General situation of British geography

A survey of British geography and British culture

First, the general situation of British physical geography

(A) British land resources

Britain is an island country, which consists of many islands in the northeast of Great Britain and Ireland. East of the North Sea, facing Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Norway; Ireland is adjacent to the west, and the United States and Canada are facing each other across the Atlantic Ocean. North across the Atlantic to Iceland; Cross the English Channel 33 kilometers south to France.

England covers an area of 6.5438+0.3 million square kilometers, accounting for most of the island of Great Britain. This area is divided into four parts from west to east: the Midland Plain centered on the Severn River basin; Highlands about 200 meters above sea level; London basin; Wilder Hills.

Wales covers an area of over 20,000 square kilometers, with mountainous territory and rugged terrain. The land in Wales14 is listed as national parks and nature reserves.

Scotland and many small islands around it cover an area of 78,000 square kilometers. The whole area is mountainous, and only the middle part is relatively flat.

Northern Ireland covers an area of10.4 million square kilometers, facing the island of Great Britain across the Irish Sea. There are many lakes in Northern Ireland, including Lake Neuer, the largest lake in Britain. The lake is a plain.

The climate belongs to the maritime temperate broad-leaved forest climate. The average temperature on the hottest day (July) is 19 ~ 25℃, and the average temperature on the coldest day (65438+1October) is 4 ~ 7℃. England is low-lying, with an average annual rainfall of 830mm. The rainfall in the western and northern mountainous areas is relatively large, reaching 4000 mm.

The main mineral resources in Britain are coal, iron, oil and natural gas. The total reserve of hard coal is1.700 million tons. The reserves of iron are about 3.8 billion tons. There are tin mines in Cornwall Peninsula in the southwest. There are many stone salts in Cheshire and Durham. Staffordshire has good clay. White clay is produced in Cornwall Peninsula. Dolomite can be mined in the east slope of pennines. The timely mine is located near Hill Hildry in the southwest of Lancashire. The oil reserves on the continental shelf of Britain's North Sea are about10 ~ 4 billion tons. Natural gas reserves are about 860 ~ 2585 billion cubic meters.

The climate in Britain

Britain is located between 50 and 60 degrees north latitude, but the climate is mild, with no severe cold in winter and no coolness in summer, belonging to a mild and humid maritime climate.

The average temperature in Britain in January is about 4 to 7 degrees, and in July it is 13 to 17 degrees. The annual rainfall in the northwest mountainous area exceeds 1000 mm, while it is between 600 mm and 700 mm in the southeast. The fog in Britain is heavy, which is mainly caused by the moisture in the island country. Rivers and lakes in London rarely freeze in winter, and the average temperature in January is above 4 degrees (Celsius). It's quite cool in summer. The average temperature in July is 17 degrees. You need to wear a coat when you go out in the morning and evening. The annual rainfall is about 600 mm, and the rainfall distribution is relatively uniform. As for the dense fog that used to be common in London, it is not entirely a natural phenomenon. Due to the emphasis on environmental protection, the number of dense fog in London has been greatly reduced.

Although the climate in Britain is mild, the weather is changeable. Within a day, it rained on sunny days. The changeable weather also provides people with frequent topics, and even the most taciturn people in Britain like to talk about the weather.

Affected by high latitude, the length of day and night in Britain is particularly obvious. The days are short and the nights are long in winter, and the days are long and the nights are short in summer. Summer is the best season to travel to Britain. In summer, the days are long, the activity time is long, the temperature is moderate, the weather is refreshing, and people are full of energy. Although there is rain this season, it is generally discontinuous, which will affect the trip.

(3) the population and nationalities in Britain

1. British population

According to the statistics of 200 1, the population of Britain ranks third in the EU countries after Germany (82.4 million) and France (59.2 million).

According to the statistics of 1995, the total population of Britain is 58.6 million, the number of births and deaths is 13‰, the natural population growth rate is 2‰, and the total fertility rate is 1.8.

199 1 By 2002, the population growth rate was 3. 1%, mainly because the birth rate was greater than the death rate. The book "Britain 2004" published in 2003 said that the population of Britain was 59.2 million in mid-2002, and the official estimate is that it may reach 63.2 million by 2026.

2. Ethnic groups in Britain

From BC until the Norman conquest of England in A.D. 1066, many nationalities settled on the island in English history.

Iberian: A Mediterranean race.

