Countries In Europe
1)United kingdom
a)England
b)Scotland
c)Wales
d)Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom, consisting of Great Britain is twice the size of New York State.
England, in the southeast part of the British Isles, is separated from Scotland on the north by the granite Cheviot Hills; from them the Pennine chain of uplands extends south through the center of England, reaching its highest point in the Lake District in the northwest. To the west along the border of Wales—a land of steep hills and valleys—are the Cambrian Mountains, while the Cotswolds, a range of hills in Gloucestershire, extend into the surrounding shires.
Important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable, as are the Mersey and Ribble.The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a queen and a parliament that has two houses: the House of Lords, with 574 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 bishops; and the House of Commons, which has 651 popularly elected members. Supreme legislative power is vested in parliament, which sits for five years unless dissolved sooner. The House of Lords was stripped of most of its power in 1911, and now its main function is to revise legislation. In Nov. 1999 hundreds of hereditary peers were expelled in an effort to make the body more democratic. The executive power of the Crown is exercised by the cabinet, headed by the prime minister.
A)England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
1)LONDON
is the capital and largest urban area of England and the United Kingdom.London has an official population of 7,512,400 ( As of 2006-2007)within the boundaries of Greater London. is the most populous municipality in the European Union. The urban area of London extends beyond the limits of Greater London and has a population of 8,278,251 (2001).The metropolitan area population is between 12 and 14 million.
London has a multi cultural soceity with people of varied religions and over 300 different languages are spoken within the city. It is an international transport hub having five major international airports serving the area and a large port.
It serves as the largest aviation hub in the world, and the multi-terminal Heathrow Airport carries more international passengers than any other airport in the world estimated to be about 140 million passengers per year.
Economy
London is a major centre for international business and commerce and is one of three major centres for the world economy along with New York and Tokyo. London is one of the largest centres for finance in the world. It is the 6th largest city economy in the world after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Paris. It is the world's largest international banking centre with a 50% share of all European activity and Europe's second largest economy. London year-by-year generates approximately 20% of the UK's GDP (or $446 billion in 2005); while the economy of the London metropolitan area (the largest in Europe) generates approximately 30% of UK's GDP (or an estimated $669 billion in 2005).
Religion
The largest religious group in London are Christians (57.8%) followed by No Religion (15.5%), Muslim (7.9%), Hindu (4.1%), Jewish (3.1%), and Sikh (1.5%). London which has been traditionally dominated by Christianity and has a large number of churches, particularly in the City. The famous St Paul's Cathedral in the City and Southwark Cathedral south of the river are Anglican administrative centres, while the head of the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury has his main residence at Lambeth Palace in the London Borough of Lambeth. Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is not to be confused with nearby Westminster Cathedral, a relatively recent edifice which is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales. Religious practice is lower than any other part of the UK or Western Europe and is around seven times lower than American averages.
London is also home to sizeable Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities. Many Muslims live in Tower Hamlets and Newham; the most important Muslim edifice is London Central Mosque on the edge of Regent's Park. London's large Hindu community is found in the north-western boroughs of Harrow and Brent, the latter of which is home to one of Europe's largest Hindu temples, Neasden Temple. Sikh communities are located in East and West London, which is also home to the largest Sikh temple in the world, outside India. The majority of British Jews live in London, with significant Jewish communities in Stamford Hill, St. John's Wood, Golders Green, and Edgware in North London.
Transport
The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is the most extensive in the world, but faces congestion and reliability issues, which a large investment programme is attempting to address, including £7 billion (€10 billion) of improvements planned for the Olympics. London was recently commended as the city with the best public transport. Cycling is an increasingly popular way to get around London.
A)Railways
The centrepiece of the public transport network is the London Underground which is commonly referred to as The Tube.It has eleven interconnecting lines. It is the oldest, longest, and most expensive metro system in the world, dating back to 1863.
It is home to the world's first underground electric line, the City & South London Railway, which began service in 1890. Over three million journeys a day are made on the Underground network, around nearly 1 billion journeys are made each year. The Underground serves the central area and most suburbs to the north of the Thames, while those to the south are served by an extensive suburban rail surface network.
The Docklands Light Railway is a second metro system using smaller and lighter trains, which opened in 1987, serving East London and Greenwich on both sides of the Thames. Commuter and intercity railways generally do not cross the city, instead running into fourteen terminal stations scattered around its historic centre; the exception is the Thameslink route operated by First Capital Connect, with terminus stations at Bedford, Brighton and Moorgate. Since the early 1990s, increasing pressures on the commuter rail and Underground networks have led to increasing demands — particularly from businesses and the City of London Corporation — for Crossrail: a £10 billion east-west heavy rail connection under central London, which was given the green light in early October 2007.High-speed Eurostar trains link St Pancras International with Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium. Travelling time to Paris and Brussels of 2h 15 and 1h 51 respectively make London closer to continental Europe than the rest of Britain by virtue of the newly-completed High Speed 1 rail link to the Channel Tunnel. From 2009 this line will also allow for high speed domestic travel from Kent into London. The redevelopment of St. Pancras was key to London's Olympic bid, as the station also serves two international airports through Thameslink, and will also provide direct rail links to the Olympic site at Stratford using British Rail Class 395 trains running under the Olympic Javelin name; these will be based on Japanese Shinkansen high-speed trains.
Buses
Bus network in London is one of the biggest in the world, running 24 hours, with 8,000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million passenger journeys made every weekday
In 2003, the network's ridership was estimated at over 1.5 billion passenger trips per annum which is more than the Underground.
London has the largest wheelchair accessible network in the world and, from the 3rd quarter of 2007, became more accessible to hearing and visually impaired passengers as audio-visual announcements were introduced. The buses are internationally recognised, and are a trademark of London transport along with black cabs and the Tube. Around £850m is taken in revenue each year.
Air
London is a major international air transport destination. Some of the eight airports use the words London Airport in their name, but most traffic passes through one of five major airports.
London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation's flag carrier, British Airways. when the fifth terminal is completed which is due in 2008, Heathrow will once again be the world's busiest airport, and will handle a mixture of full-service domestic, European and inter-continental scheduled passenger flights. Plans are alreay being considered for a sixth terminal, but there is disapproval of residents near to the airport and to its take-off and landing corridors. Similar traffic, with the addition of some low-cost short-haul flights, is also handled at London Gatwick Airport. London Stansted Airport and London Luton Airport cater mostly for low-cost short-haul flights. London City Airport, the smallest and most central airport, is focused on business travellers, with a mixture of full service short-haul scheduled flights and considerable business jet traffic.
Roads
Travelling in outer London is car-dominated although the majority of journeys involving central London are made by public transport. The inner ring road (around the city centre), the North and South Circular roads (in the suburbs), and the outer orbital motorway (the M25, outside the built-up area) encircle the city and are intersected by a number of busy radial routes—but very few motorways penetrate into inner London. With a few exceptions, motorists are required to pay £8 per day to drive within a defined zone encompassing much of congested central London. Motorists who reside within the defined zone can buy a vastly reduced season pass which is renewed monthly and is cheaper than a corresponding bus fare.
London also has 2 central park and ride sites for the convenience of shoppers on Oxford Street and Bond Street, Westminster City Council car parks run a courtesy bus service from its Park Lane and Marble Arch car parks.
