The main features of the population of Great Britain. The peoples of Great Britain: photos, description and history

England is located on islands, the largest of which are Great Britain and Ireland. The Isles of Man, Anglesey, Wight, the Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides groups of islands - have a relatively small area. The population of the UK is 64,789,810 people (as of 2015), with a density of 255 people per km².

The area of ​​the state is 242,514 km², the form of government is a parliamentary monarchy.

England is entirely in the temperate climate zone.

Orography of Great Britain

England is an island state. The largest islands are Great Britain and Ireland, which are separated by the Irish Sea. Together, these islands occupy 85.8% of the total area. Groups of islands - Shetland, Orkney, Hebrides, as well as individual islands - Man, White, Anglesey - have a small area.

The island of Great Britain can be conditionally divided into several parts:

1. Mountainous Scotland with mixed and coniferous forests. The Scottish Highlands comprise the Grampian Mountains and the Northwest Highlands, which are separated by the Glen Mawr Basin. Mount Ben Nevis in the Grampian Mountains is the highest, its height is 1343 m. The South Scottish Upland is lower relative to the North Scottish. Here is Mount Merrick, the highest in this highland, its height is 842 m.
2. Hilly England and Wales.
3. South East England, where the flat landscape prevails.

The Pennines are in the north of England. To the northwest of them are the Cumberland Mountains.

The Cambrian Mountains are located in Wales. They are higher in the north than in the south.

Rivers and lakes of Great Britain

Throughout its length, the coastline of Great Britain is strongly dissected.

The rivers of England are short, and all of them are not capable of passing ships from the ocean. The longest river is the Severn, its length is 354 km. The Thames takes the second place, its length is 346 m. ​​There are seaports in the deltas of all major rivers.

The largest and most famous lakes in England are Loch Ness and Loch Neagh. Loch Ness is located in Scotland, its area is 65 km². Loch Neagh is located in Northern Ireland, its area is 396 km². This is the largest lake in England.

Climate

The climate of the island European state is humid, with mild winters and cool summers. This is due to the fact that the warm Gulf Stream passes off the coast of Great Britain, which carries a large amount of heat from the equatorial latitudes. Throughout the year, a fairly large amount of precipitation falls here - 760 mm in the coastal areas, more than 2500 mm on the hills.

Winds blow to the northwest from the ocean. Therefore, the winter here is warm, the thermometer rarely drops below 0 ° C, and the average temperature is 4 ° C. The average temperature in England in summer is 16°C.

The coldest region in the United Kingdom is Scotland, while the warmest is Wales.

Minerals

Coal

In terms of reserves of this mineral, Great Britain ranks second among the countries of Western Europe. There are four major coal basins here: North, South, Central and Scottish. The average thickness of the seams is 2 meters on average. There are both long-flame coals and anthracites.

Oil and gas

England ranks fourth among European countries in terms of natural gas reserves, and second in terms of oil reserves. The main deposits of oil and gas are located on the shelf zone of the North Sea. Main production sites: Leman, Great Britain, Indifetigable - gas; Fortis, Magnus, Liman, Hewett - oil and gas.

Iron

Main deposits: Milo Egremont, Corby.

Kaolin

Deposits: Lee Moore and St. Austen.

In the UK, copper, polymetallic ores, barium, tin, zinc, fluorite, ornamental and building materials, and celestine are mined in small volumes.

Features of the UK population

The main ethnic group of England are Europeans, who make up 87.2% of the total UK population. The rest are Africans, Pakistanis, Indians, etc.

The UK ranks 23rd in the world in terms of the number of people. The population of this country at the beginning of 2015 was 64,789,810 people. Birth rate prevails over mortality: 12 children born per 1000 population, 9 deaths per 1000 population. Fertility rate: 1.9 children per woman.

Net migration rate: 2.56 migrants per 1,000 population.

The average population density in the UK is 255 people. per km²

Characteristics of the UK population

The national language of the United Kingdom is English, but each province has its own regional language. Recognized regional languages: Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish.

The leading religion in England is Christianity, which includes: the Anglican Church, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians - 59.5% of the population. The rest are Muslims, Buddhists, Jews and others. Great Britain is very tolerant, the population calmly perceives the existence of other religions on its territory.

We list the largest cities. The population of cities in the UK is:

• Over 9 million people in London.
• 2.3 million people - Birmingham.
• 2.2 million people - Manchester.
• 1.6 million people - West Yorkshire.
• 1.1 million people - Glasgow.

More than 79% of the total population is occupied by the urban population.

