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  Home >>Study Abroad Britain >> General Information for Study Abroad in Britain


General Information
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland comprises the Island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and many small islands. It is separated from the coast of Western Europe by the English Channel to the south and by the North Sea to the east. The northern and the western shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean.

Great Britain is the largest of the islands forming the United Kingdom. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales.

(the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands) St. George's Channel and the Irish Sea lie between the UK and Ireland. Britain is much less than half the size of France or Germany and would fit forty times into the United States of America. Yet, for hundreds of years this island has been a world power.

From its shores men set out to lay the foundation of what is now the United States of America and to develop Canada, Australia. New Zealand, the Indian sub-continent and great areas of Africa. British institutions and methods of government have set the pattern for lovers of freedom everywhere. And today, British Queen is the Head of a family of several million people, spread all over the world.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The sovereign is the Head of State and monarchy is hereditary. Actual power is vested in Parliament which is the supreme legislative body in Great Britain. The Parliament consists of two houses the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Britain is one of the world's leading industrial and exporting countries.

Chief industries are iron and steel, engineering, chemicals, electronics. Motor vehicles, metals, machinery, ship-building, aircraft, textiles, cloth, other consumer goods and banking. Metals and metal using industries contribute more than 50% of the exports. Britain's coal mines yield about 128 million tons annually.

Although Britain's agriculture and trawler-­fishing are highly mechanised, half of the country's food supplies and most of its raw materials are imported. Chief crops: Grains. sugar, fruits, vegetables. North Sea oil is a lately added boon to British economy.

Wales: The principality of Wales in Western Britain has a population of 2,87,500. Cardiff is the capital. English and Welsh are spoken.

Scotland:
Scotland occupies the nOl1hern 37% of the main British island, and the Herbrides, Orkney, Shetland, and smaller island. Population: 5,094,000. Edinburgh is the capital.

Northern Ireland: It is situated in the north east of Ireland and forms part of the United Kingdom. It comprises six Ulster counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. The rest of the island forms the Republic of Ireland.  Northern Ireland has been rocked by bloody agitation for union with Catholic Irish Republic. 1985 saw an Anglo-Irish agreement which for the first time gave Dublin a say in the running of the province. Population 1,578,000 and Capital: Belfast. Agriculture is the main occupation in Northern Ireland. Cattle, sheep, hogs, eggs, poultry, potatoes and milk are the important products. Linen, ropes, twines, rayon, clothing, tobacco, aircraft and shipping form the main branches of industry.


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