ENGLAND

England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together
with Scotland and Wales, these three countries are the island of Great
Britain. The English Channel is in the south between England and France.
People travel to France by ferry across the English Channel or by train through
the Channel Tunnel which goes under the sea.

Over 50 million people live in England and that’s around 80 per cent of the total
UK population. It is a multicultural country where more than 250 languages are
spoken in the capital city, London. The United Kingdom is a constitutional
monarchy, which means that there is a queen or king but they don’t make the
laws of the country. Laws and political decisions in England are made by the
Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Houses of Parliament are in central
London next to the River Thames and the most famous part is the clock tower,
Big Ben.

Other large cities in England are Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds

and Bristol. Outside cities, England is a very green country and has many rural
areas of natural beauty such as the Lake District, an area with lots of lakes in
the north, and the New Forest, a big area of forest in the south of the country.

Language

The official language of England is English, which is spoken today by millions of

people all over the world. Many students go to England from other countries to
study the language and learn about the culture. Although everyone speaks
English, there are many different accents around the country. French was the
official language in England between 1066 and 1362, which is why there are
many French words and expressions in English such as ‘bon voyage’ for ‘have
a good trip’ or ‘bouquet’ for ‘a bunch of flowers’.

Music

English people love music. In the summer you can go to music festivals all over
the country like those at Glastonbury, Leeds or Reading. Glastonbury is a five-
day festival of music, dance, comedy, theatre and circus and around 175,000
people go. Many people stay at the festivals for a few days and camp in tents.
People listen to all types of music, especially pop and rock. England has

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produced many international groups and singers like the Beatles, Amy
Winehouse, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Adele.

Sport

The most popular sports in England are football, rugby and cricket and most
towns have a sports ground where teams can play. English football teams like
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are world-famous and English
football players include David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane.
Women’s football is also popular and teams play in leagues and competitions all
over the country. Every year, the English rugby union team play in the Six
Nations Championship against Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy.
Cricket is a traditional sport played with a bat and ball which began in England
and is now played all over the world. People like to watch all these sports on
television, as well as other sports like horse racing, tennis, snooker (a type of
billiards) and motor racing.

Food

England is a very multicultural country and this has a big influence on the food
people eat. Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines are popular alternatives to
traditional English food like fish and chips, roast beef or sausage and mash
(mashed potatoes). Many English people drink several cups of tea every day,
usually with milk. However, coffee and herbal teas are also popular.

Symbols

The national flag of England is white with a red cross. It is called the St
George’s Cross and Saint George is the patron saint of England. St George’s
Day is on 23 April, but it’s not a public holiday. The rose is the national flower of
England and the lion is the national animal. The lion is a symbol of many
English sports teams.

SCOTLAND

Scotland is a country in Great Britain, to the north of England. Scotland has

nearly 800 islands, but people only live on some of them.

Scotland is a very beautiful country with many mountains, forests, beaches,

rivers and lochs (the Scots word for lakes). In the north of Scotland it is light
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 until 11.30 p.m. in summer and in winter you can sometimes see the Northern
Lights, or Aurora Borealis, which are spectacular lights in the sky. Energy from
the sun turns the Earth’s sky green, red and other colours.

Scotland has its own parliament which makes laws for Scottish people. The
Scottish parliament is in the capital city, Edinburgh. About five million people
live in Scotland, which is 8.5 per cent of the UK population. Most people live in
the south of the country in and around the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth
and Dundee.

Language

There are three languages in Scotland. Most people speak English and Scots.
Scots is spoken by young and old people in cities and rural areas and
sometimes people mix Scots and English. Some words in Scots are the same
as in English and some are different. Look at these sentences. Can you see the
difference?

 Scotland is ane o the fower kintras that maks the Unitit Kinrick. (Scots)
 Scotland is one of the four countries that make the United Kingdom. (English)

A minority (around one percent of the Scottish population) speak Scottish

Gaelic, an old Celtic language which is very different from English. For example,
the Gaelic word for Scotland is ‘Alba’, ‘What is your name?’ is ‘Dè an t-ainm a
tha ort?’ and ‘Goodbye’ is ‘Slàn leat’.

Music

At public and cultural events you can often hear traditional music and see
traditional dancing. Pipers play music on bagpipes, a Celtic wind instrument
with pipes and a bag. Pipers and dancers usually wear kilts. A kilt is a traditional
skirt with a tartan design which is worn by men and women. Scots enjoy all
types of music from folk to rock and pop, and festivals like the Edinburgh
Festival or concerts like ‘T in the Park’ are very popular. Famous Scottish
singers and groups include Paolo Nutini, Franz Ferdinand and The Fratellis.

Sport

The most popular sport in Scotland is football and famous teams include Celtic
and Rangers, from Glasgow, Scotland’s biggest city. Another popular game,
golf, was invented in Scotland in the Middle Ages. You can go skiing or
snowboarding in winter at Scotland’s five mountain ski resorts and any time of
the year at snowsports centres around the country. In rural, Gaelic-speaking
regions people play shinty, a traditional sport similar to hockey that is played in
Scotland and Ireland.

The famous Scottish Highland Games are a combination of culture and sport.
Competitors do heavy sports like ‘caber tossing’, where they throw big tree

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trunks, and there is traditional Scottish music and dancing. Highland Games are
celebrated all over the world. The first Highland Games in New York were in
1836, the most northern games are in Norway and the most southern ones are
in New Zealand.

Food

When people think of Scottish food they often think of haggis, a type of sausage
made from parts of a sheep. However, Scotland is also known for its variety of
seafood such as lobster and oysters, fish such as salmon and trout, and beef.

Symbols

Blue is a colour which is often associated with Scotland. The Scottish flag is
blue with a white X-shaped cross called the St Andrew’s cross. St Andrew is the
patron saint of Scotland and his day is celebrated on 30 November. On this day,
everywhere you go in Scotland you will see tartan, kilts and bagpipes. Also, look
out for the national animal, the unicorn, and the thistle, the purple flower of
Scotland.