Major English Speaking Countries: A Survey
Study Guide
United Kingdom:
The UK is a country situated in the British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe.
The UK is a “Country of Countries,” made up of 4 countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The UK is made up of two main islands and hundreds of smaller ones. The UK is roughly the size of Guangxi Autonomous Province. Wales lies on the west coast of the island of Great Britain.
Britain is separated from the rest of Europe by the English Channel in the south and the North Sea in the east.
The Republic of Ireland became independent in the year 1949. The mountain system the Pennines is often called the backbone of England.
The regional capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.
People of Indian and Pakistani origin are the largest group of immigrants.
Compared with the rest of the world, the UK has a large percentage of old people.
The Welsh language is the official language in Wales.
Scottish Gaelic is spoken in Scotland, but is not an official language. The English language is the major language in Northern Ireland. The first known settlers of Britain were the Iberians.
About 80,000 Scots speak Gaelic, which is an ancient Celtic language. About three million people have migrated to Britain since World War II. They are mostly from West Indies, India and Pakistan. In Britain, 90% of the population is urban. The ancestors of the Welsh were ancient Celts. Who were the main foreign invaders of Britain? What did the Romans bring to the UK? What is feudalism? What makes up Parliament?
Why was Queen Victoria different from other rulers?
The successful Roman invasion took place in ______, headed by the Emperor Julius Caesar.
The name “England” derived from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who came to England in the 5th & 6th centuries. Queen Mary was a follower of the _________ church.
James’ son, Charles I, who succeeded him in 1625, thought his right to rule was God-given.
The British East India company was established in 1600. Henry VIII changed the religion in England from Catholicism to Protestantism.
From 1649-1658 England was called a Commonwealth, and ruled by Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector.
William of Orange started Constitutional Monarchy by accepting the Bill of Rights in 1689.
The 1851 London Exposition was held in the Crystal Palace designed by Queen Victoria’s husband Albert.
The British Prime Minister who led the British to defeat Nazi Germany is Churchill.
What is the Queen’s role as monarch?
What are the functions of Parliament? What two groups make up Parliament?
What are the two political parties in the UK?
Britain does not have a written constitution, or set of rules, that the government must obey.
Each member of Parliament represents a group of people.
The Prime Minister is the leader of the party with the most members elected to Parliament.
How many members of the House of Commons?
The UK is governed in the name of the Queen, by her Majesty’s government.
The monarch is the leader of the Church of England. The House of Commons is headed by the Prime Minister. Police officers in Great Britain do not typically carry guns. The House of Lords is a court of last resort. What are the main parts of the UKs economy?
The National Health Service provides medical care for every resident. Most British people live in individual houses. The National Health Service was established in 1948.
In Britain, children up to the age of 16 can receive family allowances. Why is the UK an “officially Christian” country? What is the established church in the UK?
St. Augustine and the Romans first introduced Christianity to the UK. The Church of Scotland is the established church in Scotland. The UK has the 2nd largest Jewish community in western Europe. Children between 5-16 are required to attend school. British people value education and spend a lot of money on it. People in the UK enjoy spending free time in pubs.
United States of America:
The United States stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east.
The Mississippi river is the longest river in the United States. New England is sometimes called the birthplace of America. The Midwest is also called the “heart of America.” The United States is the fourth-largest country in the world. What countries are bigger than the United States?
The four defining geographical features of the Untied States are: 1) Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, Appalachian Mountains, Interior Lowlands and Cordillera Range.
What are the four cultural geographical regions of the United States? The Appalachian Mountains extend from the northern tip of Maine southwest to Alabama.
Why is the USA called a “nation of immigrants”?
European immigrants and their descendants make up 67% of the population.
Black Americans were brought to the USA in the 1600s. Name two famous black Americans. There are 35.5. million Hispanics in the USA. What language do Hispanics speak? When did Chinese first come to the USA?
Major English Speaking Countries
