Dossier

1 the united kingdom

Quick facts
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly
called the United Kingdom or the UK, includes the countries of England*,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain (or sometimes just Britain) refers to the largest island which
includes the countries of England, Scotland and Wales while the expression
British Isles refers to this entire group of islands off the north west coast
of mainland Europe, including Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands,
the Isle of Man, the Orkney Islands and many others.
The UK covers an area of just under 244,000 km2 and has a population of
approximately 66.04 million, with 55.6 million people living in England,
5.4 million in Scotland, 3.1 million in Wales and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland.
England is the most densely populated with 413 people per square kilometre
and Scotland the least densely populated with 68 people per square kilometre.
The capital city of England and the UK is London, situated in the south east of
the country on the River Thames. A famous tourist destination, as well as one
* The term ‘England’ is often incorrectly
used to refer to the whole of the UK and
of the most important business and financial centres in the world, London
has a population of 8.7 million. Cardiff, located on the Bristol Channel, is the
the term ‘English’ to refer to the citizens, capital of Wales and with a population of 363,000, it is the largest city in the
instead of using ‘British’ or the individual country. Edinburgh, with a population of 503,000, is the capital of Scotland
country’s nationality. while the capital of Northern Ireland
is Belfast (population 339,500). Wales
England

55.6 million Scotland

149 per sq km

Edinburgh Northern Ireland

GET STARTED 135 per sq km

1 Work in pairs and answer these questions. Then read the text
and check your answers.
1 What is the capital city of the UK?
2 What other cities or landmarks/places can you name?
3 What do you know about the geography of the country?
Can you think of any mountains or rivers?

READING COMPREHENSION MEDIATING TEXTS

2 Read the text again and complete the fact files above.

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 The national flag of the UK
is the Union Flag (often called
the Union Jack) and it is made
up of the flags of Scotland,
England and Northern Ireland.

UK political system
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch, which means that the king or
queen is the Head of State and a prime minister is the Head of the Government, which is voted into power by the people.
The monarch, who must remain politically impartial, has ceremonial duties but very limited powers.
The business of the UK parliament takes place in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and decisions
made in one House have to be approved by the other. There is also a national Parliament in Scotland, a national
Assembly in Wales and a national Assembly in Northern Ireland.
The process of devolution, which happened in 1999, transferred varying levels of power from the UK parliament to
these countries, while keeping the authority over the devolved institutions in the UK parliament itself. The devolved
powers include matters such as education, environment, culture, transport, justice and health.

READING COMPREHENSION
1 Read the text and answer these questions.
1 What political system is there in the UK? 4 What is devolution and when did it happen in the UK?
2 What role does the monarch have? 5 What powers do the devolved national parliaments
3 How is the UK parliament divided? have?

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Dossier

1 A brief history of the UK High and Late

Middle Ages
Prehistoric history The Anglo-Saxons (1154-1485)
The first people to inhabit the British Isles were (410-800) This part of the Middle Ages was
hunters and gatherers. Around 4,500 BC the With the departure marked by war (the Hundred
introduction of farming marked the beginning of the Romans, Years War between England and
of the Neolithic period, when people started to Britain was France), natural disasters (such
have more settled lives and introduced rituals vulnerable to as the plague of 1348 which killed
and ceremonies. Famous monuments, like attacks from the between 30% and 45% of the
Stonehenge, Anglo-Saxons, from population) and public rebellion.
were built in northwest Europe. The monarchy was starting to
this period. They invaded become less dominant and in 1215
Through the and eventually King John was forced by his feudal
Bronze and settled in most of England, barons to sign the Magna Carta,
the Iron Ages parts of Scotland, but not Wales the oldest constitutional charter in
the population or Ireland. The country was Europe, which imposed limits on
increased and divided into several kingdoms. the monarch’s power.
defensive forts
were built.

The Romans (43-410 AD) The Vikings (800-1066)

The Romans first arrived under Julius Caesar The next invasions came
in 55 and 54 BC but the first conquest was from the Vikings from
carried out by Claudius and his troops in Scandinavia. They settled in
43 AD. They gradually conquered all of what many areas and dominated
is now England and Wales but never managed a large part of the country,
to conquer Scotland. taking over political
In fact, they built Hadrian’s Wall across the control. Yorvik (now York)
north of the country to protect them from was their capital. Their
the Scottish tribes. The Romans founded legacy was the formation of
many important settlements, such as the independent kingdoms
London, Bath, Manchester and York. They of Scotland and England.
also built roads and introduced sanitation
and sewage systems.

