chapter 1_upload.ppt

Chapter One: Introduction Chapter One: Introduction Objectives: Some general features of the UK Geography Climate Major cities Population Density Structure Ethnic Groups Class Structure Changes * National Identity, “Britishness?” Chapter One: Introduction Focal Questions: What is the full name of the British state? What countries does it consist of? What is the total population of the United Kingdom? Where do most people live? Do you think that most of the ethnic minorities in Britain have different age structures from that of the white population? Why? What do you think are the most important factors in determining class? How do you understand the status of women in contemporary Britain? What are some of the key changes over the last fifty years in the UK? A1: Geography The British Isles: A geographic term A group of islands situated off the northwest coast of Europe. They are made up of two large islands and hundreds of small ones. Great Britain Ireland Many small adjacent islands A1: Geography Full name: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the UK Four political divisions of the UK: England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland A1: Geography Great Britain: geographic features An island country, separated from the Europe continent by the English Channel with the narrowest part at Straits of Dover 33km Area: 243,000sq km, less than 1,000 km from north to south, and under 500km across the widest part Highlands a region of high hills and mountains in the north and west and lowlands a region of rolling plains broken up by chains of low hills in the east and south-east Wales Picturesque landscape of green hills and meadows, lakes and beaches A1: Geography The Commonwealth of Nations : As a result of its imperialist expansion, Britain once ruled an empire that occupied ? of the world’s land area. late 19th~early 20th The British colonies became independent one after another after the two world wars and the British Empire graduall