British Studies

 

Section 1

Geography of the British Isles

Class 5. Scotland, Wales and Ireland

Scotland

Scotland is a country within the United Kingdom with a large degree of autonomy in domestic politics, economy, legislation, etc. It entered the personal union with England in 1603, and in 1707 both countries formed the united Kingdom of Great Britain.

 

The flag of Scotland represents the cross of St. Andrew.

The floral emblem of Scotland is thistle. Another national symbol is tartan, a pattern of fabric consisting of horizontal and vertical crossing lines.

Examples of tartan

 

Map of Scotland


Source: http://www.dumfries-and-galloway.co.uk/maps/scotland.htm

 

List of objects you should know and identify on a map of Scotland:

Cities: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen

Other geographic objects: Highlands, Lowlands, Loch Ness

 

Key terms and notions: Scottish Gealic, Scots, bagpipe, kilt, North Sea oil, St. Andrew's Cross, clans.

 

Wales

Wales (Cymru in Welsh) is one of the Celtic nations, and two languages are recognised as official: English and Welsh. It was conquered by the Normans in the 13th century and incorporated into England in the 16th century. By 1801, when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established, it was considered as a part of England, that's why the Welsh symbols are not reflected in the official UK symbols. Only in the 20th century it emerged as a separate part of the UK.

 

The national symbol of Wales is the red dragon, which is incorporated in the flag of Wales:

 

Map of Wales

Source: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/wales/

 

List of objects you should know and identify on a map of Wales:

Cities: Cardiff

Other geographic objects: Isle of Anglesey

 

Key terms and notions: Welsh language, Prince of Wales,


Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland became a separate country in 1921, when six nothern Irish counties voted for the secession from the Irish Free State in order to remain a part of the United Kingdom. The official name of the state was then changed from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.



Source: http://englishgoes.com/britishculture/

 

List of objects you should know and identify on a map of Northern Ireland:

Cities: Belfast, Londonderry (Derry)

Other geographic objects: Lough Neagh

 

Also: "Troubles", loyalism/unionism, republicanism,

 

Republic of Ireland

Modern Republic of Ireland (Irish: Éire) was established in 1922 as the Irish Free State, a dominion of the British Empire. In 1937, a new constitution was introduced, and the name was changed to Ireland. Finally, in 1949, Ireland became a republic and left the British Commonwealth.

 

The modern flag of Ireland includes green, white and orange colours, which is generally interpreted as the union (white) between Irish Catholics (green) and Anglo-Irish Protestants (orange).

The main patron saint of Ireland (as well as of Northern Ireland) is St. Patrick, and the cross of St. Patrick is the third cross on the official flag of the United Kingdom:

 

Map of Ireland


 

Ireland was historically divided into four provinces:

1 - Leinster, 2 - Munster, 3 - Connacht, 4 - Ulster

 

List of objects you should know and identify on a map of Northern Ireland:

Cities: Dublin, Limerick, Drogheda, Galway, Cork

Historical provinces of Ireland

 

Also: the Irish language, Gaeltacht, the IRA,

 

 

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