UNITED KINGDOM
“England"
En la presente edición de Mundo Consciencia, pretendo introducir al lector en la cultura británica, y en consecuencia, a la cultura europea propiamente tal.
Lo que a continuación leerás es acerca de Inglaterra y el Reino Unido en todas sus perspectivas, desde la población, geografía, cultura, hasta la música y comidas típicas provenientes de las tierras británicas.
Cabe mencionar que el presente documento lo he escrito en la lengua inglesa, debido a que ha sido presentado para una evaluación de mis certificaciones del idioma anglosajón que actualmente me encuentro cursando en la universidad.
Sin más preámbulo....... Just enjoy it!!!!
HISTORYImportant rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable, as are the Mersey and Ribble.
About England and the United Kingdom
Stonehenge and other examples of prehistoric culture are all that remain of the earliest inhabitants of Britain. Celtic peoples followed. Roman invasions of the 1st century B.C. brought Britain into contact with continental Europe. When the Roman legions withdrew in the 5th century A.D., Britain fell easy prey to the invading hordes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Scandinavia and the Low Countries. The invasions had little effect on the Celtic peoples of Wales and Scotland. Seven large Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established, and the original Britons were forced into Wales and Scotland. It was not until the 10th century that the country finally became united under the kings of Wessex. Following the death of Edward the Confessor (1066), a dispute about the succession arose, and William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England, defeating the Saxon king, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings (1066). The Norman conquest introduced Norman French law and feudalism.
About London.
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. London was founded as a communication centre by the Romans shortly after they invaded Britain in 43 AD. Londinium, as it was called then, was a little village on the Thames, on the route to the provincial capital in eastern England. The next interesting and historical facts about London: The name Big Ben is not name of the clock tower itself, but the name of the Great Bell inside the tower. London is the largest city in Europe. London was the first city in the world to have an underground railway system, known as the tube. There are three small rooms inside the Marble Arch wich were used as a police station until 1959.
POPULATION
About England and the United Kingdom:
Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)
Prime Minister: David Cameron (2010)
Land area: 93,278 sq mi (241,590 sq km); total area: 94,526 sq mi (244,820 sq km)
Population (2010 est.): 61,284,806 (growth rate: 0.2%); birth rate: 10.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.7/1000; life expectancy: 79.1; density per sq km: 246
England is the largest and most populous country in the British Isles. England covers an area of some 130,395 square kilometres. It has a population of 49,138,831 people.The official language is English. The currency is the pound sterling (£). England is governed as part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), which is a member of the European Union. The UK is a constitutional monarchy. This means it has a royal family and the reigning monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II) is the official head of state. In practice the monarch is a figurehead and the country is governed by a democratically elected government led by the Prime Minister (currently Tony Blair). The government is elected by a general election which must be held at least every five years. Elections can be held more frequently at the will of the Prime Minister. The UK is divided into 646 constituencies. A number of candidates stand for election in each constituency and voters within the constituency vote for their preferred candidate. The candidate getting most votes becomes the Member of Parliament for that constituency. The UK parliament consists of two Houses, the Commons and the Lords. The 659 Members of Parliament sit in the House of Commons, this is where proposed laws are debated and voted on. The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament and must approve Bills before they become Acts. The House of Lords is not democratically elected and currently consists of 706 members or peers.
Since 1999 Scotland and Wales have had their own devolved assemblies; parliaments. Strangely there is no English parliament, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish MPs all participate in the making of English law.
About London
London is the most populous city in the European Union with a population of 7.5 million and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. Its population is very cosmopolitan, drawing from a wide range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages. People born in London or who wish to associate themselves with London refer to themselves as Londoners.
CULTURE AND ART
Art of the food
English food is often considered unappetising by those from other countries. However traditional English meals can be both delicious and nutritious. Some typical English dishes are fish and chips (fish, eg cod, "rock", plaice or skate, fried in batter and served with fried potato chips - perhaps one of the earliest take aways), the English breakfast (fried eggs and bacon served with sausage, fried tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, black pudding, fried bread...) and the Sunday roast (roast beef, pork, lamb or chicken served with roast potatoes and other vegetables and often Yorkshire pudding).
There are also numerous regional dishes. For example, in London it is common to find pie and mash shops where minced meat pies are served with mashed potatoes and gravy or parsley sauce (known as liquor). Shellfish (eg winkles, prawns, cockles, whelks) and jellied eels are the traditional cockney Sunday tea.
Art of the Music from the old school of England
The twentieth century
Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties, including the city of Dublin, were formally separated from the United Kingdom. While the two countries continued to share a classical music heritage, they would now develop on different lines.
