1英国概况.docx

1英国概况.docx

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1英国概况

AGeneralSurveyoftheUnitedKingdom

TeachingMaterial:

TheSocietyandCultureofMajorEnglish-SpeakingCountries—AnIntroduction（ByHigherEducationPress）

TeachingObjectives:

ThiscourseismainlytomakeknowntothestudentstheBritishpolitics,cultureaswellassocietyatlarge,anditspositionintheworldasfarasitslonghistoryisconcerned.

（ItmightbedifficultforthestudentstounderstandtheBritishpoliticalsystem,itspeopleanditsculturaldifferencesbecauseofreligiousreasons.Thus,someemphasisshouldbelaidonitsreligiousbackground.）

Introduction:

TheUnitedKingdom

TimeAllocation:

4periods

FocalPoints:

TheCountryoftoday,UnderstandingofDifferentNames

I.GeneralIntroduction

GreatBritain,thedominantindustrialandmaritimepowerofthe19thcentury,playedaleadingroleindevelopingparliamentarydemocracyandinadvancingliteratureandscience.Atitszenith（极盛时期）,theBritishEmpirestretchedoverone-fourthoftheearth'ssurface.Thefirsthalfofthe20thcenturysawtheUK'sstrengthseriouslydepletedintwoWorldWars.Thesecondhalfwitnessedthedismantling（瓦解）oftheEmpireandtheUKrebuildingitselfintoamodernandprosperousEuropeannation.（ReadthefirstparagraphonP2）

AsoneoffivepermanentmembersoftheUNSecurityCouncil（China,France,RussianFederation,UnitedKingdomandUnitedStates）,afoundingmemberofNATO（NorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization）,andoftheCommonwealth,theUKpursuesaglobalapproachtoforeignpolicy;itcurrentlyisweighingthedegreeofitsintegrationwithcontinentalEurope.AmemberoftheEU（EuropeanUnion）,itchosetoremainoutsidetheEconomicandMonetaryUnionforthetimebeing.ConstitutionalreformisalsoasignificantissueintheUK.TheScottishParliament,theNationalAssemblyforWales,andtheNorthernIrelandAssemblywereestablishedin1999,butthelatterissuspendedduetobickering（argue）overthepeaceprocess.

Geography

   UnitedKingdom

Location:

WesternEurope,islandsincludingthenorthernone-sixthoftheislandofIrelandbetweentheNorthAtlanticOceanandtheNorthSea,northwestofFrance

Area:

total:

244,820sqkm

land:

241,590sqkm

water:

3,230sqkm

Landboundaries:

total:

360km

bordercountries:

Ireland360km

People

   UnitedKingdom

Population:

60,441,457（July2005）

AgeStructure:

0-14years:

17.7%（male5,490,592/female5,229,691）

15-64years:

66.5%（male20,329,272/female19,855,862）

65yearsandover:

15.8%（male4,063,357/female5,472,683）（2005）

Populationgrowthrate:

0.28%（2005）

PopulationDensity:

250personspersqkm（2004estimate）

646personspersqmi（2004estimate）

Birthrate:

10.78births/1,000population（2005）

Deathrate:

10.18deaths/1,000population（2005）

Lifeexpectancy:

totalpopulation:

78.38years

male:

75.94years

female:

80.96years（2005）

Urban-rural:

urban89.5%;rural10.5%.

Sexdistribution:

male49.09%;female50.91%.

Ethnicgroups:

white92.1%,black2%,Indian1.8%,Pakistani1.3%,mixed1.2%,other1.6%（2001census）

Officiallanguage:

English.

Languages:

English,Welsh（about26%ofthepopulationofWales）,ScottishformofGaelic（about60,000inScotland）

Officialreligion:

ChurchesofEngland（Protestantism）andScotland"established"

（Protectedbythestate,butnot"official"）intheirrespective

countries;noestablishedchurchinNorthernIrelandorWales.

Religions:

Christian（Anglican,RomanCatholic,Presbyterian,Methodist）71.6%,Muslim2.7%,Hindu1%,other1.6%,unspecifiedornone23.1%（2001census）

Government

   UnitedKingdom

Officialname:

TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.

Formofgovernment:

Constitutionalmonarchy

Legislature:

Bicamerallegislaturewithtwolegislativehouses

1.HouseofLords[675members（consistingofapproximately500lifepeers,92hereditarypeersand26clergy）;

2.HouseofCommons（646seatssince2005elections;membersareelectedbypopularvotetoservefive-yeartermsunlesstheHouseisdissolvedearlier）

Note:

1）Elections:

HouseofLords-noelections;

HouseofCommons-lastheld5May2005（nexttobeheldbyMay2010）

2）Electionresults:

HouseofCommons-percentofvotebyparty-Labor35.2%,Conservative32.3%,LiberalDemocrats22%,other10.5%;seatsbyparty-Labor356,Conservative197,LiberalDemocrat62,other31

Capital:

London,England.

Nationalholiday:

theUKdoesnotcelebrateoneparticularnationalholiday

Constitution:

unwritten;partlystatutes,partlycommonlawandpractice

Chiefofstate:

Sovereign（君主）.

PresentQueen:

ElizabethII（sinceFebruary1952）;

Headofgovernment:

PrimeMinister.

