The UK population is over 63 million people.
The British Isles were constantly invaded by continental Europe. The Romans, Saxons, Danes, Normans and others occupied the lowlands of Britain, driving the indigenous population north and west into the mountainous regions of the country. Thus, the British Isles were divided into lowland (Anglo-Saxon) and mountainous (Celtic) zones. Thanks to this division, people in Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Scotland still use various dialects Celtic language.
National composition UK represented by:
- English (81.5%);
- Scots (9.6%);
- Irish (2.4%);
- Welsh (1.9%);
- other nations (4.6%).
On average, 245 people live per km2, but the south-eastern and central parts of England are the most densely populated. central part Wales, northern regions Scotland.
State language is English, but wide use have Scots and 2 Celtic languages (Welsh, Gaelic).
Big cities: London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol.
Most residents of Great Britain profess Protestantism, but here you can meet Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims.
Lifespan
Men live on average to 76 years, and women - to 81 years.
The British live 2 years less than the Swiss, Japanese and Italians. The UK spends only 9.7% of annual GDP (approximately $3,700) on healthcare. But such an amount cannot be considered sufficient expenses, because the cost of living in the UK is very high.
Residents of the UK suffer from cardiovascular diseases, malignant tumors, and obesity (26.1% of the population: this figure is 17% higher than the European average).
Traditions and customs of the people of Great Britain
The British are proud of their significant difference from representatives of other nations of the world: they still strictly observe traditions such as playing cricket and Left side traffic.
The British can be called a cold-blooded people - they never show their feelings (as a rule, they express approval with the phrase: “not bad”). But, nevertheless, the British are sociable and possess good feeling humor.
Interesting British traditions include dressing up for dinner; participation in competitions on the ability to make ugly faces and races with rolling cheese...
Interesting traditions and customs relate to festivals, for example, the most popular takes place in Chelsea (May), and the most solemn and grandiose holiday in the country is the Queen's Birthday.
When you come to the UK, you can understand why it is called the land of traditions. So, you will have the opportunity to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the ceremony of the keys (the ritual of closing the Tower), royal gun salutes (they are performed on special occasions)…
The official name of the country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
Territory: 244,820 sq. km.
Population: 59.1 million people. National composition: English - 81.5%, Scots - 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, people from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, etc. - 2.8%.
Languages: English, Welsh (spoken by about a quarter of the population of Wales), Scottish dialect Gaelic language (about 60 thousand people in Scotland).
Religion: Anglicans - 27 million, Catholics - 9 million, Muslims - 1 million, Presbyterians - 800 thousand, Methodists - 760 thousand, Sikhs - 400 thousand, Hindus - 350 thousand, Judaists - 300 thousand.
Capital: London.
Largest cities: London (7 million 640 thousand), Birmingham (2 million 270 thousand), Manchester (2 million 250 thousand), Glasgow (680 thousand).
Administrative division: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, 3 island regions.
Form of government: a constitutional monarchy.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II.
Head of the government: Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Currency: British pound sterling.
The British are polite, calm, more or less friendly, depending on the region, invariably modest and respectful of their neighbors. English humor difficult for foreigners to understand. If you tell a joke, you should smile - at least only with your eyes, as Stirlitz did.
As for Scotland, it has not yet overcome its historical antagonism towards the British and perceives them as “old enemies”.
The main taboos in conversation are: for the English - the Welsh, for the Welsh - the English.
Very important concept- family. Britons spend most weekends at home. Traditional start life of a British family - wedding. Clan spirit is very strong in the Scottish Highlands. Posters everywhere remind parents that they must keep an eye on their precious children: when visiting archaeological ruins - to avoid accidents, in restaurants - because of neighbors, etc.
The most common gambling- pool, something like billiards, and bingo, although it cannot be said that the British are entirely avid players.
Sailing remains a very privileged sport. The Highland region is one of the best in the world for sailing of all kinds, with fabulous scenery and relentless winds.
On Sundays, the British enjoy going outdoors, usually for one day. If the weather is not suitable for such walks and outdoor picnics, they spend an hour or two in traditional English pubs, where they usually have lunch. Lunch in a pub is pleasing with its low price. Women prefer shopping and relaxing with a cup of coffee in one of the many cafes.
IN rural areas a walk can mean anything but idleness. Breathe fresh air equivalent physical exercise, good for health. In Galloway, people sit in bars, parks or stroll along the pedestrian streets, where musicians and street performers often perform. 
In the UK, every area has its own pride: Stoke-on-Trent is famous for its woollens and pottery; Cornwall - crystal; Scotland is famous for its woodcarvers and glassblowers; Numerous jewelers specialize in silverware, especially in the "Celtic" areas.
