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The Best of Britain: British Culture
Did You Know?
Britain is the birthplace of Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare and the Beatles; home of the world's largest foreign exchange market, the world's richest football club -- Manchester United, the inventor of the hovercraft and JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books. From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. But they're all interesting and are all part of the British way of life.
The Monarchy:
The monarchy is the oldest institution of government. Queen Elizabeth II is directly descended from King Egbert, who united England under his rule in 829. The only interruption in the history of the monarchy was the republic, which lasted from 1649 to 1660.
Today, the Queen is not only Head of State, but also an important symbol of national unity. The Queen's title in Britain is "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."
Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II has reigned since 1952, and has been married to His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, for 63 years. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren. Their eldest son, and Heir Apparent to the Thorne, Charles, Prince of Wales, has two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, with his former wife, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Britain's History and Government:
The UK does not have a single document it can call its constitution, however, it had many documents. The most important of these documents include the Magna Carta, the Bill of rights, the 1701 Act of Settlement, and the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949.
The UK's form of government is called a constitutional monarchy, meaning a monarch has the ultimate authority over the government, although the monarch generally follows the laws of parliament or abides by British tradition. The monarch also appoints the Prime Minister, the leader of the government.
Parliament, the law-making body of the British people, consists of three elements: the Monarchy, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords. The House of Commons consists of 650 elected members called MPs and the House of Lords currently consist of 792 non-elected members.
Traditions, Culture, and Food:
Each country in Britain has its own patron saint and floral emblem:
-- England -- St. George and the Rose
-- Scotland -- St. Andrew and the Thistle and Scottish Bluebell
-- Wales -- St. David and the Daffodil
-- Northern Ireland -- St. Patrick and the Shamrock
The flag of England is called the Union Flag when it is seen on land and Union Jack when it is being used on a ship. "Jack" because it must be flown on the jack mast of a vessel. It is called the Union Flag because it symbolises the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom.
Britain's most popular fast food is fish and chips. Curry is now Britain's most popular meal. More than 163 million cups of tea are drunk every day in the [sic] Britain.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 11 million copies within the first 24 hours of its release, making it the fastest selling book in history.
Landmarks:
The tallest Ferris wheel in Europe is housed in London. It was called the Millennium Wheel, but has since been redubbed the London Eye.
Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric monument in Britain, dates back to early 3000 BC.
Big Ben is nt the name of the entire building that contains the clock. The name is actually what the bell inside the tower is called. The structure is called St. Stephen's Tower.
The London Underground, or "tube" as it is often known, was the world's first urban underground railroad. |