Unit 2

 1.THE BRITISH ISLES AND IRELAND


EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BRITISH ISLES, UNITED KINGDOM AND GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland refers to the political union between Engalnd, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The UK is a sovereign state, but the nations that make it up are also countries in their own right. From 1801 to 1922 the UK also included all of Ireland.

Great Britain

Great Britain is the official collective name of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. It does not include Northern Ireland and therefore should never be used interchangeably with "UK"- something you see all too often.

British Isles

This is purely a geographical term- it refers to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland -inclunding the Reoublic of Ireland and the 5000 or so smaller islands scattered around our coasts. Remember, this only refers to geography (not nationality), and while the Republic of Ireland is part of the Brithis Isles, its people are not British- a very important distinction.


FLAGS OF EACH COUNTRY

EXPLAIN THE NAME OF UNION JACK

The origins of the flag go back to the reign of James VI of Scotland, who united the crowns of England, Scotland and Ireland, even though the three of them remained as separate states. The flag is the result of the union of two previous flags: the one from Scotland and the one from United Kingdom.

FLOWER AND ANIMAL UK

Fox, rabbits, deers, hedgehog (erizo), mice, weasel (comadreja), shrew.
Flowers:
England: Bee orchid, Summer snowflake, Foxglove, Maltese-cross, Chiltern gentian.
Northern Ireland: Harebell, Cowbane, etc.
Scotland: Bearberry, Alpine catchfly, Foxglove, etc.

FLOWER AND ANIMAL IRELAND

Redfox, hedgehog, badger, irish hare, red deer, and pine marten. And about aquatic wildlife, there are seals, sharks, dolphins, sea turtle and whales.
Flowers: Much of the land is now covered with pasture and there are many species of wild-flower.  Because of its mild climate, many species, including sub-tropical species such as palm trees, are grown in Ireland.

COLOUR AND PATRON SAINT

Colour: The national colours of this countries are usually identified as the combination of red, white and blue, in that order.
-St. George of England.
-St. Andrew of Scotland.
-St. Patrick of Ireland.

MAPS

Regions

North East
North west
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
London
South west
South east
Main cities in the UK
City of London
Aberdeen
Belfast
Birmingham
Bradford
Bristol
Cambridge
Canterbury
Cardiff
Coventry
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Lancaster
Leeds
Leicester
Manchester
Newcastle
Liverpool
Oxford
Main cities in the Eire
Dublin
Cork
Dún Lahogaire
Limerick
Galway
Tallaght
Waterford
Swords
Drogheda
Dundalk

Counties

UK

IRELAND

PHYSICAL RELIEF 

-Area UK: 242.495 km2
-Area  Ireland: 84.421 km2

-Distance UK:

-Distance Ireland:

-Population UK : 66.422.191 (feb.2018)
-Population Ireland:  4.787.483 (feb. 2018)


PHYSICAL RELIEF UK AND IRELAND

Ben Nevis is the highest point in the UK and it's located in Scotland.

The Granpian Mountains are located in Scotland and the Pennines are located in the north of England, extending southward from Northumberland into Derbyshire.

River Tweed marks part of the border between Scotland and England.


CLIMATE

ENGLAND
England generally has higher maximum & minimum temperatures than the other areas of the UK, though Wales has higher minima from November to February, and Northern Ireland has higher maxima from December to February. England is also sunnier throughout the year, but unlike Wales, Northern Ireland & Scotland, the sunniest month is July, totalling 193.5 hours. It rains on fewer days in every month throughout the year than the rest of the UK, and rainfall totals are less in every month, with the driest month, May, averaging 58.4 mm (2.30 in).The climate of south-west England displays a seasonal temperature variation, although it is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom. Gales are less common in England compared to Scotland; however on some occasions there can be strong winds, and rarely, the remains of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. Some events such as the Great Storm of 1987 occurred near to the UK and caused damage in England. The prevailing wind direction for England is from the south-west.