Education
London which is home to a range of universities, colleges and schools, has a student population of about 378,000 and is a centre of research and development. Most primary and secondary schools in London follow the same system as the rest of England.
The University of London with 125,000 students is the largest contact teaching university in the United Kingdom and in Europe. It comprises 20 colleges as well as several smaller institutes, each with a high degree of autonomy.Colleges have their own admissions procedures, and are effectively universities in their own right, although most degrees are awarded by the University of London rather than the individual institutions. Its constituents include multi-disciplinary colleges such as UCL, King's and Royal Holloway and more specialised institutions such as the London School of Economics, SOAS, the Royal Academy of Music and the Institute of Education.
Imperial College London and UCL have been ranked among the top ten universities in the whole world by The Times Higher Education Supplement. In 2007 Imperial was ranked the 5th best and UCL the 9th best university in the world.
London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. The Natural History Museum (biology and geology), Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (fashion and design) are clustered in South Kensington's "museum quarter", while the British Museum houses historic artefacts from around the world. The British Library at St Pancras is the UK's national library, housing 150 million items.
Leisure and entertainment
Oxford Street is Europe's busiest shopping area a shopping street nearly one mile (2 km) long—which makes it the longest shopping street in the world—and home to many shops and department stores including Selfridges. Bond Street in Mayfair is an extremely upmarket location, home to fashion, jewelery, and accessories design houses. Knightsbridge whic is home to the Harrods department store, lies just to the southwest. Together with these, the fashionable shopping areas of Sloane Street, and Kings Road represent London's prestigious role in the world of fashion. London is home to Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, and Jimmy Choo among others; its renowned art and fashion schools make it an international centre of fashion alongside Paris, Milan and New York. London also has a high number of street markets, including Camden Market for fashions and alternative products, Portobello Road for antiques, and vintage and one-off clothes, and Borough Market for organic and specialist foods.
In London one can find a great variety of cuisine as a result of its ethnically diverse population. In Brick Lane there are lot of Bangladeshi restaurants while in Chinatown you can relish chinese food. Soho's variety of restaurants includes Italian- and Greek-influenced establishments among others, as well as all manner of novelties and oddities. More upmarket restaurants are scattered around central London, with concentrations in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill. Across the city, areas home to particular ethnic groups are often recognizable by restaurants, food shops and market stalls offering their local fare, and the large supermarket chains stock such items in areas with sizable ethnic groups.
There are a variety of regular annual events. The Caribbean-descended community in Notting Hill in West London organizes the colourful Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street carnival, every summer. The beginning of the year is celebrated with the relatively new New Year's Day Parade, while traditional parades include November's Lord Mayor's Show, a centuries-old event celebrating the annual appointment of a new Lord Mayor of the City of London with a procession along the streets of the City, and June's Trooping the Colour, a very formal military pageant to celebrate the Queen's Official Birthday.
Film And Literature
London has played a significant role in the film industry, and has major studios at Pinewood, Shepperton, Elstree and Leavesden, as well as an important special effects and post-production community centred in Soho in central London. Working Title Films has its headquarters in London. Many films have also used London as a location and have done much to shape international perceptions of the city.The London Film Festival is held each October.
The city also hosts a number of performing arts schools, including the Central School of Speech and Drama (alumni: Judi Dench and Laurence Olivier), the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (alumni: Jim Broadbent and Donald Sutherland) and the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (alumni: Joan Collins and Roger Moore).
London has been the setting for many works of literature. Two writers closely associated with the city are the diarist Samuel Pepys, famous for his eyewitness account of the Great Fire, and Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early Victorian London.
Music
London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world.It is home to major music corporations, such as EMI and Decca Records, as well as countless bands, musicians and industry professionals.
The city also is home to many orchestras and concert halls - The Barbican Arts Centre (principal base of the London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan Hall (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Promenade Concerts), the Royal Festival Hall (Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta) and Wigmore Hall. London's two main opera houses are the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre. The United Kingdom's Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet are based in London and perform at the Royal Opera House, the Coliseum, Sadler's Wells Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall.
London has had a major role in many popular music movements. It has numerous famous venues for rock and pop concerts, including large arenas such as Earls Court and Wembley Arena, as well as more intimate venues, such as Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo. The area around the northern part of Charing Cross Road in Westminster is famous for its shops that sell modern musical instruments and audio equipment. London was home of one of the legs for both the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts. The city of London is home to the first and original Hard Rock Cafe and the famous Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles created many of their hits. Musicians such as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury have lived in London. Famous musicians and groups associated with London include The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. London was instrumental in the development of punk music, with figures such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, and Vivienne Westwood all based in the city.
The largest entertainment venture of all time, The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, premiered here at Her Majesty's Theatre, and emerged as the highest grossing entertainment event with US $3.3 billion, and attendance of 80 million worldwide.
Sport
London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934.
Football is the London's most popular sport both in terms of participants and spectators. London has thirteen League football clubs, including five in the Premier League (Arsenal, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Chelsea), plus a further eight in the remaining three divisions (Barnet, Brentford, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Dagenham & Redbridge, Leyton Orient, Millwall and Queens Park Rangers), plus countless non-league and amateur football teams. The city has the largest number of professional teams in the world. It has a special place in the history of Association Football.
London also has four rugby union teams in the Guinness Premiership (London Irish, Saracens, Wasps and NEC Harlequins), although only the Harlequins play in London (all the other three now play outside Greater London). London also has many famous other rugby union clubs in lower leagues, including Richmond F.C., Blackheath R.C., Rosslyn Park F.C. and Barnes R.F.C. London also has its own rugby league Super League club in Harlequins RL.
Cricket in London centres on its two Test cricket grounds at Lord's (home of Middlesex C.C.C) in St John's Wood, and The Oval (home of Surrey C.C.C) in Kennington.
One of London's best-known annual sports competitions is the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, held at the All England Club in the south-western suburb of Wimbledon. Other key events are the annual mass-participation London Marathon which sees some 35,000 runners attempt a 26.2 mile (~42 km) course around the city, and the Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race on the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake.
2)SCOTLAND
Scotland is situated in northwest Europe and one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England. It is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. Scotland consists of over 790 islands apart from the mainland.
Edinburgh is the country's capital and second largest city. It is one of Europe's largest financial centres. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and is the centre of the Greater Glasgow conurbation. Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union.
Government and politics
As part of the United Kingdom, the head of state in Scotland is Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952).
Scotland was granted limited self-government after a referendum on devolution proposals in 1997. Executive and legislative powers have been constitutionally delegated to, respectively, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. The United Kingdom Parliament retains power over a set list of areas explicitly specified in the Scotland Act 1998 as reserved matters, for example, Scotland's taxes, social security system, the military, international relations and broadcasting.
Climate
The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable.It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic, and as such has much milder winters (but cooler, wetter summers) than areas on similar latitudes, for example Copenhagen, Moscow, or the Kamchatka Peninsula on the opposite side of Eurasia. However, temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK, with the coldest ever UK temperature of -27.2 °C (-16.96 °F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains, on 11 February 1895.[56] Winter maximums average 6 °C (42.8 °F) in the lowlands, with summer maximums averaging 18 °C (64.4 °F). The highest temperature recorded was 32.9 °C (91.22 °F) at Greycrook, Scottish Borders on 9 August 2003.In general, the west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east, due to the influence of Atlantic ocean currents and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea. Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, is one of the sunniest places in the country. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. Heavy snowfall is not common in the lowlands, but becomes more common with altitude. Braemar experiences an average of 59snow days per year, while coastal areas have an average of fewer than 10 days.
