UK Facts for
Kids
The United Kingdom includes
four countries. First let's start with explaining the distinction(различие) between United Kingdom, Great Britain and Britain.
- UK: United Kingdom is
an European country that includes four separate countries on the British
isles: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Great Britain is
the name for three nations on the main isle: England, Scotland and Wales.
- Britain is
used only for including the mainland countries England and Wales
United Kingdom Facts for Kids
- Population: about
66 million people live in the United Kingdom (2020)
- Capital: London with 9 million
inhabitants
- Name: United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Government: Parliamentary Monarchy,
Democracy
- Language: English
- Religion: mainly Christians 60%
- Currency: 1 British Pound (GBP) = 100
penny
- National Anthem: 'God
Save the Queen'
- National Symbol: Lion
(national animal), Union Jack (national flag) and the national colours:
blue, white and red
- History: In 1707,
the first political union of the Kingdom of England which then included
Wales and Scotland was formed. In 1922 Northern Ireland joined this Union.
From 1835 until 1925 the city of London was the largest city in the world.
In 1927 the UK was officially proclaimed. From 1973 - 2020, the UK was
part of the European Union.
Quick UK Facts | UK Geography
- The United Kingdom is a country in northwestern
Europe.
- The UK consists of four countries: England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- The UK is located mainly on two large islands in
the Atlantic Ocean.
- No location in the UK is further away from the
sea than 125 km/ 77 miles!
- The only land border to a non-UK country is in
Northern Ireland the border with Ireland.
- The United Kingdom is slightly smaller than the
state of Oregon/USA and slightly bigger than Ghana.
- The UK lies on the prime meridian which marks the
Greenwich meridian timezone (GMT).
- The landscape is dominated by rolling plains and
rugged hillsides.
- The UK
has 13 British overseas territories, among them are Cayman
Islands and British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Gibraltar on the
Iberian Peninsula and Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom
- The largest country of the UK is England.
The smallest country is Northern Ireland.
- The UK has the third longest coastline in
Europe with 12 430 km/ 7 723 miles - after Norway and Denmark (Greenland)
- The United Kingdom's highest mountain is
Ben Nevis in Scotland with 1 345 m/4 412 ft.
Ben Nevis highest mountain of the UK
- The largest lake in the UK is
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
- Loch Ness is the largest fresh water lake (by
volume) in the UK.
- The longest
river in the UK is the river Severn with 354 km/ 220 miles.
Bridge over the Severn river linking England with
Wales
- London Heathrow is the biggest airport on
the European continent.
- There is only one land border to
Ireland.
- Bishop Rock off the Scilly Isles in southern
England is the smallest of the UK islands.
- London: The
capital city has many attractions. London’s Shard skyscraper is the
tallest building on the European continent with 310 m/1,015 ft. in height.
London at the River Thames and the Shard skyscraper
- Edinburgh: The
capital city of Scotland is known for its castle and the Royal mile. The
International Fringe Festival in the city attracts more than 250 000
visitors every year!
Edinburgh Castle
- Windsor: This
quaint town in Southern England is also known for its castle, which is a
royal residence built in the 11th century. Windsor castle is the largest
inhabited castle in the world.
Windsor Castle
- Stonehenge is
known as the oldest monument in the world dating back over 3 000 years and
thus these huge rocks are older than the Pyramids.
Stonehenge
- Loch Ness: Scotland
might be know as the country of the Loch Ness monster, however, no proof
could ever be obtained about Nessie. The Loch Ness monster is commonly
known as Nessie. Did you know that 'loch' is Scottish and means
'lake'?
Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness
- Cardiff: The
capital city of Wales is often referred to as the 'City of Arcades'.
Cardiff has the most indoor shopping centres in the UK. However, the Welsh
city also has many historic houses and castles that are worth a
visit.
Cardiff in Wales
- Belfast:
Northern Irelands main business center is located on the banks of the
Lagan River. The city has one of the biggest ports of the UK. Shipbuilding
was a major sector for the city in the last century and once had the
biggest shipyard in the world where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. At
the Titanic Belfast you can learn about the story of the fateful ship and
its voyage.
Illuminated city hall in Belfast/Northern Ireland
The UK is a country with a
diverse and multiethnic population. People from all over the world have made
this country their home.
The light patches show UK population centres
Most of the population of the
UK (83%) live in urban areas only about 20% live in rural areas. The majority
of Britons live in and around the main centres of London, Manchester,
Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The biggest city of the UK is
London.
