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UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and NORTHERN IRELAND

ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, GALLES, NORTHERN IRELAND

 

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Tourist Guide and Information on United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is a constitutional monarchy and is one of the 25 member states of the European Union. The UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland (Eire). Britain is the largest of the British Isles. The second largest is Ireland who meet Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Offshore of Scotland are the Hebrides archipelago to the west and the Orkney and Shetland to the northeast. Other islands are the coastal islands of Wight, Anglesey and Scilly; the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands between Britain and France, are Crown dependencies, lands owned by the British monarch but not part of the United Kingdom. The UK has also fourteen Overseas Territories: Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and Dependencies (Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha), Turks and Caicos Islands, Pitcairn Island, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.

The United Kingdom is characterized by a very rugged coastal profile, with peninsulas separated by deep creeks, these creeks are estuarine (Thames, Humber), or consist of a funnel creeks, narrow and elongated, called firths. The northern and western areas of the country are mostly mountainous, while the southeast is formed from plains. Among the main mountain chains are the North West Highlands, the Grampian Mountains, Cheviot or Southern Uplands, the Cumberland Mountains, Pennines, all still make modest heights, in fact, the highest peak is the Ben Nevis in Scotland (1 343 m). There are numerous rivers with abundant and regular flow, but short course, this is due to the shape of the island, the most important of these rivers are the Thames, the Clyde (main river of Scotland), the Mersey, the Severn. Typical of Scotland are the lochs, narrow and elongated lakes; the largest lake basin in the country is the Irish Lough Neagh (396 sq km). 

  

Climate: Britain has a temperate-oceanic climate wet and windy. Winter is especially harsh in the north of England and Scotland. Summer is not very hot with temperatures that rarely exceed the 30°C. The weather can vary greatly from day to day, but generally summer (June-August) is a warm 14-25°C, and winter (December-February) is a cool 1-4°C. The rainfall is distributed throughout the year. Typically the period from March to June are the most dry while the period from November to January are the most rainy. Important is the influence of the warm current of the Gulf, which on equal latitude, winter temperatures are much higher than in Central and Eastern Europe. Temperatures vary somewhat from west to east, in winter, the coldest month, January, has temperatures from 3.5°C in the area of London to 6.5°C of Cornwall; in July southern England has an average temperature of 16.5°C, while in the north of Scotland 13°C. Frequent are the mists and fogs.

Tourist attractions: There are ten national parks, of which 7 are in England (Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, Peak District, Northumberland, North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales) and 3 are in Wales (Brecon Beacons, Coast of Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire). The Broads of Norfolk are protected as a national park. 

Unesco has inscribed 27 United Kingdom sites in the World Heritage List: Blaenavon Industrial Landscape (2000); Blenheim Palace (1987); Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (1988); Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (1986); City of Bath (1987); Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape (2006); Derwent Valley Mills (2001); Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986); Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987); Heart of Neolithic Orkney (1999); Ironbridge Gorge (1986); Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (2004); Maritime Greenwich (1997); New Lanark (2001); Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (1995); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2003); Saltaire (2001); Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (1986); Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey (1986); Tower of London (1988); Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church (1987); Dorset and East Devon Coast (2001); Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (1986); St Kilda (1986). Among the UNESCO sites listed as part of the United Kingdom are also Gough and Inaccessible Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean (1995); Henderson Island in the Pacific (1988); the Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda (2000). Among the properties submitted on the Tentative List are: Lake District (1996); Chatham Naval Dockyard (1999); Darwin's Home and Workplace: Down House and Environs (1999); Manchester and Salford (Ancoats, Castlefield and Worsley) (1999); Monkwearmouth and Jarrow Monastic Sites (1999); The New Forest (1999); The Great Western Railway: Paddington-Bristol (selected parts) (1999); Shakespeare's Stratford (1999); The Cairngorm Mountains (1999); The Flow Country (1999); The Forth Rail Bridge (1999); Pont-Cysyllte Aqueduct (1999); Mount Stewart Gardens (1999); The Wash and North Norfolk Coast (1999); Frontiers of the Roman Empire: Antonine Wall (2006). They are included in the list of United Kingdom also the sites: Fountain Cavern, Anguilla (1999); Gibraltar defences (1996).

Travel Documents: You need a valid national passport or other equivalent official document that satisfactorily establishes your identity and nationality. If you aren't a citizen of Britain or a European Economic Area (EEA) country, you may also need a visa (entry clearance certificate).

Health: If you become ill while visiting Britain, you are eligible for free emergency treatment in the Accident and Emergency departments of National Health Service hospitals. However, if you are admitted to hospital as an in-patient, even from the accident and emergency department, or referred to an out-patient clinic, you will be asked to pay unless: You are a national or resident of the European Economic Area or You are a national or resident of countries which have reciprocal health care agreements with the UK. You are strongly advised to take out adequate insurance before travelling to Britain. Pharmacies are usually open from 09:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays and limited availability on Sundays.

Shopping hours: Opening times for businesses and services can vary hugely, the usual opening times are: 10-18,30 Monday-Saturday 11-17 Sunday. Larger shopping areas and centres may stay open later, sometimes up to 22, especially in busy periods like Christmas.  

Electricity: Voltage is 240 volts AC at 50HZ. Appliances generally use standard 3-pin square plugs and sockets.  

Cuisine: The English cuisine has not a good reputation. The real English cuisine is rather simple and traditional. Between meat dishes is the famous roast beef. Legendary is the English Breakfast, a very substantial dish, perfect for the beginning of a day. Another tradition of cooking is English afternoon tea. BRITISH CUISINE RECIPES.

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Airports and Flights: Most European and World airlines link the UK with major European cities and with the rest of the World.

Area: 242,521 sqkm

Population: 59,755,700 (England 49.997.100; Galles 2.946.200; Scotland 5.114.600; Northern Ireland 1.697.800).

State Capital: London

Languages: The two official languages in Britain are English and Welsh, English being the most widely spoken. Scottish Gaelic is also spoken in some parts of Scotland.

Religion: Mainly Protestant (53,4%; Anglican in England and Presbyterian in Scotland), Roman Catholic (9,8%), Islam (2,6%), Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Sikhism .

Currency: Britain’s unit of currency is the Great British Pound (sterling) (GBP)

Time: British summer time starts on the last Sunday in March when clocks go forward 1 hour at 01:00, and ends on the last Sunday in October when they go back 1 hour at 01:00. The time for the rest of the year is Coordinated Universal Time.

 

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