About London . Review on London

Multicultural Population

The population of the United Kingdom is 56 million. Just as the land is diverse, so are the people. Nearly 15% of the population was born outside of the United Kingdom and have ethnic ties with over 140 countries. This melting pot of cultures range from European groups, particularly Germany and Spain, to immigration from countries across the globe, including Australia, USA, South Africa, Hong Kong, Turkey, Caribbean, Pakistan and India.

History

The

history of the United Kingdom is very ancient, at around 4000 BC a new group of immigrants arrived from Europe. The Roman Empire invaded in 45 AD. Around 410 AD roman power faded and the era known as Anglo-Saxon England began. Little is known of the first several hundred years of the Anglo-Saxon, or "English", era, primarily because the invaders were an illiterate people. Our earliest records of them are little more than highly inventive lists of rulers. We know that they established separate kingdoms, the Saxons settling in the south and west, the Angles in the east and north, and the Jutes on the Isle of Wight and the mainland opposite. They probably thought of themselves as separate peoples, but they shared a common language and similar customs. The Norman era is known for William the Conqueror. He was an innovator in government. He built a strong centralized administration staffed with his Norman supporters. He was also not about to put up with any backtalk from the newly conquered English. He subdued the south and east easily, but the north rose in rebellion. William’s response was the ferocious "Harrying of the North" (1069-70), which devastated the land in a broad swath from York to Durham. The results of this burning and destruction left much of the area depopulated for centuries. The country went through many changes from this time to present day which included the spilt of Christianity into two churches (care of Henry VIII) and the development of the British Empire.

Geography

Much of the United Kingdom is flat or low-lying. Scotland and Wales have more mountains and higher peaks. England can be divided into four main geographic areas. In the north of the country a ridge of limestone hills and valleys, known as the Pennies, stretches from Derbyshire 250 miles north to the border with Scotland. To the west are the Cambrian Mountains and Lakes District. The Midlands is the industrial heartlands and has the second largest city (Birmingham) in the country. The Black Country stretches from the north of Birmingham through Staffordshire and Wolver Hampton. The south-west is a plateau with granite outcrops and a rigged coastline. This area has high rainfall with rich green pastures and Rolling Meadows.The English lowlands are a mixture of farmland, low hills, an industrial belt and densely populated cities. Most of this region is totally flat.

Government and Political System

The United Kingdom is a stable democracy, but voting is not compulsory for those over 18 years of age. Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of any democracy and people have no hesitation in expressing their views on political and controversial issues.

There are three levels of government:

House of Commons

Led by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, responsibilities at this level of government include nation-wide matters such as health, education, defence, trade, foreign affairs and telecommunications.

House of Lords

This level of government consists of Lords Spiritual and more than 1100 Lords Temporal and Lords of Appeal. None are elected by the general population.

The Queen

This monarch is the titular head of state, but the current Queen is a figurehead who acts almost entirely on advice of the ministers and parliament.

Common law is the basis of the legal system.