Birmingham, Manchester and
Glasgow are also cities with more than 1 million inhabitants.
The most popular sports are
soccer, rugby, cricket and golf. All these sports are said to have been
invented in the UK. Golf is said to have been invented already in 1457. The old
golf course in St Andrews/Scotland is the oldest golf course in the world.
St Andrews golf course in Scotland
The UK has over 130
universities among them the most prestigious universities Oxford and Cambridge.
UK Facts |
Famous People
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philipp - image by Lorna
Roberts
- Queen Elizabeth II (born
21 April 1926) is the longest reigning monarch in the world. She reigns in
the UK for 60 years + on the throne. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the
throne after her father King George VI died in 1952. Queen Elizabeth II is
the longest reigning royal in the world and still head of state of 16
Commonwealth countries.
William Shakespeare
- William Shakespeare (1564
- 1616): nicknamed 'The Bard', Shakespeare is the world's biggest
playwright. His works 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Macbeth' and 'Hamlet' are known
by people from all over the world. Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London
is a great place to experience a play or learn about his famous plays.
Florence Nightingale
- Florence Nightingale (1820
- 1910): the English social reformer opened the first school for
professional nursing in 1860 and helped spreading medical knowledge. She
travelled widely in Egypt and Greece before she worked and trained nurses
in the Crimean War. She was
nicknamed the 'lady with a lamp'.
- J.K. Rowling:
author of 'Harry Potter' book series who became the first author who earn
one billion US dollar in her career as a writer in 2014. The seven fantasy
novels tell about the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter and his
friends.
UK Facts |
Language in the UK
The main language spoken in
the UK is British English. Scots, Welsh and Irish are also spoken. There are
also four Celtic languages spoken: Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Welch and
Cornish.
In Wales, Welsh names are
given on road signs together with English names which makes traveling much
easier for many.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the town with the longest name in the world, but fortunately the
town is known also as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or simply Llanfair
PG.
The ancient languages
Scottisch Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Welsh and Breton are still spoken in England
but only by groups of people.
Did you know that French was
actually the official language in the UK for about three hundred years, from
1066 - 1362! The Breton language is nowadays mostly spoken by the people in
Brittany in northwestern France.
UK Facts | UK
Food
Food and soft drinks are among
the main manufactured goods in the UK, still almost half of its food stuff
consumed on the British isles is imported to meet the populations needs.
Typical English Breakfast with fried egg, sausages,
bacon, black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes and toast
Popular food in the UK:
- Fish and Chips: deep
fried fish or fish fingers with french fries that have been soaked with
vinegar
- Bangers and Mash:
sausages and mashed potatoes
- Black Pudding:
sausage or sliced meatloaf of pigs blood and fat that has been mixed with
pepper or spices and cooked or fried.
- Yorkshire
Pudding:
similar to a flat round roll, eaten usually with the main meal and
vegetables, not a dessert
Yorkshire Pudding with roast beef, peas, potato mash
and turnip mash is a typical Sunday meal
- Toad-In-The-Hole:
Similar to a Yorkshire pudding, the dough is baked with sausages and mixed
vegetables
- Haggis:
Traditional Scottish dish made with lamb's offal (liver, lungs, heart)
minced with onions and spices. The minced meats is cooked in a casing,
formerly they used an animal's stomach. This dish tastes much better than
it sounds! This dish is often served with mashed potatoes and mashed
turnips.
Typical Scottish
Haggis
- Baked Beans on Toast: Baked
beans in tomato sauce are especially popular among children.
- Shepherd's Pie: meat
pie filled with lamb mince and vegetables.
- Welsh Rarebit: baked
toast with Cheddar cheese
- Chicken Tikka and Chicken
Korma: see below :-)
And Britons like curries,
albeit mild ones. Chicken Korma and Chicken Tikka have been voted among most
popular dishes in the UK.
Chicken Tikka
And as many of you might have
guessed already: the British are big tea drinkers and are among the world’s
biggest tea consumers.
Afternoon tea is actually a
light meal of tea and sandwiches or toast, scones or pastry served in between
lunch and tea. Afternoon tea is taken around 16h and 17h in many families when
children come home from school. Tea time!
English scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream -
Yummy!
.
UK Facts | Did
you know?
The UK was the first to use
postage stamps: In 1840 the first stamps show a portrait of Queen Victoria. The
first postage stamp called 'Penny Black' as it was worth one penny and was
black.
