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,