NORTHERN IRELAND
Northern Ireland is warmer than Scotland throughout the year. Maximum temperatures are milder than in Wales from December to April, and milder than in England from December to February, but Northern Ireland is cooler during the rest of the year. Sunshine totals in every month are more than those of Scotland, but less than those of the rest of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is drier and has fewer rainy days than Scotland throughout the year, except in May, when it rains on more days. Northern Ireland is also drier than Wales in every month, yet it rains on more days. The rainiest month is January, when 17.8 days have more than 1 mm (0.04 in) of rain on average.

SCOTLAND
Scotland has the coolest weather of any country in the United Kingdom throughout the year (with the climate at altitude varying into Cfc), with average minimum temperatures in January of −0.2 °C
(31.6 F).Scotland is also the wettest country in every month, apart from May, June and December, when Wales is wetter. The wettest month is January, with 170.5 mm (6.71 in) on average.Scotland is also the cloudiest country throughout the year, apart from June and July, when Northern Ireland is.

WALES
Wales has warmer temperatures throughout the year than Scotland, and has milder winter minima than England, but cooler winter maxima than Northern Ireland. Wales is wetter throughout the year than Northern Ireland and England, but has fewer rainy days than Northern Ireland; meaning that rainfall tends to be more intense. Wales is also drier than Scotland in every month apart from May, June and December, and there are fewer days with rain than in Scotland. Sunshine totals throughout the year are more than that of Scotland and Northern Ireland, but less than that of neighbouring England. May is the sunniest month, averaging 186.8 hours.

ECONOMY

UK

The economy of the United Kingdom is highly developed and market-oriented.
Agriculture in the UK is intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs,with less than 1.6% of the labour force (535,000 workers). It contributes around 0.6% of British national value added.Around two-thirds of the production is devoted to livestock, one-third to arable crops.Agriculture is subsidised by the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy.
Energy in the UK 2017 details the industry’s contribution to the UK economy, illustrates its contribution so far in moving the country towards a low carbon future and outlines the challenges ahead in transforming heating, transport and moving to a smart energy system. It also highlights the growing competition in the retail market and the help given to vulnerable customers.
The UK's primary industry sector was once dominated by the coal industry, heavily concentrated in south Wales, Midlands, Yorkshire, North East England and southern Scotland
The major primary industry is North Sea oil. Its activity is concentrated on the east coast of Scotland and North East England. The waters in the North Sea off the east coast of Scotland contain nearly half of the UK's remaining oil reserves, and a quarter of reserves are located in the North Sea near the Shetland Islands.

IRELAND

The economy of Ireland is a modern knowledge economy, focusing on services and high-tech industries and dependent on trade, industry and investment.
Agriculture was once Ireland’s main economic driver, but no longer. It now accounts for just somewhere around 6% of GDP and in reality we are no longer an agrarian nation.
There is often surprise that the top revenue generator, by far, in Ireland is the pharmaceutical industry, due to the large number of multinational pharmaceutical companies who have production facilities here.
Tourism is big in Ireland – and not just in terms of incoming tourists, the Irish themselves take a lot of holidays at home too.

2.THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

BASIC INFORMATION

CAPITAL CITY: Washington, D.C.

NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE: The declaration of independence from Britain took place on July 4, 1776.

MOTTO: “In God We Trust”.

LARGEST CITIES: By taking into account the cities’ populations, the largest ones are New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

HIGHEST AND LOWEST POINTS: The lowest point in the country is in Death Valley which is at -282 feet (-86 meters) and the highest peak is Denali (Mt. McKinley), at 20,320 feet (6,198 meters).

LARGEST AND SMALLEST STATE: The largest state is Alaska and the smallest one, Rhode Island.

NATIONAL BIRD: The bald eagle is the national bird and symbol of the United States. Besides that, it's a protected species.

NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Star Spangled Banner.

ASSOCIATE TERRITORIES: Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

The United States is often divided up into geographical regions. Telling these regions apart can help to describe a larger area and also helps to group together states that are similar in features such as geography, culture, history and climate. While there are some official government regions, such as those used by the US Census Bureaun and the Standard Federal Regions, most people use five major regions when dividing up the states. They are the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest and West.

NORTHEAST:

- States included: Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland.

- Climate: Humid continental climate with cool summers in the northernmost areas. Snow falls during the winter as the temperatures are regularly below freezing.