In what was now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the outstanding composers of the century included William Walton and Benjamin Britten. Their individual approaches to music and its part in the national identity differed significantly. Walton's work featured fanfares and patriotic themes, including the ceremonial marches Crown Imperial, written for the coronation of George VI, and Orb and Sceptre, for that of Elizabeth II. Britten, on the other hand, made a conscious effort to set himself apart from the English musical mainstream, which he regarded as complacent, insular and amateurish. His works included the operas Peter Grimes (1945), and Billy Budd (1951), as well the instrumental compositions Nocturnal after John Dowland for guitar (1964). It is arguable that this trend may have contributed to the revival of interest in early music which has been led, in Britain, by such figures as Arnold Dolmetsch and David Munrow.
Music of the twenty-first century
The Royal College of Music from Prince Consort Road, London
In the present era, classical music in Britain must contend and co-exist with a dominant culture of popular music. Specialist music education at establishments such as the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music, as well as within British Universities provide world-class music teaching to gifted classical musicians.
In this century, music, like most other aspects of society, has become globalized, and it is increasingly difficult to speak of "music of the UK" as a separate entity. Gifted UK musicians train and perform all over the world: conversely, many of the places in UK music schools are taken up by overseas musicians, and most concerts are international in their content and their performers.
Notable modern composers include: Peter Maxwell Davies, Julian Anderson, Harrison Birtwistle, George Benjamin, Thomas Ades, Oliver Knussen, James MacMillan and at a more popular level Andrew Lloyd Webber, represent very different strands of composition within UK classical music.
Festivals and venues
The United Kingdom is host to many major orchestras, festivals and venues. The Royal Philharmonic Society (founded 1813) and "The Proms" have presented annual music programmes of international status since the early 19th century. The Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten is another annual musical event of international status.
About religion
England is predominantly a secular country, though the Christian Church of England is entwined in its affairs of state and many non-churchgoing English people routinely state their religion as Church of England. In the 2001 Census some 35 million people (of a total population of 49 million) were identified as Christians. The Church of England is the largest Christian Church and also the established or official state church. Other common Christian churches include Roman Catholic and Methodist. The 2001 Census also identified over 1.5 million Muslims, 500,000 Hindus and 300,000 Sikhs.
Facts on culture of London
London has 3800 pubs, 233 nightclubs, 6,128 licensed restaurants that 50 major country cuisines. The City has over 40, 000 shops and 80 individual markets. There are almost 21,000 licensed taxis in London named as “Black Cabs”.
Furthermore, People English love to the Queen of England, by the way, is very famous the phrase typical “God save the Queen”, they say these words all the time. For example; on the celebrations, dinners, concerts of music, on the street, etc. there is a love very great inside their hearts by and for the Queen of England.
LITERATURE
About Shakespeare – An Unforgettable Literary Figure
Shakespeare is an unforgettable literary figure and it is not exaggeration if we say that literature is nothing without him. Unfortunately very little is known about him, he is known for what he wrote.
All the writing of Shakespeare deal with love, life and death and these universal themes get beautiful touch by him. His poetry and dramas reflect that he had extraordinary knowledge of human psychology. Therefore, his characters have become memorable in the field of literature.
Shakespeare explored poetry and drama but it is drama that brought fame for him. Even his dramas are poetically crafted. Poetry is inseparable from his writing. He has given immortal lines. “To be or not to be” is oft quoted line from “Hamlet” that is reflected in a modern man who is caught in the same idea of perplexity.
Shakespeare was influenced by the Roman tragic dramatist Seneca and by the medieval ‘mystery’ plays. Seneca dealt with the theme of revenge and showed blood and horrible deeds on the stage without hesitation. Seneca was admired greatly in England at the time of renaissance. Numbers of tragedies were written following his style.
Shakespeare very much enjoyed making fun of the languages of scholars and courtiers. This is probably the reason why in some of his dramas we find the use of pun.
Works of Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Love’s Labor’s Lost, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Henry IV, Sonnets, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, and Hamlet of course.
Others legends of the English literature
Saint George The Red Cross with white background favoured by fans of the English football team (and other sports) is the cross of England's patron saint, Saint George.
King Arthur The magical legend of King Arthur, his court at Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table continue to inspire.
Robin Hood Together with his band of Merry Men he lived in Sherwood Forest robbed the rich and gave to the poor.
EDUCATION
Education is important in England, as it is Wales and Scotland too.
British children are required by law to have an education until they are 16 years old. Education is compulsory, but school is not, children are not required to attend school. They could be educated at home.
Education is free for all children from 5 to 16.
Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive) across England. This can be provided by state schools, independent schools, or homeschooling. About 94 per cent of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education from public funds, while 6 per cent attend independent fee paying schools or homeschooling.
Education stages:
Nursery Schools: 3-4 years old. Primary Schools: 5-11 years old. Secondary Schools: 12-18 years old.
The School Year:
The school year runs from September to July and is 39 weeks long. For many areas the year is divided into six terms:
September to October, October to December, January to February, February to March, April to May, June to July.
(Some counties in England still follow the traditional three terms a year.)
The dates for school terms and holidays are decided by the local authority or the governing body of a school, or by the school itself for independent schools.