Fauna of Scotland
Scotland's wildlife is typical of the north west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the Lynx, Brown Bear, Wolf and Walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as Northern Gannets. The Golden Eagle is something of a national icon.On the high mountain tops species including Ptarmigan, Mountain Hare and Stoat can be seen in their white colour phase during winter months. Remnants of native Scots Pine forest exist and within these areas the Scottish Crossbill, Britain's only endemic bird, can be found alongside Capercaillie, Wildcat, Red Squirrel and Pine Marten.
Flora Of Scotland
The flora of the country is varied incorporating both deciduous and coniferous woodland and moorland and tundra species. However, large scale commercial tree planting and the management of upland moorland habitat for the grazing of sheep and commercial field sport activities impacts upon the distribution of indigenous plants and animals. The Fortingall Yew may be 5,000 years old and is probably the oldest living thing in Europe.
Economy
Scotland has a western style open mixed economy which is closely linked with that of the rest of Europe and the wider world. Traditionally, the Scottish economy has been dominated by heavy industry underpinned by the shipbuilding in Glasgow, coal mining and steel industries.Petroleum related industries associated with the extraction of North Sea oil have also been important employers from the 1970s, especially in the north east of Scotland. De-industrialisation during the 1970s and 1980s saw a shift from a manufacturing focus towards a more services orientated economy. Edinburgh is the financial services centre of Scotland and the sixth largest financial centre in Europe in terms of funds under management, behind London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich and Amsterdam, with many large finance firms based there, including: the Royal Bank of Scotland (the second largest bank in Europe); HBOS (owners of the Bank of Scotland); and Standard Life.In 2005, total Scottish exports (excluding intra-UK trade) were provisionally estimated to be £17.5 billion, of which 70% (£12.2 billion) were attributable to manufacturing. Scotland's primary exports include whisky, electronics and financial services.
Currency
Although the Bank of England is the central bank for the UK, three Scottish clearing banks still issue their own Sterling banknotes: the Bank of Scotland; the Royal Bank of Scotland; and the Clydesdale Bank. The current value of the Scottish banknotes in circulation is £1.5 billion.
Transport
Scotland has five main international airports-Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow Prestwick and Inverness, together serve 150 international destinations with a wide variety of scheduled and chartered flights. Brtush Airways operates three airports-
Edinburgh,Aberdeen, Glasgow. Highland and Islands Airports operates 11 regional airports, including Inverness which serve the more remote locations of Scotland. Infratil operates Glasgow Prestwick.
The Scottish motorways and major trunk roads are managed by Transport Scotland. The rest of the road network is managed by the Scottish local authorities in each of their areas.
Regular ferry services are available between the Scottish mainland and island communities. They are mostly run by Caledonian MacBrayne, but some are operated by local councils. Other ferry routes, served by multiple companies, connect to Northern Ireland, Belgium, Norway, the Faroe Islands and also Iceland.
Scotland's rail network is managed by Transport Scotland. The East Coast and West Coast Main Railway lines and the Cross Country Line connect the major cities and towns of Scotland with each other and with the rail network in England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by First Scotrail.The East Coast Main Line includes that section of the network which crosses the Firth of Forth via the Forth Bridge. This was Completed in 1890. This cantilever bridge has been described as "the one internationally recognised Scottish landmark".
Education
The Scottish education system has always remained distinct from education in the rest of United Kingdom, with a characteristic emphasis on a broad education.Scotland was the first country since Sparta in classical Greece to implement a system of general public education. Schooling was made compulsory for the first time in Scotland with the Education Act of 1496, then, in 1561, the Church of Scotland set out a national programme for spiritual reform, including a school in every parish. Education continued to be a matter for the church rather than the state until the Education Act of 1872.There are 14 Scottish universities, some of which are amongst the oldest in the world. The country produces 1% of the world's published research with less than 0.1% of the world's population, and higher education institutions account for nine per cent of Scotland's service sector exports. The Scots have a great respect for learning, and their history is full of people of humble birth who acquired university educations. In the early 20th century education was made easier for poor students by the Scottish-born American industrialist, Andrew Carnegie. He set up the Carnegie Trust Fund in 1901 to help needy students and to foster research
Religion
Scotland, in common with the rest of the United Kingdom, is traditionally a Christian nation with around 70% claiming to be Christian. The Church of Scotland, also known as The Kirk, is recognised in law as the national church of Scotland, but is not an established church and is independent of state control in matters spiritual. The other major denomination is the Roman Catholic Church, which claims around 20 per cent of the population and is especially important in west central Scotland. There are also around 15,000 each of Baptists, Episcopalians and conservative Presbyterians, with smaller numbers of Quakers, Pentecostal, Gospel Hall and a growing number of independent churches. Judaism has been established in Scotland since at least the High Middle Ages.In recent years other religions have established a presence in Scotland, mainly through immigration, though also partly through the attraction of converts. Those with the most adherents are Islam (mainly among immigrants from South Asia), Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. Other minority faiths include the Bahá'í Faith, Rasta and small Neopagan groups. There are also various organizations which actively promote humanism, rationalism and secularism, reflecting the 25% who claim to have no religious beliefs.
Culture
The inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands were originally of Celtic descent, and a small number of them still speak Gaelic, an ancient Celtic language which is now being encouraged once again in schools. In the southern part of the nation, the people are descended from ancient Scots with liberal inputs by Nordic influences and a bit of Anglo-Saxon. Scottish literature includes text written in English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, French, and Latin.
Scottish music is a significant aspect of the nation's culture, with both traditional and modern influences. An example of a traditional Scottish instrument is the Great Highland Bagpipe, a wind instrument consisting of three drones and a melody pipe (called the chanter), which are fed continuously by a reservoir of air in a bag. The clàrsach, fiddle and accordion are also traditional Scottish instruments, the latter two heavily featured in Scottish country dance bands. Today, there are many successful Scottish bands and individual artists in varying styles.
The national broadcaster is BBC Scotland (BBC Alba in Gaelic), a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It runs two national television stations and the national radio stations, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal, amongst others. The main Scottish commercial television stations are STV and Border Television. National newspapers such as the Daily Record, The Herald, and The Scotsman are all produced in Scotland.Important regional dailies include The Courier in Dundee in the east, and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north.
Sport
Sport plays a central role in Scottish culture. The temperate, oceanic climate has played a key part in the evolution of Sport in Scotland, with all-weather sports like football, rugby union and golf dominating the national sporting consciousness. However, many other sports are played in the country, with popularity varying between sports and between regions. The country hosts many of its own national sporting competitions, and enjoying independent representation at many international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Cricket World Cup and the Commonwealth Games (although not the Olympic Games). Scotland has its own national governing bodies, such as the Scottish Football Association (the second oldest national football association in the world)and the Scottish Rugby Union. Variations of football have been played in Scotland for centuries with the earliest reference dating back to 1424.Scots, and Scottish emigrants, has made several key contributions to the history of sport, with important innovations and developments in: golf, curling, football, Highland games (contributed to the evolution of modern athletics events), shinty (the predecessor of both ice hockey and bandy), cycling (Kirkpatrick Macmillan invented the pedal bicycle), and basketball.
