The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Occupies an area of 245 thousand square kilometers and has about 59 million inhabitants. The capital of Great Britain is London, the seat of the Queen, government and House of Commons and the political, cultural and economic center of the country.
Besides the largest islands – Great Britain (divided into England, Scotland and Wales) and Ireland (the northern part of which belongs to the United Kingdom) – we should mention the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea etc. Western Scotland is surrounded by numerous islands – the Hebrides, Orkneys and the Shetlands. The island of Great Britain can be divided roughly into the lowland area and the highland area. There are the Grampian Mountains, Pennies and Cambrian Mountains. The highest peak; however is not in England, is Ben Nevis. Of course there are several important rivers. The longest rivers are the Severn, the Thames in England, while Scotland’s chief river is the Clyde. Britain has a temperate and equable climate, but the country is notorious for cool, rainy and foggy weather.
The history of Great Britain began by the Roman occupation in the 1st century. In the 5th century was carried out the Celtic revival. At the beginning of the 9th century the Danes and the Norsemen attacked England. King Alfred the Great was successful in stopping their influence in the southern parts of the country. They naturally gathered round a strong man for protection, so that their land could be cultivated in piece. After several years, in 1066, Harold was elected as the heir of throne. William of Normandy saw his chance of an invasion to England. At Hastings, luck and good archery skills gave William the victory and he was crowned in the same year.
Then was followed a lot of kings (William II., Henry I., Stephen, Henry II. etc.). The best known king was Richard I. (Lion Heart), who took part in the third crusade. In years 1337-1453 brought out the Hundred Years War, the fight between England and France. In this war was killed the Czech king – John Luxemburg. The war ended in the battle of Castillo, where England was defeated by French king. The Wars of the Roses took place in years 1455-1485.. They were the wars between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The battle which ended these wars was the Battle of Bosworth, when the king Richard III. was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII. The Tudor Monarchy lasted till 1603.
The Tudor Age can be characterized by the consolidation of royal power. The most important Queen was Elizabeth I., which was able to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. When Elizabeth I. died in 1603, England was a European power. The English throne got the Stuart dynasty – James I. These kings evoked the English Revolution (1640-1658). The man of the Revolution was Oliver Cromwell., which elected himself as the Lord Protector.
Then followed restorations of the Stuart dynasty untill The Glorious Revolution in 1688. The important document was declared – the Bill of Rights, which definitely put the power into the hands of the Parliament. It was constituted the formal union of England and Scotland in 1707. At the beginning of the 19th century, the England cooperated with other European to war against Napoleon. In the second half of the 19th century, England became the economic and colonial great power.
The head of Great Britain and other dominion (Canada, Australia etc.) is Queen Elizabeth II. The official language is English, but in some areas people speak Welsh or Gaelic. The currency in this state is pound sterling.
Weather, seasons of the year
The Czech Republic has a continental climate. There are some differences between summer and winter but they are not so big. A year is divided into four seasons: spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter. Each season lasts about three months and is attractive in some way. Spring begins on the 21st March. Many people consider spring and summer the most beautiful seasons of the year and that is why or that is just because they usually fall in love in spring and take their holiday in summer. Nature begins to awake from its long winter sleep and new life begins. Nights get shorter and days get longer.
The weather in spring, especially in April is really unpredictable and changeable. The temperatures are often below zero at night although days may be quite warm. Sometimes the sun shines and soon after it is overcast, pours with rain or it may even snow. But when it clears up, the air is fresh and people go for walks and enjoy the good weather.
June 21 is the date when summer begins. Schoolchildren love this season best because they have two months holidays ahead. Everybody starts to be more interested in the weather because people set out on journeys and take holidays. The temperature rises to 25°C or more and we may have fine days in a row.
In summer rain often comes in the form of storm. All of a sudden the sky clouds over, it gets dark and cools down, a breeze changes into a strong wind and the storm is about to break. Then there is a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning and a heavy downpour. People who happen to be outside seek shelter from the rain but still often they get wet to the skin. It is dangerous to stand under a tree during a storm because the lightning might hit it. After the storm dies down a rainbow may appear in the sky and you can see pools of water everywhere.