Celtic: The earliest people were Gaelic, the ancestors of Scottish Irish, who spoke Gaelic. The second group is Celtic Britons, the ancestors of the Welsh. Sui dynasty of great Britain

Become a major part of the British name.

Romans: came to the island in the first century BC. Brought Latin letters.

Germanic language: In the middle of the 5th century, Germanic Anglo-Saxons invaded England. Among them, the Angles are even more powerful, calling the island "Anglo-land".

The word England comes from this. Anglo? Saxon is also the ancestor of modern English. The first Britons were driven to Wales and southern England. Now Welsh is the language of Britain.

Danes: They came from Scandinavia in the 9th century. Not all vikings. 10 16 Denmark Knut conquered England.

Norman: William, Duke of Normandy, is quite famous. He ascended the throne of England on 1066, established aristocratic rule and opened the Normandy dynasty.

Second, British customs and habits

Now the British pay more attention to the quality of life and pursue spiritual enjoyment. Dress very formally on important occasions, and usually pursue simple and comfortable clothes. The diet style is simple and pays attention to nutrition. The climate in Britain is mild and humid, and the British love sunshine. Usually I like to do housework by myself, love sports and go on vacation. In addition, British people like cultural activities very much, such as reading, writing articles, listening to concerts and watching plays. And they also like keeping pets.

(a) Numbers in life

In Britain, adults spend an average of 22 hours a week on full-time jobs or full-time education, and as much time on housework. However, the gender of housework is still the highest among women. But more and more women are taking part in this work. According to the latest statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics, the proportion of women participating in the work is 45%. In the non-manual labor sector, women account for half. In the service industry, women account for more than half, which is "half the sky"!

The consumption of British households increased from 1990 to 1997, an increase of 75% (including inflation rate). 1998 increased by 2.8% in the second quarter compared with 1997. Its consumption pattern has also undergone great changes. From 65438 to 0997, the consumption of durable goods for entertainment and education increased by 10%. Its expenditure content is to buy durable goods such as radios, televisions, telephones and computers. This part of the consumption is also used to rent video recorders and music tapes, buy cultural and sports supplies and invest in education. During the period of 1997, the cost of general commodities increased by 4.4%, but individual commodities such as food, alcohol and fuel all declined to varying degrees, with the highest decline rate being cigarettes.

It can be seen that the lifestyle of the British people now pays more attention to the quality of life, pursues spiritual enjoyment and gradually gets rid of bad habits, such as smoking and drinking.

(2) Pursuing a simple and comfortable life

Suit is still the national dress of Britain, but although office workers wear suits and even on important occasions, men wear tuxedos and women wear low-cut evening dresses, many ordinary people like to wear casual clothes every day, which is simple and comfortable.

British people's eating habits are also relatively simple, focusing on nutrition. Breakfast is usually cereal with milk or a glass of juice, buttered toast, bacon or fried sausage and eggs. At noon, children have lunch at school, and adults buy a sandwich and a cup of coffee for lunch near their workplace. Only on weekends do British people have a big dinner. Usually the main course is meat, such as roast chicken, roast beef and grilled fish. There are many kinds of vegetables, such as cabbage, fresh peas, potatoes and carrots. Vegetables are generally not processed, put on a plate, poured with ready-made spices bought from the supermarket and eaten. There are always digestible desserts after the main course, such as boiled fruit, fruit pudding, cheese, ice cream and so on.

(3) Parks and green spaces

Britain has a mild and humid climate. It is suitable for the growth of all kinds of flowers and trees all year round. In the process of urban planning, the government has specially planned a large area of green space or park in almost every living area for people to rest or take a walk, and to provide space for children to play.

Because it is rainy and foggy in winter, the sunshine in summer is especially precious to the British. On sunny weekends, holidays, parks and beaches, there are sunbathers everywhere. More British people are fashionable and shine their skin.

(4) Do it yourself

British people like to repair their houses, make furniture, decorate their rooms and trim their gardens on weekends and holidays. Even making your own ceramic crafts is almost omnipotent. This is not only for economic reasons, but also as one of the leisure lifestyles to cultivate personal skills and cultivate personal sentiments. You can make your room more comfortable and personalized by doing it yourself.

(5) Love sports.

According to the latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics, during the period from 1996 to 1997, 72% of male citizens and 57% of female citizens participated in at least one sport within four weeks. The proportion of teenagers participating in extracurricular sports activities is high.