The Normans (1066-1154)

In 1066, William, the Duke of Normandy, defeated the Saxons at
the Battle of Hastings.
He became King William I of
England and ruled the country
under the feudal system, where
the king had complete control
and owned all the land.
The Normans built many stone
churches and cathedrals, as well
Bath as castles to protect the land.

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The Tudors (1485-1603) The Stuarts The Georgians
This period had perhaps two of the (1603 -1714) (1714-1837)
country’s strongest monarchs: Henry With James I now After Queen Anne, the last of
VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I. King of Ireland and the Stuarts, the crown passed
Henry, who had six wives in his attempt England, as well as to George, from the House of
to have a male heir, separated from Scotland, it started Hanover.
the Catholic Church as the Pope would to be difficult to The Georgian period (there
not allow him to divorce and remarry. maintain peace between the Catholics were four kings of the same
He appointed himself head of the and Protestants. Civil War broke out in name) saw social change,
Protestant Church of England. Queen 1642 between Royalists, who supported for example the abolition of
Elizabeth I reigned the monarch, and Parliamentarians, led slavery, and the increase in
over a period of by Oliver Cromwell, who were against the power of Parliament.
great discovery and the absolute power held by the king and It was also a period of wars,
exploration as well in favour of a more powerful parliament. notably the American War
as cultural renewal. King Charles I, who succeeded James, of Independence and the
On her death, the was executed in 1649 and later Cromwell Napoleonic Wars, with Nelson
crown passed to her became Lord Protector of England, beating Napoleon at the Battle
cousin James Stuart, Scotland and Ireland. The monarchy was of Trafalgar and Wellington’s
King of Scotland. restored in 1660. victory at Waterloo.

The Victorian period (1837-1901)

The period of Queen Victoria’s reign saw dramatic changes: the Industrial Revolution, with the invention of the
steam engine, railways and telegraph; increased urbanisation and a move away from rural life; the expanding
power of Britain and its empire; increased wealth for the upper and middle classes. The values of the Church and
the patriarchal family were fundamental, but this morality and respectability was not reflected in the reality of
society: the working classes faced terrible poverty, deprivation and injustice.

GET STARTED
1 Read the texts on these pages quickly and complete these sentences with the names of the historic figures.
1 Claudius was the first Roman Emperor to conquer 4 ______________ formed the Church of England.
Britain. 5 ______________ was an important figure in the Civil War.
2 ______________ ruled under the feudal system. 6 ______________ won the Battle of Waterloo.
3 ______________ signed the Magna Carta.

READING COMPREHENSION
2 Read the texts more carefully and decide if these sentences are T (true) or F (false). Correct the false ones.
T F
1 The Romans invaded Britain before the Anglo-Saxons. □ □
2 The Anglo-Saxons settled in Wales. □ □
3 The kingdoms of England and Scotland were formed under the Vikings. □ □
4 The building of stone churches and castles was common under the Normans. □ □
5 During the Middle Ages the figure of the king became even more important. □ □
6 Queen Elizabeth I was one of Henry VIII’s wives. □ □
7 The Civil War was between supporters of the king and supporters of Parliament. □ □
8 During the Stuart Age, the country became a republic for a short period of time. □ □
9 Slavery became illegal during the Georgian period. □ □
10 The working classes in the Victorian period became richer. □ □
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Dossier

1 Key moments in the 20th and 21st centuries

WAR AND CONFLICT
• Britain fought in World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), both of
which left the country in serious economic difficulties.
• The Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ were three decades of violence and killing (between
1969 and 1998) regarding the status of Northern Ireland within the UK. The unionist
community (mainly Protestant) was in support of remaining part of the UK and the
nationalist community (mainly Catholic) was in favour of a united Ireland.
• British troops were part of the coalition force involved in the Gulf War (1990-1991), after
Iraq invaded Kuwait, and in the Iraq War (2003-2011), which toppled Saddam Hussein’s
government. British forces were also involved in military action in Afghanistan against
al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden after the 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA.
• On 7th July 2005, four suicide bombers attacked central London tube stations
and buses, killing 52 people.
• In 2017 there were several terrorist attacks in London and one in Manchester,
causing many deaths and injuries.