- Major geographical features: Appalachian Mountains, Atlantic Ocean, Great Lakes, borders on Canada to the north.

-Population: as of the July 2013 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the population of the region totaled 55,943,073.

SHOUTHEAST:

-States included: West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida.

-Climate: Humid subtropical climate with hot summers. Hurricanes can reach landfall in the summer and fall months along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

-Major geographical features: Appalachian Mountains, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River.

- Population: As defined by the United States Census Bureau the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states. As of 2010, an estimated 114,555,744 people, or thirty-seven percent of all U.S.

MIDWEST:

- States included: Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota.

- Climate: Humid continental climate throughout most of the region. Snow is common during the winter, especially in the northern areas.

- Major geographical features: Great Lakes, Great Plains, Mississippi River, borders Canada to the north.

-Population: a 2012 report from the United States Census put the population of the Midwest at 65,377,684.

SOUTHWEST:

- States included: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona.

- Climate: Semiarid Steppe climate in the western area with a more humid climate to the east. Some of the far western areas of the region have an alpine or desert climate.

- Major geographical features: Rocky Mountains, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Gulf of Mexico, borders Mexico to the south.

- Population: a 2017 report from the United States Census put the population of the Southwest at 40,699,411.1

WEST:

- States included: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, California, Alaska, Hawaii.

-Climate: A range of climates including semiarid and alpine along the Rocky and Sierra Mountains. The coastline in California is a Mediterranean climate. Desert climates can be found in Nevada and Southern California.

- Major geographical features: Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Mohave Desert, Pacific Ocean, borders Canada to the North and Mexico to the south.

-Population: as defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Western region includes thirteen states with a total 2006 estimated population of 69,355,643.

PHYSICAL RELIEF

MOUNTAINS:

CLIMATE:

The climate in USA varies across different parts of the country. Generally, the western and southern parts of US have warmer weather as compared to the eastern and northern parts. The eastern/northern parts of US experience harsh winters with heavy snowfall but the summers are pleasant. The western/southern part has extremely hot summers and comparatively tolerable winters. Find out where you are likely to stay in the US and plan accordingly.

• Northwest Pacific

This is the perhaps the wettest part of the country. There are scattered rain showers all year round. Temperatures are mild averaging around 40 degree F. (32.2 degree C). The summer months are pleasantly warmer but never too hot. You can see fogs along the coast during the warmer weather but the fog is less dense during mid-day.

• Mid / South Pacific Rockies

These states have generally dry and delightful summers.

California has excellent weather all the year round, with the northern part of the state somewhat cooler (quiet chilly in the winter but seldom freezing). There are very few places in California that experience snow, and the state is known for its nice weather. Mostly all the cities have tolerable winters.

The winter months in the other states like Montana, Idaho and Wyoming can be very cold, with temperatures dropping well below 0 degree F. Colorado, Utah and Nevada are known for their excellent skiing.

• Midwest

This region is moderately dry. Precipitation occurs mainly in late spring and early summer. Summers are pleasant but winter time can be harsh, with lots of snow and heavy chilly winds. Extremes within the Midwest can drop down to -50 degree F.

• Northeast

This entire area is moderately rainy. In winter, the region experiences heavy snow and freezing rain. Summers are usually pleasant, sunny and warm. The fall is especially beautiful in wooded areas.

• Southeast

Like the Northeast, this entire area experiences moderate rains fairly evenly throughout the year. The Spring, Summer and Fall seasons are all very pleasant. Some snow and freezing rain falls in winter but for the most part, the winters are quite mild and short lived.

Southern Florida, like California, usually has excellent weather all the year round.

• Southwest

This is the hottest and high rainfall region of the US. You must be prepared to face heavy rains accompanied with thunder storms, dangerous lightening and occasional tornadoes. The winters are generally short but some freezing rains do occur. The spring and fall seasons are quite long and temperatures are generally excellent. The summers are very hot with temperatures approaching and exceeding 100 degree F on many days.

