islands is occupied by the Republic of Ireland, and the larger part is occupied by the state of Great Britain. Great Britain, in turn, consists of several parts.
The red part is England, the historical core of the kingdom. Blue - Scotland, an area inhabited by proud highlanders, which the British conquered for a long time and stubbornly, and, in the end, took it into their tenacious hands. From a political point of view, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands are part of Scotland.
The Principality of Wales is marked in yellow, which used to have the name Wallis in Russian, and whose inhabitants are still called Welsh in Russian.
Finally, Northern Ireland is marked in green - a sore spot for the British. Separatist sentiments are still very strong in Northern Ireland. If suddenly your name is Ira and you are flying to England, do not write your name on the suitcase in English letters. English police react to the abbreviation IRA - "Irish Republican Army" - very nervously.
The UK also includes the so-called "crown lands" - the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The full name of the state of Great Britain sounds like "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", sometimes it is abbreviated to "United Kingdom". In colloquial speech, it is also acceptable to call this state England or Britain - although bores will rebuke you every time you use these words for the name of a state.
When translating, it should be remembered that in English the terminology is slightly different from Russian. The term "Great Britain" means the island of Great Britain (England + Scotland + Wales), and the term "British Islands" means the state of Great Britain together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
It remains to mention two important facts.
Firstly, currently under the sovereignty of Great Britain are 14 small territories, evenly distributed in military-important parts of the planet - these are Gibraltar, Bermuda, St. Helena and so on.
Secondly, the English queen is still the official monarch in 16 states of the so-called "Commonwealth". The Commonwealth Realms include, among others, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and, of course, Great Britain itself.
Perhaps this brief excursion into the internal structure of the British Isles can be completed.
If you are now imbued with the romance of all these old castles, landgraves, free forest robbers and other feudal remnants, once again I recommend the wonderful historical game "Kings Crusaders" from Paradoxes.