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• Introduction to Britain
• City of Birmingham
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A Brief Introduction to Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Northern Ireland lies northwest of the rest of Europe. It is separated from the continent on the south and east by the English Channel, the Strait of Dover, and the North Sea. At the Channel's narrowest point France and England are only twenty-two miles apart. No point in England is more than 75 miles from salt water.

England occupies the southeastern three-fifths of the island of Great Britain. Scotland lies to the north of England, and Wales joins it on the west. Northern Ireland lies across the Irish Sea to the west, sharing the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.

Great Britain covers about 94,200 square miles (slightly less than the state of Oregon), while England itself has a land area of 50,871 square miles.

The Highlands of England are part of Europe's oldest mountain chain (called the Caledonian system), extending from the Lake District across Ireland, northern Wales and Scotland, and into Scandinavia.

Lowlands, rolling and broken by hills and low cliffs, are predominant landscape features in England. The Lowlands contain both agricultural land and a densely populated industrial region. The most heavily industrial regions are the plains of Central England called the Midlands, the coal-bearing areas of the North, and the London area.

The climate in Great Britain is generally mild and temperate due to the prevailing southwesterly winds. The weather is subject to frequent changes, however. Temperatures range from a mean of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months to about 60 degrees in the summer.

Britain's incorporation into the Roman Empire after the Roman invasion in 55 B.C. drew Britain into her first active relationship with the Continent. With the fall of the Roman Empire, Britain was vulnerable to periodic attacks until the Norman Conquest of 1066. The development of London as a political, administrative, cultural, and economic center began during this period of Norman rule.

Wales, Scotland, and Ireland were all originally independent kingdoms. English rule over Wales was established in 1282; the practice of naming the Crown Prince of England the Prince of Wales was instituted in 1301 in order to appease the Welsh. The union between the two nations was completed in 1536. England and Scotland were united under one crown in 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England, succeeding his cousin Elizabeth I. In 1707 England and Scotland took the common name of Great Britain, and the Union Jack became the national flag. Dissension between the English and the Irish began in the twelfth century, but the legislative union between Great Britain and Ireland was finally completed in 1801 under the name of the United Kingdom. In 1921 the Anglo-Irish treaty established the Irish Free State, while the six northern and predominantly Protestant Irish counties remained a part of the United Kingdom.

Britain's influence was expanding not only close to home but world wide. The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 firmly established Britain as a major sea power, enabling her not only to protect British trade, but to open up new trade routes. Britain's interest was first attracted to the Far East by the spice trade. It was the search for a better trade route which brought John Cabot to the North American continent in 1498. The British Empire has established most of her territory by the time of the American Revolution. The years of growth following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 brought the United Kingdom to the peak of her power and influence. World War I drastically depleted British resources and undermined the United Kingdom's ability to maintain her dominant role of the previous century. In 1926 the British Commonwealth of Nations was founded when Australia, Canada, and New Zealand gained complete independence, and in 1947 the United Kingdom began an orderly withdrawal from her former colonies.

The British constitution is unwritten, based partially on statute, partially on common law, and on traditions going back to the Magna Carta of 1215.

Executive power is exercised by cabinet ministers selected primarily from among members of the House of Commons, though occasionally from the House of Lords. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the Commons.

Parliament represents the whole country and enacts legislation for the entire country or for any part of it. The maximum term is five years, but the Prime Minister can dissolve Parliament and call for a general election at any time. There are 635 members in the House of Commons which is the focus of all legislative power and controls all financial legislation. The House of Lords has little real power, though it can review, amend, or delay legislation except bills concerning finance. One of its most important functions is to debate public issues.

The judiciary acts independently of the legislative and executive branches of the government, but it has no power equivalent to that of our Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of legislation.

The Labour Party led by Prime Minister Tony Blair is currently the majority party.

The Conservative Party is the Labours' opposition. The Liberal Party offers itself as a moderate alternative to the two leading political parties.