Great Britain: population and economy

The head of state is the British monarch, in this case the Queen. The prime minister is considered the head of government. Great Britain is a unitary state, it consists of four provinces that have significant autonomy: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In addition, England has sovereignty over territories that are not part of the realm. British Overseas Territories: Bermuda, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Montserrat, Gibraltar, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Islands, South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia, Falkland Islands. As well as sovereign military bases in Cyprus.

Crown lands: the Isle of Man, the islands of Guernsey and Jersey - all rights to these territories have the UK. The population of these islands is 253 thousand people, and their area is 766 km².

England ranks fourth in the world in terms of trade, despite the fact that its population is only 1% of the population of the entire Earth. The United Kingdom exports more finished goods than raw materials. The main exporter of the country is the USA.

One of the most important in the industrial sector is the automotive industry. It employs more than 800 thousand people, and the amount of turnover is 52 billion pounds.

The leading sector of the English economy is the service sector. It accounts for 74% of GDP.

Main industries: mechanical engineering, chemical (pharmaceutical), metallurgical, mining, food.

The production and consumer sectors are fully provided with electricity. Most of the electricity produced by thermal power plants - 86%. The rest is nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power plants. The largest thermal power plant is located on the Trent River, its capacity is more than 1 million kW.

Most of the hydropower plants are located in the Scottish Highlands.

4.6k (21 in a week)

England is the largest historical and administrative part of the United Kingdom. The territory of England occupies most of the southeast of the island, and the population of the country is about 80% of all residents of the UK. The number of people living on English soil is over 53 million. Until the beginning of 21, the Netherlands was considered the most numerous country, which has now lost the championship to Foggy Albion.

Basic information

The population density is about 400 people per m2, the rest of the United Kingdom cannot boast of such indicators. In the blood of the British mixed many nationalities and peoples. In the UK, only Welsh people are considered the most "clean" by birth, as they live apart from others without intermarrying. A distinctive feature of some Welsh is short stature, swarthy skin, dark hair, and an elongated skull.
The formation of the English nation was greatly influenced by fair-haired, tall and large men and women. During the period of Roman rule, the influence of the Mediterranean peoples, as well as signs of the Scandinavian race, became noticeable in the appearance of the English.
After England was conquered by the Normans, fewer and fewer people migrated to this land. From the beginning of the 20th century, the Irish began to arrive on the island, but the blood of the Normans left the most significant mark on the appearance of the British. The least impact on the British was made by the Jews and the Huguenots, who arrived here more than 3 millennia ago.
In the character of true Englishmen - calmness, restraint and a rational mindset. 93% of Britons are employees and workers, the rest are employed in agriculture and the service sector.

Statistical data

The age structure of the population of England is as follows: 19% of residents are from 0 to 14 years old, 65% are from 15 to 64 years old, and 16% of people over 65 years old. The growth rate is 0.24, 11.9 people are born per 1000 people, and 10.64 people die. There is approximately 1 emigrant per 1000 inhabitants.
The average life expectancy of the British of both sexes is 77 years, men - 74 years, women - 80 years. Ethnically, the inhabitants of England consider themselves to be native English (81.5%), Scots (9.6%), Irish (2.4%), Welsh (1.9%), Ulster (1.8%), Indians and others (2.8%). On the streets of English cities you can see Africans, Pakistanis, Turks, Chinese and Arabs.

Language

Not surprisingly, the only language in the country is English. In some parts of Wales, several dialects are spoken. In different areas, the English speak so many dialects that it is difficult for some residents to understand each other.
The most serious differences from the literary language are observed among the inhabitants of Lancashire and Cornwall and some regions that are located in the east of the capital. The southeast speaks classical English, and the phonetics of the language has undergone significant changes over time due to the spread of information technology.

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Fogs, as the main weather conditions, the obligatory "five o" clock, adherence to traditions, strictness of norms, oatmeal and special English humor. What else distinguishes strict England, whose population makes up the bulk of all the inhabitants of Foggy Albion?

England as part of Great Britain

England, Britain, Great Britain - this is a frequent name for one great power - the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which also includes the northern part of Ireland. The most significant part of this country is England. Its population and territory make up almost a third of the total population and territory of the Kingdom.

Britain is a name that has dominated much earlier than the others. This was the name of the land of the Britons, the Celtic tribes who inhabited the island before our era. After the conquest of these lands by the Romans, the Britons gradually completely replaced the Angles and Saxons. Britain became England, that is, "the land of the Angles." Historically, the coming Angles became the main group of the population of Great Britain, pushing the indigenous aborigines to a small part of Wales.