RIVERS:

LAKES:

ECONOMY

The United States' economy is basically based in the private sector. The country has always enjoyed a huge amount of natural resources. For instance, it has the largest coal reserves in the world. The USA is the world leader economically, militarily, and technologically. However, as for 2010 estimations, 15.1 of the population lives below the national poverty line.

Consumer spending comprises 68% of the U.S. economy in 2015: the tertiary sector is, by far, the most important one. Agriculture accounts for just under 1% of Gross domestic product, yet the United States is the world's top producer of corn and soybeans. The country is the primary developer and grower of genetically modified food, representing half of the world's biotech crops. Besides that, it should be added that the car industry has been repeatedly associated to the country itself, even if it has lost a great deal of economic weight.

The USA is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation and is one of the few countries in the world without paid family leave as a legal right, with the others being Papua New Guinea, Suriname and Liberia. While federal law does not require sick leave, it is a common benefit for government workers and full-time employees at corporations.

FIVE STATES

ARIZONA

Is a state of the southwest of the Unitd States, the 48th admitted to the Union. In this state is the Great Canyon of Colorado. There are three theories of the original meaning of the word “Arizona”. The spaniards called this territory “arid zone”. Over the years, it adopted the current name: Arizona. Another theory maintains that the name would come from the toponymal used by conquerors or shepherds of Basque origin “Aritz ona”, Lit. Also, another theory (most feasible) places its origin in the phrase to Alĭ ṣ onak that in language O’dham means “small font”.

CALIFORNIA

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.5 million residents, California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County; its largest county by area, San Bernardino County; and its fifth most densely populated county, San Francisco.

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut earned its statehood in 1788; therefore, it’s the 5th state. As of July 2015, the population stands at 3,590,886. The capital of Connecticut is Hartford, but its biggest city is Bridgeport. The state bird is the American robin, and the state flower is the mountain laurel.

The name "Connecticut" comes from a Native American word, quinatucquet, that means "beside the long tidal river." It’s called like this due to Connecticut River. Connecticut earned its nickname "the Constitution State" because the first written constitution called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut was made there and was adopted in 1639.

Connecticut’s first European settlement was created in 1633. Over time the colonists grew unhappy with British rule. In 1776 Connecticut’s representatives signed the Declaration of Independence along with representatives from the other American colonies. This led to the American Revolution, which lasted until 1783 when the colonies formally won freedom from British rule. Five years later Connecticut signed the U.S. Constitution, becoming the fifth U.S. state.

INDIANA

Indiana is a U.S. state located in the midwestern and Great Lakes regions of North America. Indiana is the 38th largest by area and the 17th most populous of the 50 United States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U.S. state on December 11, 1816. Indiana borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, Kentucky to the south and southeast, and Illinois to the west.

Indiana has several metropolitan areas with populations greater than 100,000 and a number of smaller industrial cities and towns. Indiana is home to professional sports teams, including the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and the NBA's Indiana Pacers, and hosts several notable athletic events, such as the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 motorsports races.

MISSISSIPI

Mississippi, meaning “big river,” comes from the Ojibway language. Oddly enough, Ojibway people were not from this area—they lived in northern Minnesota, where the river that gives its name to the state begins. It’s nicknamed the Magnolia State in honour of the magnolia trees that grow there. Geographically, this river is the main attraction of the state, in which almost three million people live.

People have lived on the land now called Mississippi for at least 12,000 years. Native Americans have lived on the land for thousands of years. Tribes in Mississippi have included the Biloxi, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez lived on the land. In 1519 Spanish explorer Alonso Alvarez de Pineda became the first European to map the area, but over a hundred years later French explorer Sieur de la Salle claimed the land for France. Soon after, European settlers established the slave trade in this area. In 1798 Mississippi became a U.S. territory, and the state was admitted to the Union in 1817. By 1838 thousands of Native Americans from this region had been forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated to land west of the Mississippi River. (The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians still lives in the state today, however.)

Its major resource is wood: about 65 percent of the state is covered by forests. It has a very fertile soil, which allows its inhabitants to yield soybeans, sweet potatoes and other typically American crops. Its capital is Jackson, which is also its largest city. It has also been ranked as the most religious state of the USA.