In many sports, cycling, football, snooker, tennis, swimming and roller skating are the common hobbies of many men and women. Walking two miles or more every day has always been a popular sport.

Third, the capital, major cities and ports of Britain.

The capital of England

London, the capital of Britain, is located in the southeast of England, across the banks of the lower Thames, 88 kilometers away from the estuary, and is the political, economic and cultural center of Britain. It consists of the City of London (also known as the Financial City) and 32 surrounding cities, with an area of 1 650 square kilometers and a population of 7 million. London was built more than 2000 years ago. When the Romans occupied the island of Great Britain in 43 AD, it was already an important commercial center. 1 1 century became a commercial and political center,18th century became the largest port and international trade center. The City of London is one of the largest financial centers in the world, with the largest banks, exchanges and various enterprise management institutions in China. West London is the seat of the crown, parliament and government departments, as well as big shops, theaters and high-end residential areas; From the east of London to the estuary, there are many ports, docks, docks and warehouses in London. Heathrow Airport is one of the largest airports in the world. The First International was founded in London in 1864, where Mark and Engels led the international workers' movement. Haegert cemetery has Max's tomb. There are also many famous buildings in London, such as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and the original site of Greenwich Observatory. The original site of Greenwich Observatory (1948) is the starting point of the longitude of the earth.

1. Parliament Building

The British Parliament, also known as Westminster Abbey, was once the residence of the British royal family, Westminster Palace. King Edward the Confessor (1042- 1066) to King Henry VIII (1509- 1547) all lived here. The Palace of Westminster was destroyed by fire in 15 15. After the restoration, King Edward VI of England of England built the palace in 1547. Stephen's church was allocated to the House of Commons. 1834, the palace was destroyed by fire again, leaving only Westminster hall, church basement and other buildings. 1840, the new Palace of Westminster, the present parliament, was rebuilt. 1852, Queen Victoria officially presided over the opening ceremony of Parliament. Now the parliament building is Charles? Designed by Sir Barry. The whole building is Gothic. Including Gong Hu River, the total area is 12.5 acres. Westminster Hall was built in 1097. 1399, it was rebuilt by King Richard II and preserved to this day. This office survived when Hitler's Germany bombed London in 194 1. From13rd century to 1882, Westminster Abbey Hall was the seat of English courts. Many famous people in history have been tried here, including Thomas? Sir Moore (SlR Thomas More, 1530 British politician), King Charles I (1649), etc. 1965 Churchill's body was parked here after his death. Parliament clock was built in 1856, the first supervisor of construction engineering Benjamin? Sir Hall is named after Big Ben. The original clock weighed more than 16 tons, and the bell tower was 320 feet high. This clock was broken in 1857 and recast in 1859. The new clock weighs 3.5 tons. Parliament is divided into two houses. The seats in the upper house are red and the seats in the lower house are green to show the difference. Every year at the end of 10 or the beginning of 1 1 0, the queen presides over the opening of the upper house parliament and reads out the government's policy agenda.

2. British Museum

The British Museum is the largest comprehensive museum in Britain and one of the most famous museums in the world. 1753, the British Parliament passed a bill and decided to concentrate a large number of important cultural relics. The current site of the British Museum was purchased in 1755, and it was first opened to the public in the name of the British Museum in 1759. After continuous expansion, it has taken on a magnificent look today.

The museum originally consisted of publications and paintings collected by the National Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the National Library and the British Museum. 1973, some libraries merged with other libraries in Britain to form the British Library, which was separated from the British Museum organizationally, but still retained four reading rooms and reading rooms in the British Museum. Marx studied hard here and collected and copied a lot of materials for writing Das Kapital. The seat where Marx used to study is still there today. 1897 to 1898, after Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of China's democratic revolution, was rescued in London, he studied the British capitalist system and the economic, political and social conditions at that time in the British Museum, and put forward the theory of "people's livelihood" on this basis.

The main exhibits in the museum are medieval cultural relics from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, West Asia, the East and Europe, as well as coins, medals, paintings and anthropological relics from various countries. There are a large number of precious cultural relics in China in the Oriental Pavilion, the most famous of which are the Picture of Women's History, the three-color image of Luohan in the Song Dynasty, Dunhuang scriptures and famous paintings in the Song and Ming Dynasties.