National symbols
The Flag of Scotland, known as the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross, dates (at least in legend) from the 9th century, and is thus the oldest national flag still in use. The Saltire now also forms part of the design of the Union Flag. There are numerous other symbols and symbolic artefacts, both official and unofficial, including the thistle, the nation's floral emblem, the 1320 statement of political independence the Declaration of Arbroath, the textile pattern tartan that often signifies a particular Scottish clan, and the Lion Rampant flag. Flower of Scotland is popularly held to be the National Anthem of Scotland, and is played at events such as football or rugby matches involving the Scotland national team. However, since devolution, more serious discussion of the issue has led to this being disputed.
WALES
Wales is located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain. Its area, the size of Wales, is about 20,779 km²ie 8,023 square miles - about the same size as Massachusetts, Slovenia or El Salvador and about a quarter of the size of Scotland). It is about 274 km (170 miles) north-south and 97 km (60 miles) east-west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Môr Hafren (Bristol Channel) to the south, St. George's Channel to the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. Altogether, Wales has over 1,200 km (750 miles) of coastline. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in the northwest.
It is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Wales is closely, but far from completely, integrated politically with England, although it was from around the 16th century until the mid-19th century. It shares political and legal structures to varying degrees with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
From the late 18th century, some parts of Wales became heavily industrialised, playing a significant and innovative role in the industrial revolution, as it exported vast quantities of coal, especially from the South Wales coalfield, and steel and established a large manufacturing base.
The capital city of Cardiff (Caerdydd) had the busiest coal-exporting port in the world. In recent decades, light manufacturing and the service sector replaced heavy industry as Wales experienced the transition to a post-industrial economy. More than 50% of Wales' GDP is generated in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.Two thirds of the population of Wales live in south-east Wales (around 1,695,500) and around 2,006,225 in the whole of South Wales.
Population
The population of Wales in the 2001 census was 2,903,085, which has risen to 2,958,876 according to 2005 estimates. This would make Wales the 132nd largest country by population if it were a sovereign state.
According to the 2001 census, 96% of the population was White British, and 2.1% non-white (mainly of Asian origin). Most non-white groups were concentrated in the southern cities of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. Welsh Asian communities developed mainly through immigration since World War II. More recently, parts of Wales have seen an increased number of immigrants settle from recent EU accession countries such as Poland - although some Poles also settled in Wales in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Politics
The head of state in Wales, a constituent part of the United Kingdom, is the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952). Executive power is derived by the Queen, and exercised by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, with some powers devolved to the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The United Kingdom Parliament retains responsibility for passing primary legislation in Wales. The National Assembly has regulatory authority over laws passed that are applicable to Wales, and has limited power to vary these by secondary legislation. The National Assembly is not a sovereign authority, and the UK Parliament could, in theory, overrule or even abolish it at any time. However, its powers are set to increase as the Government of Wales Act 2006 will allow it to speed up the passage of 'Assembly Measures'.
Law
English law is regarded as a common law system, with no major codification of the law, and legal precedents are binding as opposed to persuasive. The court system is headed by the House of Lords which is the highest court of appeal in the land for criminal and civil cases (although this is due to be replaced by a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom). The Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales is the highest court of first instance as well as an appellate court. The three divisions are the Court of Appeal; the High Court of Justice and the Crown Court. Minor cases are heard by the Magistrates' Courts or the County Court.Now, however, with the large degree of autonomy caused by the creation of the Welsh Assembly, there is a degree of independence for Wales in terms of law-making.
Climate
a)Highest maximum temperature: 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2 August 1990.
b)Lowest minimum temperature: -23.3 °C (-10 °F) at Rhayader, Radnorshire on 21 January 1940.
c)Maximum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 354.3 hours at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire in July 1955.
d)Minimum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 2.7 hours at Llwynon, Brecknockshire in January 1962.
e)Maximum rainfall in a day (0900 UTC - 0900 UTC): 211 mm (8.30 inches) at Rhondda, Glamorgan, on 11 November 1929.
Economy
From the early 1970s, the Welsh economy faced massive restructuring with large numbers of jobs in traditional heavy industry disappearing and being replaced eventually by new ones in light industry and in services. Over this period Wales was successful in attracting an above average share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK. However, much of the new industry has essentially been of a 'branch factory' type, often routine assembly employing low skilled workers.
Parts of Wales have been heavily industrialised since the 18th century and the early Industrial Revolution. Coal, copper, iron, silver, lead, and gold have been extensively mined in Wales, and slate has been quarried. By the second half of the 19th century, mining and metallurgy had come to dominate the Welsh economy, transforming the landscape and society in the industrial districts of south and north-east Wales.In 2002, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Wales was just over £26 billion ($48 billion), giving a per capita GDP of £12,651 ($19,546). As of 2006, the unemployment rate in Wales stood at 5.7% - above the UK average, but lower than in the majority of EU countries.Due to poor-quality soil, much of Wales is unsuitable for crop-growing, and livestock farming has traditionally been the focus of agriculture.
Religion
The largest religion in Wales is Christianity, with 72% of the population describing themselves as Christian in the 2001 census. The Presbyterian Church of Wales is the largest denomination and was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century and seceded from the Church of England in 1811. The Church in Wales is the next largest denomination, and forms part of the Anglican Communion. It too was part of the Church of England, and was disestablished by the British Government under the Welsh Church Act 1914 (the act did not take effect until 1920). The Roman Catholic Church makes up the next largest denomination at 3% of the population. Non-Christian religions are small in Wales, making up approximately 1.5% of the population. 18% of people declare no religion. The Apostolic Church holds its annual Apostolic Conference in Swansea each year, usually in August.
Culture of Wales
Though a part of the United Kingdom and in union with England since its military conquest in 1282, the nation of Wales has preserved its own distinctive culture, language, customs, holidays and music.
Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks (cennin) and daffodils (cennin Pedr, lit. "(Saint) Peter's Leeks") are closely related and it is likely that one of the symbols came to be used due to a misunderstanding for the other one, though it is less clear which came first.
National Holidays
a)Saints' Days
b)St. David's Day
c)Gŵyl Mabsant
Seasonal Festivals
a)Calan Gaeaf
November 1: A Hallowe'en or Samhain-type holiday on the first day of winter.
b)Gwyl Fair y Canhwyllau
February 2: Literally translates as "Mary’s Festival of the Candles," but it is equivalent to Candlemas and Imbolc.
c)Calan Mai
May 1: May Day, and the Welsh equivalent of Beltane.
d)Gathering Day
c. August 1: Midsummer, a time of harvest similar to Lughnasa.
The patron saint of Wales is Saint David, Dewi Sant in Welsh. St. David's Day is celebrated on 1 March, which some people argue should be designated a public holiday in Wales. Other days which have been proposed for national public commemorations are 16 September (the day on which Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion began) and 11 December (the death of Llywelyn the Last).
Woman wearing a Welsh hat The traditional seasonal festivals in Wales are 1) Calan Gaeaf (a Hallowe'en or Samhain-type holiday on the first day of winter), 2) Gwyl Fair y Canhwyllau (literally Mary’s Festival of the Candles, but equivalent to Candlemas and Imbolc), 3) Calan Mai (May Day, and similar to Beltane), and 4) Gathering Day (or Midsummer, equivalent to Lughnasa). Additionally, each parish celebrated a Gŵyl Mabsant in commemoration of its native saint.