POLITICS AND ECONOMICS SOCIETY AND CULTURE

• In 1979, Margaret Thatcher, the leader of the • In 1918 women over the age of 30 won the right to
Conservative Party, became the country’s first vote, but it was not until 1928 that all women over 21
female Prime Minister. were able to vote.
• The global financial crisis which began in • The ‘Swinging Sixties’ are often considered a liberal
2007-2008 had severe effects on the British banking and permissive decade. The laws regarding divorce,
system and economy, and led to a recession. abortion and homosexuality were liberalised.
• Scotland held a referendum in 2014 about Fashion had a new look with Mary Quant and the
becoming an independent country but 55% of the mini-skirt. Groups like The Beatles and The Rolling
voters said ‘no’ and, for now, the country remains Stones changed the music scene.
part of the UK. • Tragedy struck the royal family in 1997 with the death
• In 2016, the UK held of Diana, the Princess of Wales, in a car crash.
a referendum on the Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in
country’s membership of 2011 and, in 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
the EU. Those in favour of tied the knot at Windsor Castle.
Brexit won, with 52.5% • Queen Elizabeth II
of the vote, and official celebrated her
notification to leave was Diamond Jubilee in
given to the EU on 29th 2012. That was also
March 2017. the year that the
summer Olympics
were held in London. The Olympic Stadium
READING COMPREHENSION
1 Read the texts and answer these questions.
1 What international wars or conflicts has the UK been 4 What two referendums were held in the last few years
involved in since the start of the 20th century? and why were they important?
2 What were the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland? 5 What were the 1960s like in the UK?
3 Who was Margaret Thatcher? 6 What events have the Royal family been involved
in over the last 25 years?

INTERNET RESEARCH & WRITING MEDIATING COMMUNICATION

2 Work in pairs. Prepare a timeline of significant events and situations (political, economic, cultural) that have
affected Italy in the 21st century. Then write a short report.

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 UK population and identity
The population of the UK is getting older, mainly due to Influenced by factors such
increased life expectancy, and 18.2% of the population is over as increases in divorce,
65. Of the people living in the UK, 9.4 million were born outside married couples without
the UK. This is largely accounted for by immigrants arriving children, co-habiting
from the EU, in particular Romania and Poland. This, as well couples and one person
as earlier immigration from ex colonies such as Jamaica and households, the family
India, means that a large variety of ethnic groups make up the unit has changed from
population. This ethnic the traditional nuclear
UK population data – 2017 diversity has enriched and family of a married
influenced many aspects couple with children.
Total population 66.04 million
of British society although, The average
Number of births 762,000 unfortunately, integration household size
and acceptance still raise is 2.4 people.
Number of deaths 602,000
many issues.

The official religion is the Anglican

Church, with the Monarch as its head,
but many other religious faiths are
practised from Judaism to Buddhism.
Christians (Protestants and Catholics)
total 35 million, while the second religion
is Islam with 2.7 million Muslims. Around
a quarter of the population state they
follow no religion.

HAVE SOME MORE

The period of the British Empire brought about many changes to the food available in the UK and
immigration has continued to affect the way the country eats. Chicken tikka masala, an adapted Indian
dish, is probably more popular than the traditional plate of fish and chips nowadays. Curry, spices, rice,
couscous, pasta and pizza are eaten in homes and restaurants across the nation, both in authentic
versions and also modified to suit local tastes and ingredients. Think, for example, of the horror
an Italian would feel when presented with a ham and pineapple pizza!

READING COMPREHENSION
1 Read the texts and decide if these sentences are T (true) or F (false). Correct the false ones.
T F
1 In the UK, a quarter of the population is older than 65. □ □
2 More than 9 million people who live in the UK were not born there. □ □
3 The UK no longer has problems related to integration. □ □
4 The family unit has remained unchanged. □ □
5 The UK does not have an official religion. □ □
6 The type of food popular in the UK has been affected by immigration. □ □

SPEAKING
2 Work in pairs. Look at the images on this page. Which ones represent ‘Britishness’ to you? Why?

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