GK UK

• Modern countries with very similar structures and philosophies of statehood like the UK: Canada, New Zealand, Australia
• Developments British society has faced in recent decades:

  • Increase in cases of hooliganism, gang violence, gun and knife attacks
  • More cases of dysfunctional families and socio-cultural isolation
• Modern British constitutional institutions have primarily developed through:

  • Gradual development or ‘evolution’
  • Pragmatic compromise and adaptation
  • Top-down reform e.g. by the monarch, government, or parliament
  • Flexibility and common sense
• Historical event that led to a greater feeling of ‘British’ identity: Acts of Union 1707 and 1801
• First line of the UK’s national anthem: God save our gracious King
• Since the 17th/18th century, Britain’s political, economic, and cultural orientation was mostly westwards to North America as well as globally
• Modern nations matched with their historic Gaelic names:

  • Ireland → Eire
  • Wales → Cymru
  • Scotland → Alba
• In England, the South of the country is considered to be wealthier than the North of the country
• Nations in the British Isles that are sovereign countries: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Republic of Ireland
• Two nations that compete together as one team in international cricket: England and Wales
• Devolution means handing over powers from the UK government to a regional/national government or establishing national governments and parliaments
• Four traits often said to characterise ‘British’ identity:

  • An individualistic streak in its mentality that often views ‘authority’ with suspicion
  • Multifaceted, featuring lots of national, regional, and local aspects
  • A fair amount of disunity, diversity, and non-conformity
  • Old-fashioned in some areas and, simultaneously, very open to new trends
• Modern nations matched with their symbols:

  • England → rose
  • Ireland → shamrock
  • Wales → daffodil
  • Scotland → thistle
• Modern nations matched with their historic Latin names:

  • Ireland → Hibernia
  • Scotland → Caledonia
  • Wales → Cambria
• Constitutional title of the UK: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Year when the current UK flag was first used: 1801
• Nations constituting the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales
• Nations in the British Isles that have gradually evolved from smaller tribes and kingdoms during the early middle age: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
• Four stereotypical adjectives often used to describe the British:

  • Insular
  • Pragmatic
  • Sarcastic
  • Individualistic
• Island group that is mostly a Crown Dependency: Channel Islands
• Width of the island of Great Britain at its widest: approximately 300 miles
• Cities in the right order from North to South: Aberdeen, Manchester, Birmingham, London
• Biggest lake in the UK by volume and mean depth: Loch Ness
• Modern nations matched with their highest mountains:

  • England → Scafell Pike
  • Wales → Mt Snowden
  • Scotland → Ben Nevis
• Edinburgh is the largest city in Scotland by population size: FALSE
• Latitude of British cities matched with their European counterparts:

  • Lerwick, Shetland → Bergen
  • Edinburgh → Copenhagen
  • London → Leipzig
• High-altitude areas matched with the nations in which they are located:

  • The Cambrians → Wales
  • The Pennines → England
  • The Grampians → Scotland
• Cities matched with their rivers:

  • London → Thames
  • Glasgow → Clyde
  • Edinburgh → Forth
  • Newcastle → Tyne
• Transport infrastructure in the UK being one of the best in the developed world: FALSE
• Nations and territories part of Great Britain: Scotland, England, Wales
• ‘M25’ is London’s famous orbital motorway
• Tees-Exe line divides the hilly and mountainous northwestern part from the lower southeastern parts of the island of Great Britain
• 2nd longest river in the UK: Thames, Longest river in the UK: Severn
• Approximately 6000 different islands in the British Isles archipelago
• Glasgow is located near the river Clyde
• Regions located in Scotland: Highlands and islands, Central Lowlands, Southern Uplands
• Highest mountain in the UK: Ben Nevis
• In what two centuries many people leave the countryside to move into the growing cities: 18th/19th
• Countries matched with their largest cities:

  • Northern Ireland → Belfast
  • Wales → Cardiff
  • England → London
  • Scotland → Glasgow
  • Republic of Ireland → Dublin
• Concept of ‘Britishness’ being difficult to define and seen as problematic due to the layered identities of many people in the UK: TRUE