Another important group of the Celtic tribes of Albion are the Scots, among whom the minor groups of Gaels stand out clearly. The Gauls are a small ethnic group of the mountain people of the Celts, who retain their ancient language and traditions.

UK in numbers

According to 2015 data, about 64 million people lived in the UK. Of these, the population of England is 84%, Scotland - 8.3%, Wales - 4.8%, Ireland - 3%.

The British lead in the statistics of ethnic composition. Their number is 76%, the remaining 24% are represented by Scots (less than 6%), Irish (about 2%), Welsh (3.1%). Other peoples who consider Britain their home are migrants.

As a result of moving, the population of England began to increase significantly in the 19th century, when the country had many more colonies. Now Poles, Jews, Indians, Pakistanis, Arabs, Chinese, immigrants from the former USSR live with the British.

The urban and rural population is represented in the ratio of 93% to 7%. Age of people living in the country:

• children under 14 - 19%:
• elderly people, over 65 - 16%;
• the rest of the population is youth and able-bodied citizens from 15 to 64 years old.

Religion

The main state religion of Great Britain is the Anglican Church. Its parishioners are 27 million people (Wales and England). The population of Scotland tends more towards the Presbyterian religion. Insignificant groups of believers are Catholics, Muslims, Methodists, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus.

Language

English is the only official language in all regions of the United Kingdom, but the dialects spoken in some areas are so different that their owners do not always understand each other.

The closest to the normative language is considered to be the spoken language of the inhabitants of the south-eastern part of England. The territory of Wales is considered bilingual, as a significant part of its population communicates in the Welsh dialect. The mountain peoples of Scotland have preserved the ancient Celtic language in their culture, but at the moment only 60 thousand people can speak it.

Citizens and villagers

On average, there are about a thousand cities and towns in the UK. They are where most of the British live. Separating urban and rural populations is difficult, as the typical English village is a suburb. Citizens call themselves in England the inhabitants of the central regions of large cities. A large concentration of people in megacities is forcing the authorities to encourage the mass relocation of their residents to these suburbs, closer to nature.

Citizens of the UK for the most part live in private homes. There are city blocks of apartment buildings, but they do not correspond at all to our usual idea of ​​urban housing. These apartments are small and uncomfortable. Most often, migrants, students, and temporary settlers settle in them. Family Englishmen prefer even a small, but separate house. These houses are located very close to each other, have a small courtyard and a small garden. The most common hobby of the British is to dig in the ground and grow something there.

If we consider the social foundations of the British in numbers, then 93% of all British residents consider themselves to be middle class workers and employees. These are the so-called average Englishmen. The term worker refers to hired workers of various qualifications. In terms of living standards, they are on an equal footing with the local intelligentsia, office workers, clerks, teachers, and doctors. Unskilled manual labor is increasingly given to visiting workers from other countries.

A small English nobility (2% of the population) in their small circle concentrates half of the national wealth of the state.

Free labor, small business and farming in this region are not very popular. In England it is much more profitable to get a good specialty and work as an employee in any large enterprise than to run your own business. Owners of small workshops, cafes, restaurants and other small establishments, together with farmers, fit into 5% of the population.

There are the poor and the homeless here. There are few of them - basically, this category includes people who have lost their jobs for a long time or migrants who are not lucky enough to get a job.

Such, in a nutshell, is England, whose people were known as strict, prim and cold. In fact, most of the English are quite friendly and friendly people, they are just very well-mannered and sacredly honor their age-old traditions, many of which we do not understand.

The ethnic composition of the population of Great Britain is rather motley. From the earliest periods of the history of the British Isles, there has been a process of formation of three different ethnic communities - the English, the Scots and the Welsh, or Welsh, who occupied three historically isolated areas of the island

Great Britain - actually England, Scotland and Wales. The relationship between these three indigenous peoples of the island and the ethnic processes that took place among them have always occupied an important place in the political history of the country. The national question has not yet been resolved even today.

The dominant and most numerous group of the population of Great Britain is the British. They inhabit England, most of Wales and form compact settlements in some areas in the south of Scotland. English is part of the northwestern group of Germanic languages. It is widely distributed outside the state of Great Britain. English is also spoken by the majority of the country's Celtic origin - the Scots and Welsh.

Of the Celtic peoples of Great Britain, the Scots are the most numerous. They inhabit mainly the northwestern regions of the island of Great Britain and the Shetland, Orcaney and Hebrides islands adjacent to their coast. There was also a special national Scottish language, the basis for which was one of the northern dialects of the Anglo-Saxon language. Many words from the Gallic that it displaced entered the Scots language, in addition, it was affected by the influence of the Scandinavian languages. In terms of vocabulary and phonetics, the national Scottish language differs significantly from literary English.

