Geography of British Isles

1
Geography of British Isles

• Made up of four regions, England, Scotland,
  Ireland, and Wales.
• England has the largest population and strongest
  economy.
• Scotland and Wales were conquered by England
  centuries ago

2
The United kingdom

• Includes all of the British isles except the
  Republic of Ireland
• Is also called the U.K.

3

• Scotland , Ireland, and Wales are geographically
  and culturally different from England.
• Scotland and Wales have rugged hills and mountain
  ranges.
• Some Scots still speak Gaelic and Welch is still
  spoken in Wales

4
Capital

• London began as a roman fort called Londinium and
  is now one of largest cities in Europe
• 90 of the United Kingdom's people live in cities
  and towns

5
Ethnicity

• 82 English
• 10 Scottish
• 24 Irish
• 2 Welch
• 3 other

6
Constitutional Monarchy

• A queen or king represents the country at public
  events but he or she has little power.

7
Parliamentary Democracy

• Voters elect representatives to a lawmaking body
  called parliament
• Parliament has two bodies, the house of commons
  and the house of lords.
• The house of commons chooses the governments
  leader, the prime minister

8
Leaders

• The prime minister is Tony Blair
• The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II

9
Economy

• Great Britain started the industrial revolution
  250 years ago.
• In the past, Britain engaged in colonialism to
  build its powerful economy
• Today, manufactured goods and machinery are its
  leading exports.
• Because it is a small island, it does not have
  enough farm land to feed its population and must
  import most food.

10
British Colonialism

• At the height of its power in the late 19th and
  early 20th centuries, the British empire
  comprised about one quarter of the world's land
  area and population and encompassed territories
  on every continent.

11
Wool

• Since Roman times, European textile industries
  were based on English wool which was a large
  source of income for English Kings.
• England became a nation of sheep farmers and
  cloth manufacturers.

12
Ireland

• All of Ireland was once part of Great Britain,
  but most of the island became independent in 1921
  and is called the Republic of Ireland.

13
Northern Ireland

• Today, only a small part of Ireland called
  Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.
• Many people in the Republic of Ireland want
  Northern Ireland to leave the U.K. and join the
  rest of Ireland. These people have an army called
  the Irish Republican army or the IRA.