Sport
The most popular sports in Wales are Rugby Union and football. Wales, like other constituent nations, enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games (however as Great Britain in the Olympics). As in New Zealand, rugby is a core part of the national identity, although football has traditionally been more popular sport in the North Wales, possibly due to its close proximity to England's north-west. Wales has its own governing bodies in rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and in football, the Football Association of Wales (the third oldest in the world) and most other sports. Many of Wales' top athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen train at the Welsh Institute of Sport and National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff, the Wales National Velodrome in Newport and the Wales National Pool in Swansea. However the Cardiff International Swimming Pool is the only Olympic standard pool in Wales.
Wales has had its own football league since 1992 although, for historical reasons, the three major Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, Swansea City, and Wrexham A.F.C.) play in the English Football League and another three Welsh clubs in its feeder leagues. (Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil F.C., and Colwyn Bay F.C..)
Rugby league is now developing in Wales. There has been a national league since 2003 and the admission of the Bridgend-based Celtic Crusaders to National League Two in 2006 brought the semi-professional game to Wales.
In international cricket, England and Wales field a single representative team which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There is a separate Wales team that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition. Glamorgan County Cricket Club is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship. A Wales team also plays in the English Minor Counties competition. However there has been recent debate as to whether Welsh players (such as Simon Jones) should play for an England team, and not an England and Wales team.
Wales' other bat-and-ball sport is British Baseball, which is chiefly confined to Cardiff and Newport, two cities with very long baseball traditions. The sport is governed by the Welsh Baseball Union.
There is also some success in boxing. Joe Calzaghe the half-Welsh, half-Italian boxer has been WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion since 1997 and recently won the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine super middleweight titles. Swansea born Enzo Maccarinelli is the current WBO World Cruiserweight Champion and Gavin Rees the current WBA World Light-Welterweight Champion. Former World champions include Howard Winstone, Percy Jones, Jimmy Wilde, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan.
Two Welsh drivers have competed in the Formula One championship: the first was Alan Rees at the 1967 British Grand Prix, who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, Jim Clark. Tom Pryce was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the 1975 British Grand Prix, qualified in pole position. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren, killing both instantly. As well as Formula One, Wales have had some notability in the World Rally Championship, producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist, who helped Colin McRae to victory in 1995 and Phil Mills who helped Petter Solberg win the 2003 title.
Since 2006, Wales has had its own professional golf tour, the Dragon Tour. Notable Welsh golfers include Brian Huggett, Ian Woosnam and Phillip Price. The Celtic Manor in Newport will host the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Media
BBC Radio Wales is Wales's only national English-language radio station, while BBC Radio Cymru broadcasts throughout Wales in Welsh. There are also a number of independent radio stations across Wales. Radio stations around the country include Red Dragon FM, Marcher Sound, Coast FM, Swansea Sound, 96.4FM The Wave, Radio Pembrokeshire, Radio Carmarthenshire, Champion 103, Radio Ceredigion and Real Radio. Xfm has announced plans to broadcast in Cardiff from November.
Most of the newspapers sold and read in Wales are national newspapers sold and read throughout Britain, unlike in Scotland where many newspapers have rebranded into Scottish based titles.
Food
About 80% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. However, very little of this is arable land; the vast majority consists of permanent grass pasture or rough grazing for herd animals such as sheep and cows. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is more well-known for its sheep farming, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking
Welsh cuisine
Welsh cuisine is the cuisine of Wales. It has influenced, and been influenced by, other British cuisine.
Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is best known for its sheep, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking. Specific dishes associated with Wales include:
a)Bara brith, "speckled bread," is a sweetbread which originated in Wales. It is traditionally made with raisins, Zante currant, and candied peel.
b)Cawl is a Welsh stew with lamb and leeks.
Cockles are very popular in Wales and served in a variety of ways although usually steamed.
c)Crempogs are Welsh buttermilk pancakes.
d)Faggots are Welsh pork meatballs.
e)Glamorgan sausage is cheese in breadcrumbs in the shape of a sausage.
f)Laverbread is a Welsh seaweed delicacy.
g)Welsh cakes are small cakes cooked on a bakestone.
h)Lob Scows is a popular stew in Holyhead and Anglesey, a version of the Liverpudlian 'Scouse'.
i)Welsh rabbit, or Welsh rarebit, is toast with cheese and butter.
j)The Clark's Pie, an internationally famous pie first produced in Cardiff.
Various cheeses are produced in Wales. These include Caerphilly cheese, Y Fenni cheese, Llanboidy cheese, Red Devil, and an exceptionally strong variety of cheddar, the "Black Bomber."
There are a number of Welsh beers and more than 20 vineyards in the country. Most of the vineyards have been started since the 1970s. By contrast, S A Brain and Felinfoel companies have existed since the late 19th century, based on breweries which were yet older.
The Corona company used to make a variety of fizzy drinks in their factory in the Rhondda: the factory has now shut down, but memories of the Corona man, of collecting the bottles to collect the deposits back and of the flavours—especially cherryade and dandelion and burdock—remain, in and around the South Wales Valleys in particular.
Music
Wales is a nation within the United Kingdom sometimes referred to as "the land of song". Wales has a strong and distinctive tradition of folk music related to the Celtic music of countries such as Ireland and Scotland. Wales is particularly famous for harpists, male voice choirs, and solo artists including Sir Geraint Evans, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Dame Anne Evans, Ivor Novello, Madam Adelina Patti, John Cale, Sir Tom Jones, Charlotte Church, Bonnie Tyler, Bryn Terfel, Mary Hopkin, Katherine Jenkins, Meic Stevens, Shirley Bassey and Aled Jones.
The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the National Eisteddfod. This takes place annually in a different town or city. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform.
Traditional music
Welsh folk is known for a variety of instrumental and vocal styles, as well as more recent singer-songwriters drawing on folk traditions.
The most traditional of Welsh instruments is the harp. The triple harp (telyn deires, "three-row harp") is a particularly distinctive tradition: it has three rows of strings, with every semitone separately represented, while modern concert harps use a pedal system to change key by stopping the relevant strings. It has been popularised through the efforts of Nansi Richards, Llio Rhydderch and Robin Huw Bowen.
Another distinctive instrument is the crwth, also a stringed instrument of a type once widespread in northern Europe, which, superseded by the fiddle, lingered on later in Wales than elsewhere but died out by the nineteenth century at the latest.
The fiddle is an integral part of Welsh folk music. Among its modern exponents are The Kilbrides from Cardiff, who play mostly in the South Welsh tradition but also perform tunes from throughout the British Isles.
Pop and rock
In the non-traditional arena, many Welsh musicians have been present in popular rock and pop, either as individuals in groups (e.g. John Cale of the Velvet Underground, Green Gartside of Scritti Politti, Julian Cope of Teardrop Explodes), or as bands formed in Wales (e.g. the Alarm, Man, Budgie , Badfinger), but not until the 1990s did Welsh bands begin to be seen as a particular grouping. Following on from an underground post-punk movement in the 1980s, led by bands like Datblygu and Fflaps, the 1990s saw a considerable flowering of Welsh rock groups (in both Welsh and English languages) such as Catatonia, Manic Street Preachers, Feeder, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals, 60ft Dolls and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.