The art of creating English gardens arose thanks to climatic conditions. The UK has a mild and humid climate, which encourages the growth of a wide variety of plants. Landscapes where palm trees and azaleas grow under gray and foggy skies are not uncommon. In addition, Great Britain once owned colonies at all latitudes, and therefore has long tradition acclimatization and zoning of plants. The wealth of species in her gardens is endless, all of them are carefully preserved and protected by the owners. By the end of the 20th century. English gardening reached the pinnacle of technical excellence while remaining true to tradition.
England is the largest historical and administrative part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. England ranks southeastern part big island. England's population is over 80% total number UK population. England became a union of once warring counties in 927 and takes its name from the English. This was the name of one of the Germanic tribes that settled on the island in the 5th and 6th centuries.
Population of England – more than 60 million people. The population of England in the 21st century has finally surpassed the population of the Netherlands, which was previously the most populous European country.
Now density population in England amounted to 395 people per sq. km. In Great Britain itself, these data are much more modest - only 253 people per square meter. km.
Today's population of England- the result of mixing the blood of many peoples. The only exception are residents of some areas of Wales that exist separately. Indigenous people of these lands - short brunettes - dolichocephals.
Great influence on the formation racial characteristics The inhabitants of what is now England were tall and heavyset blond dolichocephals. During the reign of the Romans, it became very noticeable Mediterranean influence. The Scandinavians who migrated to the island also played a significant role in the formation of racial characteristics.
After England conquered by the Normans, there were no particularly massive migrations to this country. Until the Irish began to settle on the island in the 20th century. However, it was the influence of the Normans that is considered the largest in English history.
The influence on racial composition British resettlement of Jews in different periods time, as well as the migration of the Huguenots 3 centuries ago.
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19%
15-64 years old: 65%
65 and over: 16%
Population growth percentage: 0.24%
Birth rate: 11.9 births/1,000 people
Death rate: 10.64 deaths/1,000 people
Emigration rate: 1.11 emigrants/1,000 people
Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male/female
under 15 years old: 1.05 men/women
15-64 years: 1.02 men/women
65 and over: 0.7 men/women
total population: 0.97 men/women
Newborn mortality rate: 5.78 deaths/1,000 live births
Lifespan:
Total population: 77.37 years
men: 74.73 years
women: 80.15 years (as of 1999)
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scots 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulsterians 1.8%, Indians etc. 2.8%. Pakistanis, Arabs, Chinese, and Africans also live in the country.
Language
IN England It is customary to speak only one language - English. And here Wales considered a bilingual region. But the number of dialects spoken by the native English is so large that it is sometimes very difficult for representatives of two different dialects to understand each other.
The most significant deviations from literary norm modern in English observed in dialects of Cornwall, Lancashire, as well as some lands located in east London.
Norm of spoken English formed in the southeastern part of the country. Rapid development transport systems, And for the most part, radio broadcasting and television contributed to the fact that the phonetic form of the English language has undergone greater unification.
6.3k (171 per week)
Great Britain consists of 4 separate kingdoms, so it is not surprising that ethnic composition this country is quite colorful compared to others European states. From the very beginning of society on British Isles 3 different ones were formed ethnic communities- English, Scots and Welsh (Welsh). All of them occupied corresponding isolated areas of the island. National disputes are still ongoing, and the relationship between these indigenous peoples of the country, ethnic processes events that took place in their midst 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 British, this is the most numerous and dominant nation, since the area of England occupies the largest large territory on the island. The English live in England itself, in most of Wales and the south of Scotland.
The Scots are the most numerous of Celtic peoples, their number exceeds 5 million people. Their place of residence is northwestern lands, Orkney, Shetland and Hebrides. Highland Scots 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, and the inhabitants of the lowlands are called Lowlanders. The Gaels also retained their own ancient language- Celtic, it is spoken by approximately 1% of the country's population, 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 people is about 6 million, 2 of which live directly in Wales. This nation also has its own National language- Welsh, 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 Scots-Irish live in Northern Ireland. This diversity is due to the increased colonization of Ireland in XVII-XVIII centuries. Throughout Ireland at that time, lands were distributed to landlords, large English owners. And small and medium-sized English and Scots tenants from the south of Scotland were sent to Ulster.
UK demographics
At the beginning of the last century, only 38 million people lived in Great Britain, but today this figure has almost doubled, and not due to natural increase, but due to external migrations. The death rate in Great Britain has been at the same level since the beginning of the 20th century, but the birth rate has dropped significantly. The working population in the country is only 40%. Of these, 93% are workers and employees, 5% are small owners (farmers, people of liberal professions), 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 in connection with large-scale restoration work in the country. Today there are about 1 million immigrants from Europe living in the country. If we take into account the migration of the Irish and people from other countries, then total number There are more than 3 million immigrants.
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