United+Kingdom+-+Will+Jahnke

=United Kingdom Will Jahnke= The United Kingdom (53`N, 2`W) is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean that contains the countries of England, Sctoland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The entire group of islands are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel, and the Irish Sea. The capital of the United Kingdom is London, England.

=﻿Flag= The United Kingdom Flag is one of the most well known flags in the world and became the country's official flag on January 1, 1801. The background color is blue with a combination of the three Cross. The first cross, St. George's Cross of England, is red in color with white edges around it. The second cross, the Cross of St. Patrick of Ireland, is placed under the Cross of St. George. Both are placed on top of the Saltire of St. Andrew of Scotland. Today, this flag is known to many as Union Jack.



=Physical Geography= The United Kingdom is an island located northwest off the continent of Europe. The island itself consists of Great Britain, Wales, Scotland, and the northern part of Ireland. It lies between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is also located 30 miles off the coast of France separated by the English Channel. The total area of the UK is 94,600 square miles with England being the largest country.The ten tallest mountains in the United Kingdom are all in Scotland and the tallest is Ben Nevis with a height of 4,400 feet. The longest river in the UK is the Severn River which is 220 miles long that runs through both England and Wales. The largest lake int he UK is Lough Neah with a total are of 147 square miles and is located in Northern Ireland. The entire United Kingdom combined is about the size of California. All of the United Kingdom has a marine west coast climate which has warm summers, cool winters, and narrow annual temperature range. Spring is between March and May, summer goes from June until September, fall is from October to November, and winter is December until February.

=Population= The population of the United Kingdom, according to a July 2011 estimate, is around 62,698,362 people, which is the 22nd largest in the world. The growth rate is around 0.557%, the birth rate is 12.29 kids per 1,000 people, and the death rate is 9.33 people per 1,000 people. The largest city in the UK is London with a population of 7,172,091, but other popular cities and their population include Birmingham (970,892), Glasgow (629,501), and Liverpool (469,017). Most of the population of the UK is centered around the southern area of the country along the English Channel.

__Sociology__ The social structure of the United Kingdom varies but certain things such as job, education level, and wealth play a big role in how certain people live. In the earlier time of the UK, wealth played a major role in how people were viewed others, but today, occupation is more focused on. Family patterns in the United Kingdom have changed a lot since the 19th century but certain practices, such as inheritance to the eldest son after father's death, are still around today. The normal family size today is around two kids per couple, but in other time, children were inducted into the work force at as little as age seven. Social classes in the United Kingdom have not changed much over the years and today they decide how certain people are viewed. The Upper Class is often people who have inherited wealth from their deceased relatives. The Middle Class makes up the majority of the UK, which include business workers, teachers, show owners, etc. The Lower Class is made up of mostly farmers, miners, and industry workers, but today are not viewed as a low class system.

__﻿Customs__ Certain holidays in the United Kingdom, such as Easter and Chirstmas, are similar to that of the United States. But there are also hoidays that only the UK has. Boxing Day, which falls either the day before or after Christmas Day, is a national holiday in which all banks are closed for the day. Another holiday known as Orangeman's Holiday, is a day to celebrate the victory of William of Oragne at the Battle of Boyle, but is only celebrated in Northern Ireland. Celebrations in the United Kingdom are also similar to the United States such as carnivals, Halloween, and Valentine's Day.



Government The government of the United Kingdom is a parliamentary government based on the Westminster System. The government is led by a Prime Minister, currently David Cameron, and other members of the Cabinet that the Prime Minister selects. Although the United Kingdom has a Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, she has no real power. She only is there to protect the decisions of the Prime Minister and the Royal Cabinet. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet make up the United Kingdom's Parliament which is divided into three different political parties which are the Conservative Party, Labour Party, and the Liberal Democrats.



Economy The economy of the United Kingdom is the sixth largest in the world in terms of GDP. During the 18th century, the UK was the first country to industrialize which caused the country to have a very stable economy in the 19th century. The GDP of the United Kingdom is around $2.29 trillion and the GDP per capita is around $32,798 which makes it the 20th largest in the world. The nations currency is the pound sterling also known as a pound (£). The agricultural economy of the UK is highly advanced in term of traditional European standards.About two-thirds of the production of food and only one-third comes from crops. It also is known for the fishing as means of food. The UK is also known for means of tourism, manufacturing of cars and planes, and mining.

=Culture= The most common sport in the United Kingdom, and mostly all of Europe, is soccer usually played on artificial turf. But other sports such as golf and cricket are also very popular. The clothing in the UK is modern and is like that of the everyday U.S. fashion, but certain historical clothing remains to this day. Scotland has the kilt, while England has the Queen's Guard. English is the official language of the UK and is spoken by 95% percent of the population. In the earlier time of the nation, the advancement and study of science and technology was popular among famous English scholars such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Literature is also a famous past time among people but was more popular during the 20th century. Cinema in the United Kingdom had a large impact on the world. Many famous actors and directors are from the UK such as Sean Connery, Alfred Hitchcock, and Anthony Hopkins. Even though the UK is home to many famous actors and actresses, many musicians are from the United Kingdom. In the earlier 20th century, folk music was popular, but not until the 1960s is when many rock artists started forming. The Beatles is probably the most famous band from England, but many other well known artists are native to the UK. Such artists include The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Elton John, and many more. =Religion= Christianity is the largest religion in the United Kingdom, but others such as Hinduism and Islam are still present. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are the largest and most famous two churches in the UK and many other smaller churches are present. England ans Scotland are known for having saints represent their churches among society.