In particular, BBC Radio 1's Bethan and Huw and BBC Radio Wales' Adam Walton support new Welsh music on their respective networks (currently on Thursday nights 19:30 - 21:00hrs and Sunday night 22:00 - 01:00hrs respectively).
Transport
The main road artery linking cities and other settlements along the South Wales coast is the M4 motorway which also provides a link with England and eventually London. The Welsh section of the motorway, managed by the Welsh Assembly Government, runs from the Second Severn Crossing to Pont Abraham in West Wales, connecting cities such as Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. In North Wales the A55 expressway performs a similar role along the north Wales coast providing connections for places such as Holyhead and Bangor with Wrexham and Flintshire and also with England, principally Chester. The main north-south Wales link is the A470 which runs from Cardiff to Llandudno. Cardiff International Airport is the only large and international airport in Wales, offering links domestically and to European and North American destinations, located some 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Cardiff city centre, in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Raiways
The country also has a significant railway network managed by the Welsh Assembly Government which has a programme of reopening old railway lines and extending rail usage. Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street are the busiest and the major hubs on the internal and national network. Beeching cuts in the 1960s mean that most of the remaining network is geared toward east-west travel to or from England. Services from North to South Wales operate through the English towns of Chester and Shrewsbury. Valley Lines services operate in Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys and surrounding area and are heavily used as commuter lines.
Rail links with England
Wales has numerous rail links with neighbouring England. The following companies currently operate passenger services.
a)First Great Western operates these services from Wales to England:
1)London Paddington to Cardiff Central via Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway and Newport
2)London Paddington to Swansea via Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Neath
3)Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour via Newport, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa and Southampton Central
b)Arriva Trains Wales operates these services from Wales to England:
1)Cardiff Central to Gloucester via Newport.
2)Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly via Newport, Cwmbran, Pontypool and New Inn and Abergavenny to Hereford, Leominster, Shrewsbury and Crewe
3)Aberystwyth to Birmingham New Street via Borth, Dovey Junction, Machynlleth, Caersws and Newtown
4)Swansea to Shrewsbury via Llanelli
5)Welshpool to Shrewsbury via Wellington, Telford Central and Wolverhampton
c)CrossCountry operates:
1)Cardiff Central to Nottingham via Newport, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham New Street and Derby.
2)Cardiff Central to Newcastle via Newport, Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Sheffield and York.
d)Virgin Trains provides services from the North Wales:
1)Holyhead to Birmingham New Street via Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Flint, Chester, Crewe, Stafford and Wolverhampton.
2)Holyhead to London Euston via Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Flint, Chester, Crewe, Stafford, Lichfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Northampton, Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction.
Passengers from the Valleys or from South and West Wales would therefore have to change at Cardiff Central or Newport for destinations throughout the UK.
A new company, Wrexham & Shropshire, is due to commence direct services from Wrexham General, in North Wales, to London Marylebone in spring 2008
Welsh network
Arriva Trains Wales operates all services within Wales. Until recently rail services on the main lines to the South Wales Valleys were operated under the Valley Lines brand but these have also been brought under the Arriva Trains Wales franchise.
Local rail and tram
The only form of suburban rail system in Wales is the Valley Lines network serving Cardiff and the South Wales valleys. However, Cardiff, Swansea and Newport had extensive tram systems until the mid 20th century. Plans were mooted for a modern tram system to serve Cardiff's urban areas in late 1990s but these were shelved due to the costs of building and maintaining such a system. [1][2] The only surviving tram service within Wales is the Great Orme Tramway, a cable hauled tramway in Llandudno which survives as a tourist attraction.
The world's first passenger tram service was the Mumbles Railway in Swansea, initially horse-drawn but later operated by steam and electric trams
Road
South Wales
Wales has 83 miles (133 kilometres) of motorways, all of which are in the south. The major artery is the M4, which enters Wales via the Second Severn Crossing and terminates at Pont Abraham in Carmarthenshire. The M4 in South Wales has 27 junctions and is an important route between the main urban areas in the region. It links Llanelli, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, Bridgend, Cardiff and Newport directly to London and the rest of Southern England and indirectly to the Midlands via the A449, A40 and M50.
Following construction of the new crossing the original motorway bridge, which crosses the river further upstream at Chepstow, was re-numbered the M48 motorway. Upon entering Wales via either motorway it is necessary to pay a toll - currently £5.30 for cars as of 2008. The A48(M) is a small spur from the M4 from West Newport to East Cardiff.
North Wales
The main arteries for North Wales are A494, running from Queensferry (near the English border) to Dolgellau. The road begins from the M56 motorway, connecting North Wales with Chester and Manchester Airport, both in England. More importantly the A55, which runs from Holyhead (for ferry connections to Ireland), Conwy, Llandudno Junction and Rhyl to a junction with the M53 motorway near Chester.
One of the oldest roads the A5 runs from the port of Holyhead south east to Bangor then down through Snowdonia to Betws-y-Coed, Corwen, Llangollen and over the English border south of Chirk. This route has served as the main passage for London-Dublin traffic for many years although its usage has been superseded by the A55 coast road. It's now more famed as a scenic route and notorious for many Bank Holiday traffic jams.
North–South
Two routes serve as the main North-South links. The A483 begins near Swansea and takes a north-easterly route to Ammanford, Llandeilo, Llandovery, Llanwrtyd Wells, Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells, Newtown, Welshpool and Wrexham, finally ending at Chester.
The A470 begins in Cardiff Bay and passes through Cardiff following a north-north western route on to Pontypridd, Abercynon, Merthyr Tydfil, Brecon, Builth Wells, Rhayader, Llangurig, Llanidloes, Llandinam, Commins Coch, Mallwyd, Trawsfynydd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolwyddelan, Betws-y-Coed and terminates at Llandudno. It is a dual carriageway between Cardiff and Merthyr (where it meets the Heads of the Valleys Road, the A465), and the section of this route into Cardiff is heavily used.
Bus and coach network
Wales has an extensive bus system, and buses provide the backbone of the public transport system in the major cities. In Cardiff and Newport the council-owned Cardiff Bus and Newport Transport respectively operate the vast majority of local services, and are two of the few remaining municipally owned bus companies following deregulation in the 1980s. Other major operators in the South Wales area include Stagecoach, which provides services on a number of routes to the South Wales Valleys, and a low-cost coach service from Cardiff to London as part of its Megabus brand.
Other bus companies throughout Wales include First Cymru, Veolia Transport and Arriva North Wales.
National Express offers services from major towns in North Wales to Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London. From South Wales, there are direct services from Cardiff and Newport to Bristol, Birmingham, London, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Swansea and Bridgend are also served by National Express services to London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London and Birmingham.
TrawsCambria is sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government and offers 5 intra-Wales routes which are:- Bangor to Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth to Cardiff via Aberaeron, Lampeter and Carmarthen, Aberystwyth to Cardigan, Barmouth to Wrexham via Dolgellau, Bala, Llangollen, Newtown to Brecon.
Air
Wales has two airports offering scheduled services. Anglesey Airport has a twice daily scheduled service to Cardiff International Airport with a flight time of around 1 hour. Cardiff International Airport is served by regular scheduled services to cities in the British Isles, Europe and North America, as well as many regular charter services. Caernarfon Airport also runs private charter flights.