Due to the geographical and economic isolation among the Scots, a peculiar ethnic group living in the mountains of the northwestern part of the island still retains its identity and many specific ethnic features. Their self-name is the Gauls, while the British often call them Highlanders (highlanders). The Gauls retain their ancient Celtic (Gallic) language. It is spoken by 1.4% of the total population of the country. But every year the number of those who know the Gaulish language is steadily decreasing, the vast majority of the Gauls have already completely switched to English.

Although both of the old national languages ​​are almost lost to the Scots, the national consciousness among them is very strong. Scotland has retained its legal system, which is based on Roman law and not on the body of precedent as in England. Remained in Scotland and its own education system: Scottish universities study for 4 years, and in English - 3. The administrative and cultural center of Scotland is Edinburgh, and its industrial heart is Glasgow. There is a Scottish National Party in the country, which is fighting for independence within the European Community and the need for its own parliament in Edinburgh. Although the Scottish pound is the exact equivalent of the English pound, it is not formally in circulation in England and Wales, but is readily accepted there. The national clothes of the Scots are skirts called "kilts", the national instrument is the bagpipe. But in such clothes they appear only on holidays. The national symbol is the thistle.

The national struggle does not stop among the other Celtic people of Great Britain - the Welsh, or Welsh, whose number is only 1.5 million people. Their historical fate, ethnic development were different from those of the Scots. Wales was conquered early by the English, and its population was more assimilated than the Scots. A significant part of the ruling classes in Wales - the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie - were of English origin, so there the national struggle was often closely intertwined with the class struggle.

Despite the forced assimilation of the Welsh that has been going on for many centuries, they still retain a clear national identity, partly their own language (although most of the Welsh who know it are bilingual) and some features of the national culture.

Today, all inscriptions in Wales are in Welsh, it is taught in schools, and by law, records management in state public institutions must be conducted in two languages. Teachers, social workers should know Welsh. Welsh radio and television is doing a lot to ensure that the native language is sure to be passed on to the next generation. For a long time, the national symbol of Wales was the wheatgrass, only recently superseded by the more aesthetic daffodil.

Continues to unfold among the Welsh and the national movement. Established in 1925, the Welsh nationalist party PlaidCamry advocates self-government for Wales. Participants in the movement of cultural nationalism seek to prevent the disappearance of the Welsh language, to preserve their original culture.

For many years, a fierce struggle has also been waged in the inner colony of Great Britain - Northern Ireland, annexed to the British state in 1922, when the rest of Ireland achieved independence. The United Kingdom then included six of the nine counties of the Irish province of Ulster. The ethnic composition of the population of this area is heterogeneous: about 500 thousand indigenous inhabitants of the island live here - Catholic Irish and about 1 million Anglo-Irish and Scot-Irish. Most are Protestant, culturally and traditionally British, committed to maintaining constitutional ties to the British crown. The rest of the population - just over a third - is Catholic, Irish in culture and history, and generally favors union with the Republic of Ireland.

Thus, in Ulster historically there were three groups of the population that differed from each other in religion and culture and were wary, and sometimes hostile, towards each other. The eastern regions of Northern Ireland were occupied by settlers from Scotland - the Presbyterians, the central and northern provinces were settled by the British, who belonged to the Anglican Church, in the extreme western and border regions with Ireland lived the remnants of the indigenous population - the Irish, Catholics by religion. The ruling circles of England, following their usual principle of "divide and rule", encouraged and deepened the split between these groups in every possible way.

Over time, there was a rapprochement between the English and Scottish settlers on the basis of common interests, and at present they are already acting against the native Catholic Irish as a united front.

Power in Northern Ireland is concentrated in the hands of this Protestant majority, and Catholic Irish are discriminated against in various areas, deprived of many social and civil rights. British bourgeois propaganda seeks to present the struggle of the native Irish in Northern Ireland for equal civil rights, against discrimination, which became especially aggravated in the 1970s, as a simple religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. In fact, the causes of the struggle in Northern Ireland are a complex knot of national, socio-economic and religious contradictions, the roots of which go far back into the depths of centuries.

Given the stability of the death rate, the decrease in the birth rate led to a decrease in the natural increase in the population. Since the natural increase in the population of Great Britain has remained low throughout the period since the end of the 19th century, the rate of population growth has largely depended on outward migration.

Increased immigration to the UK from Ireland. The adaptation of Irish immigrants to the new environment was very slow. And now they still retain their isolation and some estrangement in relations with the British.

