The flag and the national emblems of Great Britain

 

The flag of the United Kingdom is often called the Union Flag, or the Union Jack.

It consists of several flags.

In 1603 Scotland was joined to England and Wales.

The Scottish Flag, St.Andrew’s Cross (the patron saint of Scotland0, blue with a white cross from corner to corner, was joined to the English flag, St.George’s Cross (the patron saint of England), white with a red upright cross.

Later, in 1801, the Irish Flag of St.Patrick’s Cross (the patron of Ireland) was added, white with a red cross from corner to corner.

As for the national emblems of Great Britain they are very unusual and surprising.

Everybody knows about the War of the Roses (1455-1485), which was led between the two contending Houses for the English throne.

The emblem of one of them, the Lancastrians, was the red rose, and the emblem of the Yorkists was the white rose.

Since the end of this war the red rose has been the national emblem of England.

The people of Scotland chose the thistle as their national emblem.

They say that it saved their land from foreign invaders many years ago.

This happened so.

During a surprise night attack by the invaders the Scottish soldiers were awakened by the shouts of one of the invaders, whose bare feet stepped on the thorns of the thistle.

The alarm was given and soon the Scots won victory over the enemy, and the thistle became their national emblem.

The little shamrock is the national emblem of the Irish.

It is worn in memory of St. Patrick, Irelands patron saint.

A legend says that St. Patrick used a small green shamrock when he was preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish.

There is a legend according to which St. David (the patron saint of Wales) lived for several years on bread and wild leeks.

So Welshmen all over the world celebrate St. David’s Day by putting leers onto their clothes.

They consider the leek their national emblem.

By the way the daffodil is also associated with St. David’s Day, it flowers on that day.  

Tows, industry and agriculture

Great Britain is mainly an industrial country.

That’s why most of the people there live in large towns.

The largest cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh and others.

London is the capital of England and the capital of the United Kingdom, too.

It is a very big city.

Its population is more than 11 million people.

London stands on the river Thames.

The Thames is rather a deep river, so all kinds of ships can come into London port.

That makes London one of the biggest sea ports of world.

London is also one of the main ship-building centres.

Besides, lots of things such as clothes, food, airplanes and cars are made in London.

Birmingham is the biggest town in an important industrial region in the centre of England.

Machines, cars and lorries as well as TV- and radiosets are produced there.

Manchester in the north-west of England is the centre of the cotton textile industry.

Here computers, electronic equipment, various machines, foods and other things are made. Glasgow is the biggest city of Scotland. Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries.

Other industries are iron and steel manufacture, heavy and light engineering and coal mining.

It’s an industrial city and an important port. The largest city of Wales is Cardiff, its capital. It is an important industrial city and a port.

It is also an administrative and educational centre.

Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland is the leading industrial centre and a large port.

Its chief industries are the production of linen and other textiles, clothing, shipbuilding, engineering. Great Britain is also a highly developed agricultural country. Wheat is grown in the east of England.

Vegetables are grown in all parts of the country, especially in the south.

Potatoes are grown everywhere in the British Isles.

Some kinds of fruit can grow in the south where the temperature is higher and there is more sunshine.

There are a lot of cattle farms and farms which produce milk, butter and cheese.

Great Britain is also famous for its wool.

British institutes

 

Parliament is the most important authority in Britain. Parliament first met in the 13^th century. Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws. In 1689 Mary II and William III became the first constitution monarchs. They could rule only with the support of the Parliament. Technically Parliament is made up of three parts: the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The continuity of the English monarchy has been interrupted only once during the Cromwell republic. Succession to the throne is hereditary but only for Protestants in the direct line of descent. Formally the monarch has a number of roles. The monarch is expected to be politically neutral, and should not make political decisions. Nevertheless, the monarch still performs some important executive and legislative duties including opening and dissolving Parliament, singing bills passed by both Houses and fulfilling international duties as head of state. The present sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II who was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1953.

The House of Lords comprises about 1,200 peers. The house is presided over by the Lord Chancellor. The House of Lords has no real power but acts as an advisory council for the House of Commons. As well as having legislative functions, the Lords is the highest court of appeal.

The House of Commons consist of members of Parliament who are elected by the adult suffrage of the British people in general elections which are held at least every five years. The country is divided into 650 constituencies each of which elects one Member of Parliament. The Commons therefore, has 650 Members of Parliament. The party which wins the most seats forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. The functions of Commons are registration and security of government activities. The house is presided over by the Speaker. The government party sits on the Speaker’s right while on his left sit the members of the Opposition.

Education in Britain

 

In England and Wales compulsory school begins at the age of five, but before that age children can go to a nursery school, also called play school. School in compulsory till the children are 16 years old.

In Primary School and First School children learn to read and write and the basis of arithmetic. In the higher classes of Primary School (or in Middle School) children learn geography, history, religion and, in some schools, a foreign language. Than children go to Secondary School.

When students are 16 years old they may take an exam in various subjects on order to have a qualification. These qualifications can be either G.C.S.E. (General Certificate of Secondary education) or “O level” (ordinary level). After that students can either leave school and start working or continue their studies in the same school as before. If they continue, when they are 18, they have to take further examinations which are necessary for getting into university or college.

Some parents choose private schools for their children. They are very expensive but considered to provide a better education and good job opportunities.

In England there are 47 universities, including the Open University which teaches via TV and radio, about 400 colleges and institutes of higher education. The oldest universities in England are Oxford and Cambridge. Generally, universities award two kinds of degrees: the Bachelor’s degree and the Master’s degree.