Ports
Wales has several ports handling significant tonnages or passenger volumes: Milford Haven, Port Talbot, Holyhead, Fishguard, Pembroke Dock, Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. Milford Haven specialises in oil and gas products and fishing; Port Talbot in ores and scrap; Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock in passenger (and car) traffic to and from Ireland. Holyhead is also an important point of shipment for Roll-on/roll-off traffic. Barry has a port that supports its area's chemicals industry and handles containers. Port facilities at Cardiff are still in operation but have declined in relative usage during recent years.
Northern Ireland
is one of the constituent country of the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km²), about a sixth of the island's total area.The population of Northern Ireland was estimated as being 1,710,300 on 30 June 2004. In the 2001 census, 45.6% of the population identified as belonging to Protestant denominations (of which 20.7% Presbyterian, 15.3% Church of Ireland), 40.3% identified as Catholic, 0.3% identified with non-Christian religions and 13.9% identified with no religion. In terms of community background, 53.1% of the Northern Irish population came from a Protestant background, 43.8% came from a Catholic background, 0.4% from non-Christian backgrounds and 2.7% non-religious backgrounds. The population is forecast to pass the 1.8 million mark by 2011.
Northern Ireland consists of six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster. In the UK, it is generally known as one of the four Home Nations that form the Kingdom. Some of these terms have controversial implications in relation to political ideologies concerning the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.
This is a land of blue mountains and forest parks, mazy lakes and windswept moors, white Atlantic sands, an inland sea. In fact, it's a country that is just pretending to be small. Dozens of small towns are hidden away down among the green places of the countryside, and fishing villages string out along the shores. The towers and steeples of parish churches mark the high ground beyond trimmed hedgerows.
Citizenship and identity
People from Northern Ireland are British citizens on the same basis as people from any other part of the United Kingdom (e.g. by birth in the UK to at least one parent who is a UK permanent resident or citizen, or by naturalisation).In addition to British citizenship, people who were born in Northern Ireland on or before 31 December 2004 and most persons born after this date are entitled to claim Irish citizenship.
This was originally as a result of the Republic of Ireland extending Irish nationality law on an extra-territorial basis.
Climate
The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The weather is unpredictable at all times of the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern seaboard of North America. Average daytime maximums in Belfast are 6.5 °C (43.7 °F) in January and 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) in July. The damp climate and extensive deforestation in the 16th and 17th centuries resulted in much of the region being covered in rich green grassland.
Cities
There are 5 major cities are:
1)Armagh
2)Belfast
3)Derry
4)Lisburn
5)Newry
Economy
The Northern Ireland economy is the smallest of the four economies making up the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has traditionally had an industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services, primarily the public sector. Tourism also plays a big role in the local economy. More recently the economy has benefited from major investment by many large multi-national corporations into high tech industry. These large organisations are attracted by government subsidies and the highly skilled workforce in Northern Ireland.
Culture
With its improved international reputation, Northern Ireland has recently witnessed rising numbers of tourists who come to appreciate the area's unique heritage. The heritage of Northern Ireland is largely rural. Ulster people are outdoor people. They spend their leisure time pottering around the coast or going on family expeditions to the mountains at weekends. The rivers are full of fish, with friendly hotels and B&Bs along the banks to welcome anglers at the end of the day, and lively musical evenings in nearby hostelries. For golfers there are the famous fairways of championship courses and whole series of lovely links, many in enchanting cliff-top settings. There are 50 miles of cruising waters on Lough Erne, sailing on Lough Neagh - the biggest lake in the British Isles - sea fishing off Strangford and the Antrim coast, and many other Water sports. You can go cycling and pony trekking along the seashore and backpacking in the Mournes. And if that's too strenuous a thought, try your hand at painting or birdwatching, or touring the gardens and stately homes of Ulster.
For more information, contact the Northern Ireland Tourist Board:
US Office:
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701
New York, NY 10176
Tel: (212) 922-0101 or (800) 326-0036
Fax: (212) 922-0099
Canadian Office:
111 Avenue Road, Suite 450
Toronto, Ontario M5R 3J8
Tel: (416) 925-6368
Fax: (416) 961-2175
In Northern Ireland:
59 North Street, Belfast BT1 1NB
Tel: (011232) 246609 - Minicom (011232) 233228
Fax: (011232) 240960
Tour Operators to Northern Ireland:
Abercrombie & Kent
Tel (708) 954-2944, (800) 323-7308
Fax (708) 954-3324
Aer Lingus
Tel (212) 557-1110, (800) 223-6537
Fax (212) 984-2001
American Airlines Fly-AAway Vacations
Tel (800) 832-8383
Bentley Tours
Tel (213) 258-8451, (800) 821-9726
Fax (213) 255-7204
Brendan Tours
Tel (818) 785-9696, (800) 421-8446
Fax (818) 902-9876
Brian Moore International Tours
Tel (508) 533-6683, (800) 982-2299
Fax (508) 533-3812
British Airways
Tel (718) 397-4000, (800) AIR-WAYS
Fax (718) 397-4364
Britrail Travel International Inc.
Tel (212) 575-2667, (800) 677-8585
Fax (212) 575-2542
Celtic International ToursTel (518) 463-5511, (800) 833-4373
Fax (518) 463-8461
CIE Tours International
Tel (201) 292-3899, (800) CIE-TOUR
Fax (201) 292-0463
CIEETel (212) 661-1712
Fax (212) 972-3231
Destination Ireland
Tel (212) 977-9629, (800) 832-1848
Fax (212) 541-6207
The ETM Travel Group
Tel (203) 454-0090, (800) 992-7700
Fax (203) 454-8840
Five Star Touring
Tel (212) 818-9140, (800) 792-7827
Fax (212) 818-9142
Globus & Cosmos Tourama
Tel (303) 797-2800, (800) 221-0090
Fax (303) 798-5441
Grand Reunion In Ireland
Tel (216) 945-8200, (800) 423-1097
Fax (216) 923-5595
Hudson Holidays
Tel (708) 452-0600, (800) 323-6855
Fax (708) 452-9264
Irish American International Tours
Tel (610) 543-0785, (800) 633-0505
Fax (610) 789-5164
Isle Inn Tours
Tel (703) 836-4800, (800) 237-9376
Fax (703) 836-4812
Journey's Thru Scotland Co.
Tel (714) 499-4410, (800) 521-1429
Fax (714)499-4410
Kenny Tours
Tel (410) 643-9200, (800) 648-1492
Fax (410) 643-8868
Lismore Tours
Tel (212) 685-0100, (800) 547-6673
Fax (212) 685-0614
Lynott Tours, Inc.
Tel (212) 760-0101, (800) 221-2474
Fax (212) 695-8347
Mick Moloney's Irish Folklore Tours
Tel (207) 282-8701, (800) 848-4364
Fax (207) 282-8702
Mr. Burton's Historical Tours
Tel (805) 543-2447, (800) 457-0464
Fax (805) 543-7725
Patricial Journeys
Tel (201) 992-2316, (800) 344-1443
Fax (201) 992-9804
Pearls of Scandinavia
Tel (616) 946-2242, (800) 806-8785
Fax (616) 946-2292
Scots-American Travel Advisors
Tel (201) 768-1187
Fax (201) 768-3825
Showcase Ireland Group
Tel (813) 591-3447, (800) 654-6527
Fax (813) 591-2124
Terry Flynn Tours
Tel (402) 571-9319, (800) 678-7848
Fax (402) 571-3280
Northern IrelandTransportation
By Air
U.S.-Ireland service includes:
Aer Lingus
(800) 223-6537
New York-Shannon, daily; New York-Dublin, daily, both year-round. Boston-Shannon-Dublin service, three times weekly off-peak; six to seven times weekly in peak season. Under consideration for 1995 is New York-Shannon-Belfast service.
