PUZZLESINGEOGRAPHY

　　Peoplemaywonderwhydifferentwordsareusedtodescribethesefourcountries:England,Wales,ScotlandandNorthernIreland.YoucanclarifythisquestionifyoustudyBritishhistory.

　　FirsttherewasEngland.Waleswaslinkedtoitinthethirteenthcentury.NowwhenpeoplerefertoEnglandyoufindWalesincludedaswell.NextEnglandandWaleswerejoinedtoScotlandintheseventeenthcenturyandthenamewaschangedto"GreatBritain".HappilythiswasaccomplishedwithoutconflictwhenKingJamesofScotlandbecameKingofEnglandandWalesaswell.FinallytheEnglishgovernmenttriedintheearlytwentiethcenturytoformtheUnitedKingdombygettingIrelandconnectedinthesamepeacefulway.However,thesouthernpartofIrelandwasunwillingandbrokeawaytoformitsowngovernment.SoonlyNorthernIrelandjoinedwithEngland,WalesandScotlandtobecometheUnitedKingdomandthiswasshowntotheworldinanewflagcalledtheUnionJack.

　　Totheircreditthefourcountriesdoworktogetherinsomeareas(eg,thecurrencyandinternationalrelations),buttheystillhaveverydifferentinstitutions.Forexample,NorthernIreland,EnglandandScotlandhavedifferenteducationalandlegalsystemsaswellasdifferentfootballteamsforcompetitionsliketheWorldCup!

　　Englandisthelargestofthefourcountries,andforconvenienceitisdividedroughlyintothreezones.ThezonenearestFranceiscalledtheSouthofEngland,themiddlezoneiscalledtheMidlandsandtheonenearesttoScotlandisknownastheNorth.Youfindmostofthepopulationsettledinthesouth,butmostoftheindustrialcitiesintheMidlandsandtheNorthofEngland.Although,nationwide,thesecitiesarenotaslargeasthoseinChina,theyhaveworld-famousfootballteamsandsomeofthemevenhavetwo!Itisapitythattheindustrialcitiesbuiltinthenineteenthcenturydonotattractvisitors.ForhistoricalarchitectureyouhavetogotoolderbutsmallertownsbuiltbytheRomans.ThereyouwillfindoutmoreaboutBritishhistoryandculture.

　　ThegreatesthistoricaltreasureofallisLondonwithitsmuseums,artcollections,theatres,parksandbuildings.Itisthecentreofnationalgovernmentanditsadministration.IthastheoldestportbuiltbytheRomansinthefirstcenturyAD,theoldestbuildingbegunbytheAnglo-Saxonsinthe1060sandtheoldestcastleconstructedbylaterNormanrulersin1066.TherehasbeenfoursetsofinvadersofEngland.Thefirstinvaders,theRomans,lefttheirtownsandroads.Thesecond,theAnglo-Saxons,lefttheirlanguageandtheirgovernment.Thethird,theVikings,influencedthevocabularyandplace-namesoftheNorthofEngland,andthefourth,theNormans,leftcastlesandintroducednewwordsforfood.

　　IfyoulookaroundtheBritishcountrysideyouwillfindevidenceofalltheseinvaders.YoumustkeepyoureyesopenifyouaregoingtomakeyourtriptotheUnitedKingdomenjoyableandworthwhile.