School holidays
The main school holidays are:
Christmas- 2 weeks, Spring - 2 weeks, Summer - 6 weeks
There are also one week holidays:
End of October, mid February, end of May.
ECONOMY
England Economy
England is a part of the United Kingdom and shares land borders with Scotland and Wales. Towards its North West, South East and East are the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea and North Sea. England comprises over 100 small islands.
England has a land area of 13,395 square km and a population of 51,446,000 (2008 consensus). The terrain comprises of plains and low hills. England is rich in different naturally occurring resources, such as coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead and silica. This is one major reason that England has been able to adopt the industrial revolution easily and prosper.
England Economy and the world
England’s economy is one of the biggest economies of the world. Being a mixed economy, there is active contribution from both the private as well as the government sector. However, amidst a largely capitalistic outlook, England retains the social welfare focus and leads the world in aerospace, arms and the manufacturing segment of the software industry.
Although industrialization is rampant in the nation, there has been a sudden shift towards the services sector. Tourism has therefore become an important segment and attracts over a million people annually to England.
Tourism as Economy at England
Tourism is essential to England’s economy. It generates £97billion each year, employs in excess of two million people and supports thousands of businesses, both directly and indirectly. It also has an interdependent relationship with a range of sectors including farming, transport, retailing, sport, museums and the arts.
GOVERNMENT
The important on Government of England and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a queen and a parliament that has two houses: the House of Lords, with 574 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 bishops; and the House of Commons, which has 651 popularly elected members. Supreme legislative power is vested in parliament, which sits for five years unless dissolved sooner. The House of Lords was stripped of most of its power in 1911, and now its main function is to revise legislation. In Nov. 1999, hundreds of hereditary peers were expelled in an effort to make the body more democratic. The executive power of the Crown is exercised by the cabinet, headed by the prime minister.England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain ; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927.
PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
People have come from all over the world to live in the United Kingdom, creating a fascinating ethnic mix of cultures and religions. English is the main language, but it is spoken in a wide variety of accents. Other languages include Welsh, Gaelic, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu. England is very densely populated, which means that many people live on a relatively small area of land. This is not the case in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Highlands in particular are very sparsely populated.
There is no such thing as a typical home or way of life in the UK. People who live in a fishing village on one of the Scottish islands, or on a sheep farm in Wales, for example, have very different lifestyles from each other, and from those who live in the big bustling cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Here land is scarce; so many people live in flats and terrace houses, often without gardens.
Furthermore England is one of the countries that make up Great Britain. Each country has its own famous places, people and objects associated with them. The next some pictures from England:
TURISM
London Tourist Attractions and London Sightseeing (London, England, UK)
The capital city of London is simply a dream destination for sightseers, and within almost every district there are some exceptional tourist attractions to savour. Although a ride on the London Eye will likely always be at the top of any tourist agenda, you may also like to visit the famous waxworks of Madame Tussaud's and the astronomical attractions within the adjacent London Planetarium. On sunny days, cruises down the River Thames also come highly recommended and transport passengers as far as the futuristic-looking Thames Barrier.
Tourists will particularly enjoy visiting either London's Aquarium or Zoo, both of which are brimming with creatures and particularly suitable for families. You may also like to consider spending time at the London Dungeons, where guides will lead you around a labyrinth of pathways and show you recreations of medieval torturing, with the use of costumed live actors. Visitors to the Dungeons will also be able to experience first-hand a reenactment of a working courtroom, get lost in a mirror maze, take a boat trip through 'Traitors' Gate', and see fascinating attractions relating to the Great Plague, Sweeney Todd and the city's Great Fire of 1666.
The capital city of London is simply a dream destination for sightseers, and within almost every district there are some exceptional tourist attractions to savour. Although a ride on the London Eye will likely always be at the top of any tourist agenda, you may also like to visit the famous waxworks of Madame Tussaud's and the astronomical attractions within the adjacent London Planetarium. On sunny days, cruises down the River Thames also come highly recommended and transport passengers as far as the futuristic-looking Thames Barrier.
Tourists will particularly enjoy visiting either London's Aquarium or Zoo, both of which are brimming with creatures and particularly suitable for families. You may also like to consider spending time at the London Dungeons, where guides will lead you around a labyrinth of pathways and show you recreations of medieval torturing, with the use of costumed live actors. Visitors to the Dungeons will also be able to experience first-hand a reenactment of a working courtroom, get lost in a mirror maze, take a boat trip through 'Traitors' Gate', and see fascinating attractions relating to the Great Plague, Sweeney Todd and the city's Great Fire of 1666.
London Tourist Attractions: Tower Bridge Experience Visitors are able to see one of the world's most famous bridges, with breathtaking views from the walkways, some
London Tourist Attractions: Tower of London - Tower of London, Tower Hill, London.
The Tower of London is guarded by the colourful Beefeaters and visitors are able to see the priceless Crown Jewels, Traitors' Gate and the famous black ravens.