PresentPrimeMinister:

Anthony（Tony）Blair（since2May1997）（LaborParty）

Cabinet:

CabinetofMinistersappointedbytheprimeminister;

NationalAnthem:

GodSavetheKing（Queen）

GodSavetheQueen

GodsaveourgraciousQueen,

LongliveournobleQueen,

GodsavetheQueen!

Sendhervictorious,

Happyandglorious,

Longtoreignoverus,

GodsavetheQueen!

OlordGodarise,

Scatterourenemies,

Andmakethemfall!

Confoundtheirknavishtricks,

Confusetheirpolitics,

Onyouourhopeswefix,

GodsavetheQueen!

Notinthislandalone,

ButbeGod'smerciesknown,

Fromshoretoshore!

Lordmakethenationssee,

Thatmenshouldbrothersbe,

Andformonefamily,

Thewideworldov'er

Fromeverylatentfoe,

Fromtheassasinsblow,

GodsavetheQueen!

O'erherthinearmextend,

ForBritain'ssakedefend,

Ourmother,prince,andfriend,

GodsavetheQueen!

Thychoicestgiftsinstore,

Onherbepleasedtopour,

Longmayshereign!

Mayshedefendourlaws,

Andevergiveuscause,

Tosingwithheartandvoice,

GodsavetheQueen!

II.NamesandPosition

TheUnitedKingdom（infullUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland）islocatedoffthenorthwesterncoastofmainlandEuropeandconsistsoffourgeographicandhistoricalparts--England,Scotland,Wales,andNorthernIreland.TheUnitedKingdommakesupmostoftheBritishIsles--thegeographictermforthegroupofislandsthatalsoincludestherepublicofIreland.Together,England,Wales,andScotlandconstitutethelargerofthetwoprincipalislands,whileNorthernIrelandandtherepublicofIrelandconstitutethesecondlargest.SowhenwetalkaboutBritain,wearelikelytocomeacrossdifferentnameslike:

1.TheBritishIsles.

2.Britain（orGreatBritain）

3.TheU.K--TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland

4.England

TheBritishIsles---ItisagroupofislandsoffthenorthwesterncoastofEurope.Thegroupconsistsoftwomainislands,GreatBritainandIreland,andnumeroussmallerislands.Ofalltheislands,thelargestoneiscalledGreatBritain.ThesecondlargestoneisIreland,whichistothewestofGreatBritain.Thus,BritishIslesdon’trefertoGreatBritainonly.

Britain---ItistheshortformforGreatBritain.OfficiallyitshouldbetheGreatBritain.TheislandofGreatBritainisdividedintothreeparts:

Englandinthesouth,ScotlandinthenorthandWalesintheSouthwest.

TheUnitedKingdom---It’stheshortformfortheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland.TheUnitedKingdomisthatpartoftheBritishIslesruledoverbytheQueen.WeknowthatGreatBritainisthelargestislandoftheBritishIsles.Irelandisthesecondlargestone.IrelandistothewestofGreatBritain.Irelandwasonceanindependentcountry.DuringtheEnglishbourgeoisrevolution（inthe17thcentury）,OliverCromwellinvadedIrelandandfromthenon,manyEnglishprotestantsettlersbegantoimmigratetotheisland.IrelandbecamepartoftheUnitedKingdomin1801.IrelandwasaddedtoGreatBritainbytheActofUnionof1801,thetitleUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandIrelandwasintroduced.

England---WeknowthatEnglandisveryimportantintheUK.BecausetheimportanceissogreatthatEnglishpeopletendtousethewordwhentheymeanBritain.Manyforeignersareoftenconfused,sotheyfollowsuit.

ThenamesUnitedKingdom,GreatBritain,andEnglandareoftenconfused,evenbyU.K.inhabitants.Englandisjustonecountrywithinthekingdom.GreatBritaincomprisesEngland,Wales,andScotland,whiletheUnitedKingdomalsoincludesNorthernIreland（althoughthenameBritainissometimesusedtorefertotheUnitedKingdomasawhole）.WalesandEnglandwereunifiedpolitically,administratively,andlegallybytheactsofunionof1536and1542.In1707ScotlandjoinedEnglandandWalesinformingasingleparliamentforGreatBritain,althoughthethreecountrieshadpreviouslysharedamonarch.

TheUnitedKingdomisaninsularcountry.ApartfromthelandborderwiththeIrishrepublic,theUnitedKingdomissurroundedbysea.TothesouthofEngland,andbetweentheUnitedKingdomandFrance,istheEnglishChannel.TheNorthSealiestotheeast.AcrosstheNorthSea,BritainfacesHolland,Germany,DenmarkandNorway.TothewestofWalesandnorthernEnglandistheIrishSea,whilewesternScotlandandthenorthwesterncoastofNorthernIrelandfacetheAtlanticOcean.AmericaandCanadalieontheWestSideoftheAtlanticOcean.

TheareaoftheUnitedKingdomis244,820sqkm.AtitswidesttheUnitedKingdomis300milesacross.FromthetopofScotlandtothesoutherncoastofEnglanditisabout600miles.Nopartismorethan75milesfromthesea.

TheUnitedKingdomischaracterizedbyalonghistoryandbypoliticalandculturallinkswithotherareasoftheworld.InmoderntimestheUnitedKingdomisperhapsbestseenasamiddle-sized,middle-rankingindustrialcountry.

III.TheEffectsofitsImperialPast

Imperial:

indic