At the beginning of September when the school year begins, summer in reality is over and on the 23rd September autumn comes. In autumn the sun sets earlier and rises later and days get shorter. The nice weather breaks although we can still enjoy a few fine days of Indian summer. In the gardens it is the time of harvest, we pick apples, pears and plums as well as gather potatoes. We are delighted with the colors of leafy trees in the woods. Many people go mushrooming.
But this colorful period does not last long because soon the trees shed their leaves and by November they will be bare. Birds flock together and set out on the journey to the south. In autumn the weather is unsettled, the sky is often cloudy. It usually does not clear up by day.
The first frosts come and a cold wind blows from the north. No wonder that in such weather one may get cold easily and catch a cold or flu. According to the calendar, winter comes on December 21, but in fact it often begins earlier. Typical winter weather brings snowfall, icy wind and hard frosts. Children enjoy their winter pleasures, such as throwing snowballs, building snowmen, sliding and skating on lakes that are frozen over. The temperature sometimes drops to as low as some 20°C below zero and then the frost binds the ground. The roads become icy and slippery and it makes driving hazardous because you can skid easily.
Fortunately winters like that are rare in the temperate zone. As the climate gets warmer, we miss a real winter more and more. But no matter what kind of winter it is, finally the frost lets up and the thaw sets in, the snow melts and paths are full of mud. Spring comes earlier to the lowland while in the highlands snow-capped hills and mountains look beautiful till April. Nature is unpredictable and you can never rely upon the weather, which makes it a frequent topic of a conversation.
The weather in spring, especially in April is really unpredictable and changeable. The temperatures are often below zero at night although days may be quite warm. Sometimes the sun shines and soon after it is overcast, pours with rain or it may even snow. But when it clears up, the air is fresh and people go for walks and enjoy the good weather.
June 21 is the date when summer begins. Schoolchildren love this season best because they have two months holidays ahead. Everybody starts to be more interested in the weather because people set out on journeys and take holidays. The temperature rises to 25°C or more and we may have fine days in a row.
In summer rain often comes in the form of storm. All of a sudden the sky clouds over, it gets dark and cools down, a breeze changes into a strong wind and the storm is about to break. Then there is a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning and a heavy downpour. People who happen to be outside seek shelter from the rain but still often they get wet to the skin. It is dangerous to stand under a tree during a storm because the lightning might hit it. After the storm dies down a rainbow may appear in the sky and you can see pools of water everywhere.
At the beginning of September when the school year begins, summer in reality is over and on the 23rd September autumn comes. In autumn the sun sets earlier and rises later and days get shorter. The nice weather breaks although we can still enjoy a few fine days of Indian summer. In the gardens it is the time of harvest, we pick apples, pears and plums as well as gather potatoes. We are delighted with the colors of leafy trees in the woods. Many people go mushrooming.
But this colorful period does not last long because soon the trees shed their leaves and by November they will be bare. Birds flock together and set out on the journey to the south. In autumn the weather is unsettled, the sky is often cloudy. It usually does not clear up by day.
The first frosts come and a cold wind blows from the north. No wonder that in such weather one may get cold easily and catch a cold or flu. According to the calendar, winter comes on December 21, but in fact it often begins earlier. Typical winter weather brings snowfall, icy wind and hard frosts. Children enjoy their winter pleasures, such as throwing snowballs, building snowmen, sliding and skating on lakes that are frozen over. The temperature sometimes drops to as low as some 20°C below zero and then the frost binds the ground. The roads become icy and slippery and it makes driving hazardous because you can skid easily.
Fortunately winters like that are rare in the temperate zone. As the climate gets warmer, we miss a real winter more and more. But no matter what kind of winter it is, finally the frost lets up and the thaw sets in, the snow melts and paths are full of mud. Spring comes earlier to the lowland while in the highlands snow-capped hills and mountains look beautiful till April. Nature is unpredictable and you can never rely upon the weather, which makes it a frequent topic of a conversation.
Přihlásit se k odběru:
Příspěvky (Atom)