Human Geography of United Kingdom - Essay Example

First and Human geography of United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located inthe Western Europe, is twice the size of New York State and with the total are of 243,610 sq km. Geographically, it lies near the North Atlantic sea lanes and separated from the rest of Europe and France in particular by the English Channel. The main rivers that flow into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees and Tyne. The country comprises of England, Scotland, Wales and the Northern Island. It is the largest island in Europe with the population of more than 63,742,977 people. Source: The World Fact book, United Kingdom (2015). The biggest country of United Kingdom is England, located in the southeast region of the British Isles and its largest city London is the capital of Great Britain. The Republic of Ireland fought itself free in 1922, however, Northern Ireland was left as a province of the United Kingdom. Scotland constitutes one third of UK area and is a mountainous land where 5 million people live and most of them are concentrated in the lowland area. The main cities are Glasgow and Edinburgh (United Kingdom Facts, 2015). The physical geography of the United Kingdom includes the cliffs of Kent, the rolling hills and fields of England, the Wales mountains and the uplands of the Peak District and the Pennies. Roughly, the country can be divided into highland and lowland along the Tees-Exe rivers line. The Gulf Stream dictates the climate of England and Scotland, which are famous for its rain and lush green of its countryside. Rain falls throughout the year and in England the weather can changes very quickly. The colder are is Scotland and its weather conditions are very harsh. According to Guardian article (2013), the country’s population is set to increase to more than 70 million people by 2028. The older population will make the larger proportion in UK in the future. It is reported that the projected increase of population in the next 25 years is set to be driven by the projected natural increase (Arnett, 2013), which means that births will exceed deaths. In terms of migration, Guardian reported about 43% will be down to migration and people migrating to the UK will also have an effect on the birth rate. As reported by Dailymail (Chapman, 2014), black and ethnic minority communities could account almost a third of the population by 2050 in UK with one of four children under the age of ten is already from the minority group and this proportion will soar in the next years. The strong economy makes United Kingdom the 6th largest economy in the world according to its GDP (Economy watch, 2015). In the current time, the economy of UK encompasses its home nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Isles have offshore banking statuses however they are included into the part of the British Isles. Being a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom is a part of a single market with free movement of people, goods and services. However, the country has chosen its own economy and continues to use the Pound Sterling as the national currency. Northern Ireland and Scotland have separate legal and educational systems and Wales is incorporated within the English systems of legal, education and banking. Scotland and Wales have established a Scottish Parliament that is under the general jurisdiction of London. It has however, limited local tax raising powers. The Welsh Assembly does not have tax-raising powers. The UK is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with a queen and the parliament of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Parliament is the Supreme legislative power. It passes the law, provides the means of carrying on the work of the government, scrutinizes the government policy and administration and debates the main issues of the day. Any revision of legislation is done by the House of Lords. The executive power if the Crown is made by the cabinet with the prime minister in the head. All three parliament elements meet only on occasions of symbolic significance which is the State Opening of Parliament. Britain itself did not exist until around 6500 BC. That time the Engslish Channel formed the separated Britain from the European part and first settlers came there while travelling and for food. The later history of Britain is connected with the industrial revolution, which made the country the worlds first industrialized nation. The present United Kingdom was formed by Acts of Union between England and Wales in 1536 and England, Wales, and Scotland joined in 1707, uniting the three nations under a single monarchy and legislative council. The island of Ireland came under British influence in 1169 and became a colonial dependency in 1690. The British and Irish parliaments were united in 1801. In the current time, the nation includes the Channel Islands off the coast of France and the Isle of Man between Britain and Ireland self-governed (United Kingdom, 2015). The culture of UK is associated with its history and human activity, influenced by the liberal democracy and the major power, as well as the religious life and composition of England, Scotland, Wales and the Northern Ireland. With a long history, the country attracts visitors with its traditions and customs. One of such events is the State Opening of Parliament, a grand affair which happens over the summer months at the Britain’s Parliament making the Houses of Parliament open to visitors. The ceremony itself lasts for 500 years already and is a symbolic reminder of the unity of all components of parliament (Government, 2015). While every country is made up of interdependent nations, everyday modes of sociality are not great from one part of the nation to another, however, in UK customs and traditions are unique and capture some aspects of the monarchy. Thus the country is known for being reserved in manners, dress and speech, English people are polite, self0disciplined and with special sense of humor, sometimes understandable for them only. They are also known for the value on punctuality and appreciate when people they arrange meeting would come in the exact time specified. There are more than two hundred and fifty languages that people speak in London, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The national sport game is cricket, however, there are many people who like to watch soccer games of Manchester United as the most famous football team in the world. The uniqueness of English houses is also well-known in the whole world, while most people live in the urban areas with countryside and green space. Special place should be given to the Royal ceremonies and Pageantry which are held in London at the same time for hundred years already. These ceremonies are the Searching the Houses of Parliament, the State Opening of Parliament, Ceremony of Keys, Changing of the Guard, Maundy Money and Swan Upping (UK Traditions, 2015). The question of gender equality is under the debates for several decades. In the 1970s, national debates on the changing role of women in society were held and women were claiming about the employment prospects. In ten years the debate changed into the implications of the increasing participation of women. The 1990s, were characterized by national debates associated with the relationship between work and family life, consumption levels and education. About half of British women work, while half are engaged in part-time jobs. Though the ideal of gender equality is widely shared within the UK, there are still misconceptions of social behavior of women (Overview of gender equality issues in United Kingdom, 2015). An article in the Independent (Wright, 2014) reported that UK has fallen out of the top countries with gender equality rate. This is a result of fall of the average wages for women that now constitute £2,700 in a year, leaving UK behind Bulgaria, Burundi and Nicaragua. The report presented show the average earning for women has fallen from £18,000 to £15,400. Women at the same time account for one-half of UK potential talent base. The Guardian (2014) reports that the gender gap between men and women is widening heading down the gender equality league table. Though the improvements were made in the recent years, the progress is still slow. Works cited Arnett, G. 2013. UK population: how will it change over the next few decades? The Guardian, Web. April 24, 2015 Chapman, J. 2014. Ethnic minorities will make up one third of the population by 2050 as Britains melting pot continues to grow, The Dailymail Economy watch, 2015. The Economy of the UK, GB, British Isles Government, 2015. VisitBritain. Web. April 24, 2015. Overview of gender equality issues in United Kingdom, 2015. Gender equality The Guardian view on gender inequality in the UK: time to change the facts, 2014. The Guardian UK Traditions, 2015. British Life and Culture United Kingdom Facts, 2015. National Geographic. Web. April 24, 2015. United Kingdom, 2015. The World Factbook. Web. April 24, 2015. United Kingdom, 2015. Countries and Their Cultures. Wright, O. 2014. UK drops out of gender equality top 20 after women’s wages fall, The Independent Read More