The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Flashcards
How are the British Isles divided? (geographically speaking)
They are divided into 2 islands, Great Britain and Ireland.
How are the British Isles divided? (politically speaking)
They are divided into 2 states: The United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland. And also 5 nations: Scotland, Wales, England, Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
What’s the difference between state and nation?
A state is the political organization of a country and they are internationally independent, but a nation is a human community with its own territory, language, economic activity, etc, that results from a historical process.
What is Scotland’s capital?
Edinburgh.
What’s Wales’ capital?
Cardiff.
What’s England’s capital?
London.
What’s Ireland’s capital?
Dublin.
What’s Northern Ireland’s capital?
Belfast.
Which languages are used in each nation of the UK?
Scottish/Gaelic in Scotland.
Irish in Ireland.
Welsh in Wales.
English in England.
What’s the difference between British and English? Are they synonyms?
A British person may be from England, but they could also be from Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. But an English person even though it’s also British, they only live in England.
Which nations have a Celtic origin and which one a Germanic one?
The people in Ireland, Wales, and highland Scotland belonged to the Celtic race; those in England and lowland Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin.
Why is England said to be the most powerful nation within the UK?
Because all of the nations use their language, they have the Bank of England, the actual Queen is English, and the most important buildings are in England.
Trevelyan said that “geography governs history”, explain the 2 examples that were given.
1) The geographic characteristics of the island: Many people who invaded England did it through the flatland, in the east-south. The only ones that invaded through the west-north, through the mountains, were the Vikings.
2) The position of the island in the world: Great Britain was far away from the Mediterranean area, the main trading area. But after the discovery of America, things changed.
What did Trevelyan mean when he said that England before the discovery of America was passive and receptive?
He said that it was passive because England didn’t participate in national trade. And he said that it was receptive because instead of conquering new lands, they just received people from mainly Europe.
What did Trevelyan mean when he said that England after the discovery of America was active and acquisitive?
He said that it was active because they started to participate in national trade. And he said that they were acquisitive because English captains and pirates started to appear, and they stepped up to conquer new territories and setting up new colonies.