A fairly large group (about 500,000 people) in Great Britain are Jews who live mainly in London and other large cities. The bulk of the Jews arrived in the British Isles in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. from Eastern Europe, later - in 1930-1940 - a significant part of them emigrated from Germany and the countries occupied by it.

After the Second World War, in connection with large-scale restoration work and the development of industry, the influx of workers from European countries into England increased. Now about 1 million immigrants from various European countries (not counting the Irish) live in the UK.

The growth in the number of immigrants from the former English colonies gave rise to the question of race relations in the British Isles. The British government, in special acts, has attempted to restrict immigration from its former colonies. The growth of racial discrimination, the increase in the number of conflicts on a racial basis led to the fact that from 1962 to 1971 a number of special laws on race relations were adopted.

In the 1970s, due to immigration restrictions and economic difficulties in the UK itself, emigration began to exceed immigration. Most of all they go to Australia, Canada and New Zealand, somewhat less - to the USA and the capitalist countries of Europe. Mostly specialists emigrate, there is a so-called brain drain.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century. The life expectancy of the British population is gradually increasing: the average life expectancy is 69 years for men and 75 years for women. In connection with a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in life expectancy, the process of "aging" of the population of Great Britain is taking place, which sharply reduces the labor force reserves.

Social composition

The most numerous class of English society is the workers.

Most of the English trade unions from the very beginning were organized along professional lines (printers, builders, metalworkers, etc.), many of them accepted only skilled workers. The largest trade union association in Great Britain is the British Congress of Trade Unions. It unites 112 trade unions (11.9 million people).

The social composition of the population of modern England is also characterized by a rather high percentage of the middle strata, including employees of various categories. These are the notorious "average Englishmen" about whom the English press writes so much, often calling them "white-collar workers". Among them, a large army of clerks stands out especially - clerical workers in industrial, financial and commercial enterprises.

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The UK consists of 4 separate kingdoms, so it is not surprising that the ethnic composition of this country is quite motley compared to other European states. From the very beginning of the emergence of society in the British Isles, 3 different ethnic communities were formed - the British, the Scots and the Welsh (Welsh). All of them occupied the corresponding isolated parts of the island. National disputes are still ongoing, and the relationship between these indigenous peoples of the country, the ethnic processes that took place among them, have always occupied an important place in British politics.

Ethnic composition of Great Britain

The population of Great Britain is just over 65 million people. Among them, 45 million are the British, this is the most numerous and dominant nation, since the area of ​​​​England occupies the largest territory on the island. The English live directly in England, in most of Wales and in the south of Scotland.
The Scots are the most numerous of the Celtic peoples, their number exceeds 5 million people. Their place of residence is the northwestern lands, Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides. The Scots, who live in the mountains, are somewhat isolated economically and geographically from the rest of the country, so they still retain their identity. These people call themselves Gaels, but the English most often call them highlanders (highlanders), and the inhabitants of the plains are called lowlanders. The Gaels have also preserved their ancient language - Celtic, which is spoken by about 1% of the country's inhabitants, but this figure is decreasing every year.
The Welsh or Welsh inhabit the kingdom of the same name, in ancient times they were called "Cymry". The total number of Welsh is about 6 million, 2 of which live directly in Wales. This nation also has its own national language - Welsh, which is spoken by 19% of the population.
Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1922. The rest of Ireland achieved independence, and 6 counties of the province of Ulster went to Great Britain. It is impossible to single out any one nation here, the ethnic composition of this region is heterogeneous: about 500 thousand Irish Catholics, 1 million Anglo-Irish and Scot-Irish live in Northern Ireland. This diversity is due to the increased colonization of Ireland in the XVII-XVIII centuries. All over Ireland at that time lands were distributed to landlords, large English proprietors. And small and medium tenants of the English and Scots from the south of Scotland were sent to Ulster.

Demographic situation in the UK

At the beginning of the last century, only 38 million people lived in the UK, but today this figure has almost doubled, and not due to natural growth, but due to external migrations. The death rate in the UK has been at the same level since the beginning of the 20th century, but the birth rate has dropped significantly. The working-age population in the country is only 40%. Of these, 93% are workers and employees, 5% are small owners (farmers, freelancers), 2% are the big bourgeoisie.

There are many Jews living in Great Britain (about 500 thousand people), who settled mainly in London and other large cities.

After the Second World War, many workers from European countries began to arrive in the United Kingdom in connection with large-scale reconstruction work in the country. Today, about 1 million immigrants from Europe live in the country. If we take into account the migration of Irish and people from other countries, then the total number of immigrants is more than 3 million people.

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