American Airlines
(800) 433-7300
Service from Boston, New York (Kennedy), Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles to London's Heathrow, and from Dallas/Fort Worth, Raleigh/Durham and Nashville to London's Gatwick; also Chicago-Manchester year-round and Chicago-Glasgow service, seasonally. Connections to Belfast from Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow are frequent.
British Airways
(800) 247-9297
Service from 18 US cities to London's Heathrow, where British Airways' shuttle service to Belfast operates six times daily. Boston-New York-Glasgow service, five times weekly; British Airways Express' Glasgow-Belfast service, six times dally.
Delta Air Lines
(800) 221-1212.
Atlanta-Dublin-Shannon, once weekly off-peak; four days weekly in peak season. Atlanta-Shannon-Dublin, twice weekly off-peak; three days weekly in peak season.
Sceptre Charters operated by American Trans Air(800) 221-0924
Service from New York (Kennedy)-Belfast; New York (Kennedy)-Dublin, Shannon; New York (Kennedy) -Shannon; Boston-Shannon; Chicago-Shannon, and Chicago-Boston-Shannon, May through September.
By Sea
By Sea
SeaCat
90-minute catamaran service between Belfast and Stranraer, Scotland, on 450-passenger car-ferries, up to four times daily.
Price: $36 for each passenger on foot, one way. US booking agent: BritRail Travel International, (800) 677-8585, (212) 575-2667; fax: (212) 575-2542.
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Stena Sealink
Car-ferry service between Stranraer and Larne, which is a short train ride from Belfast, takes about two hours and 15 minutes, up to nine times daily.
Price: $30 per foot passenger, one-way. US agent: BritRail.
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P&O European Ferries
Two-hour, 15-minute car-ferry trip between Larne and Cairnryan, Scotland.
Price: $30 to $35 per foot passenger, one-way. US booking agent: Scots-American Travel Advisors, (201) 768-1187; fax: (201) 768-3825.
In addition, Belfast and Liverpool, England, are linked by overnight ferry service, and ferries operate between Belfast and the Isle of Man from May to September.
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By Car & Bus
Numerous international car rental firms have offices in Northern Ireland. For example, Avis Europe has a half-dozen locations in Northern Ireland (and about twice that many in the Republic of Ireland).
Touring Ulster by rental car grants clients "freedom and flexibility," in the words of an Avis Europe spokeswoman.
Car rental specials also make it cost effective. For example, Avis' Discover Europe provides guaranteed dollar rates in Northern Ireland starting at $116 for a seven-day rental. Effective through March 31, the rate requires that cars be booked and paid 14 days in advance.
Dan Dooley Rent-a-Car, Ireland's largest family-owned car rental company, operates a location at the Belfast airport and will deliver cars to Larne and the Belfast city airport.
Logan's Coach and Minibus Hire's executive coach travel has been in business for 25 years. The company caters to individuals and groups of all sizes. Some coaches can receive incoming calls for corporate customers.
The following car rental firms have locations in Northern Ireland:
Auto Europe: (800) 223-5555
Avis: (800) 331-1084; (800) 879-2847 in Canada
Budget: (800) 284-2354
Connex: (800) 333-3949; (800) 843-5416 in Canada
Dan Dooley/Kenning: (800) 3319301; (800) 668-2958 in Canada
EuroDollar: (800) 800-6000
Europcar/National: (800) 2277368
Flynn Brothers: (800) 241-3228; (516) 294-6537
Hertz: (800) 654-3001; (800) 2630600 in Canada
Holiday Autos: (800) 422-7737
Kemwel: (800) 678-0678
Languages
English, Irish and Ulster Scots language
Ethnic minority languages
There are an increasing number of ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland. Chinese and Urdu are spoken by Northern Ireland's Asian communities; though the Chinese community is often referred to as the "third largest" community in Northern Ireland, it is tiny by international standards. Since the accession of new member states to the European Union in 2004, Central and Eastern European languages, particularly Polish, are becoming increasingly common.
Education in Northern Ireland
Education in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland. The Northern Ireland system emphasises a greater depth of education compared to the English and Welsh systems.[citation needed] A child's age on the 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education unlike England and Wales where it is the 1 September. Northern Ireland's results at GCSE and A-Level are consistently top in the UK. At A-Level, one third of students in Northern achieved A grades in 2007, compared to one quarter in England and Wales.
Climate
London has a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles, with regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year—unlike the rest of the UK and even the nearby coast. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range at Greenwich of 13.6 °C to 22.8 °C (56.5 to 73.0 °F).High temperatures of up to 38.1 °C (101 °F) were recorded in different parts of London on 10 August 2003. The coolest month is January, averaging 2.4 °C to 7.9 °C (35.6 to 46.2 °F). Average annual precipitation is 583.6 mm (22.98 in), with February on average the driest month. Snow is relatively uncommon, particularly because heat from the urban area can make London up to 5 °C (9 °F) hotter than the surrounding areas in winter. Light snowfall, however, is generally seen a few times every year. London is in USDA Hardiness zone 9, and AHS Heat Zone 2.
Architecture
London is too diverse to be overwhelmingly characterised by any particular architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long period of time and drawn on an inexhaustible range of influences. It is mainly brick built, commonly used the yellow London stock brick or a warm orange-red variety. It is often decorated with carvings and white plaster mouldings.Many grand houses and public buildings like National Gallery are constructed from Portland stone. Some areas of the city, particularly those just west of the centre, are characterised by white stucco or whitewashed buildings. Few structures pre-date the Great Fire of 1666, except for a few trace Roman remains, the Tower of London and a few scattered Tudor survivors in the City. A majority of buildings in London date from the Edwardian or Victorian periods. The 1939 Battersea Power Station by the river in the south-west is a local landmark, while some railway terminals are excellent examples of Victorian architecture, most notably St Pancras and Paddington. A great many monuments pay homage to people and events in the city. The Monument in the City of London provides views of the surrounding area while commemorating the Great Fire of London, which originated nearby. Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, at the north and south ends of Park Lane respectively, have royal connections, as do the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. Nelson's Column is a nationally-recognised monument in Trafalgar Square, one of the focal points of the centre.
Environment
London whic is often termed as green city has a number of open spaces. The largest of these in the central area are the Royal Parks of Hyde Park and its neighbour Kensington Gardens at the western edge of central London and Regent's Park on the northern edge. This park is located near the tourist attractions of Baker Street, where the fictional Sherlock Holmes lived, and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Closer to central London are the smaller Royal Parks of Green Park and St. James's Park. Hyde Park in particular is popular for sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. A number of large parks lie outside the city centre, including the remaining Royal Parks of Greenwich Park to the south-east, Bushy Park and Richmond Park to the south-west and Victoria Park, East London to the east. Primrose Hill to the north of Regent's Park is a popular spot to view the city skyline. The Kenwood House, the former stately home and a popular location in the summer months where classical music concerts are held by the lake, attracting thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the music, scenery and fireworks. In the extreme South East of Greater London, the London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley are noted for their open spaces and extensive wooded areas.