3. Bu Gingham Palace

1762, King George III of England bought a house as a private residence at the present address. The construction of Buckingham Palace began in 182 1 year, and it has been the official residence of the British king or queen in London since Queen Victoria ascended the throne (1837). Today, the Queen summons the Prime Minister and ministers, receives and entertains visiting foreign heads of state or government, and accepts credentials from foreign envoys, and other important state affairs are held in the palace. In addition, the head of state who came to Britain for a state visit also lived in the palace.

The palace is guarded by a royal guard in full dress. The distinctive changing ceremony is usually held at 1 1:30 every morning.

On the west side of the palace is the main palace, the largest of which is the Royal Ballroom, which was built for Queen Victoria in 1850. There is a huge crystal chandelier hanging in the hall. The blue living room is considered to be the most elegant room in the palace. There is a "command table" made for Napoleon I. After Nash failed, Louis Stanislas Xavier presented this table to the then British Regent George IV. The white living room is decorated with white and gold, with exquisite furniture and luxurious carpets, mostly works of art by British and French craftsmen. There is a crystal chandelier hanging in the audience room, and the top of the surrounding wall is painted with the scene of15th century wars of the roses. The middle throne was used by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when they were crowned in 1953. The four seats used by Queen Victoria and George IV when they were crowned were also kept indoors. The roof of the palace music room is round and decorated with ivory and gold. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert once held a music evening here.

The Palace Garden covers an area of about 18 hectares and was designed by George IV. There are lakes, grasslands, paths and all kinds of flowers and trees in the park. Every summer, the Queen holds a garden reception in the garden, inviting representatives from all walks of life, celebrities and diplomats from various countries in London to attend.

To the south of the palace is the Queen's Art Gallery, which contains royal art treasures and has been open to the public since 1962.

4. Greenwich Observatory

Greenwich is located on the Thames River in east London, with a dangerous terrain. 1In the 1930s, the Duke of Roster, the British Regent, set up a lookout station at the top of the mountain. 1675, the observatory was converted into the Royal Observatory. Greenwich Observatory is world-famous, mainly because there is a meridian sign (marked with copper wire) that determines the world standard time and time zone, which is the dividing line between the eastern and western hemispheres.

1950 After the Royal Observatory moved to its new site, it was placed under the National Ocean Museum, which contained astronomical stations and astronomical instruments. , mainly used for exhibitions. Among the astronomical historical materials on display are early astronomical telescopes, clocks, globes and armillary sphere designed by early countries (many of them were made in China at that time, and many astronomical phenomena (such as Halley's Comet) were discovered.

5. Tower Bridge in London

Tower Bridge in London is one of the 28 bridges on the Thames, which is located near the Tower of London. It was built from 1886 to 1894. It is named because the bridge body is connected by four tower-shaped buildings.

The two main towers of London Bridge are 140 feet high, and the span between them is 200 feet. The bridge is divided into two floors, the lower deck can be opened and closed, and it is usually open to traffic. When the bridge chair is opened, it can accommodate 10,000 tons of ships. The upper floor is a wide suspended sidewalk with glass windows on both sides. Pedestrians can enjoy the view of the Thames when they board the bridge.

6. Downing Street 10

Downing Street 10 was built in 1680 and has been the official residence and office of successive British prime ministers since the 8th century. Downing Street is a private residential street developed and built by Sir Downing in the second half of the17th century. Four houses have been booked recently. 1733, the king of England turned 10 into the official residence of the Prime Minister. 1 1 is now the official residence of the chancellor of the exchequer, and 12 is the office of the chancellor of the exchequer.

The most famous room in Downing Street 10 building is the Cabinet Room, which overlooks the Royal Guard and St.? James park. During World War II, Churchill used a room in the basement as a dining room. There is a breakfast room, a state banquet hall, a study room and a second meeting room on the second floor, the largest of which is the state banquet hall. There are valuable oil paintings hanging in the living room, most of which are borrowed from museums and galleries.

Downing Street could have come and gone freely. 1989 was banned on the street corner to prevent terrorist attacks.

7. Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey was founded by King Edward of England. He was called a "believer" in 1 1 century. The main feature of the church is that there are a pair of towers at the gate. Since the completion of the church, it has been the place where the king or queen of England was crowned and members of the royal family got married. Most English kings are buried here after their death. After the British bourgeois revolution, many celebrities also took a place in the church after their deaths.