Facts about Great Britain

Basic Facts

• Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles. It boasts of being the largest island of Europe and ranks eighth in the list of the largest islands of the world.
• With Ireland to its west, it occupies the largest part of the territory of state that is called United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• Great Britain takes up an area of around 209,331 square kilometers.
• It is the third most populated island of the world. Java and Honshu top the list of the most populated islands of the world.
• The eastern and southern regions of Great Britain are low-lying areas while hills and mountains are found in the northern and western regions.
• Great Britain is separated from Continental Europe by the English Channel.
• Ben Nevis, at a height of 1344 meters is the highest point in Great Britain.
• London is the largest city of Great Britain and also an important financial city of Europe.
• The English constitute a large part of Great Britain's population. The Scottish, the Irish and the Welsh also inhabit Great Britain. Lately, people from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and other parts of the world have started moving to Great Britain, leading to a rise in its population.
• Mainly the English language is spoken in Great Britain. Apart from this, Welsh and Scottish are also spoken.
• Great Britain was developed into a union of Scotland and England. The Acts of Union in 1707 caused the merger of the two countries and led to the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Due to Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed.
• Why the Name Great Britain? Great Britain was known as the land of Albinos and hence its name was Albion. Britannia, the word used by the Romans for the British Isles, gave rise to the name Britain.The word 'great' was prefixed to the word 'Britain' to name the political unit of Britain. So Britain is an island while the geopolitical unit is referred to as Great Britain.

Facts about Great Britain History

• From around 700,000 years ago, traces of the ancient man have been found in Great Britain. We have learned about the Cheddar Man in the history of the Evolution of Man. His skeleton was found in the Cheddar Gorge near Bristol, along with the fossils of antelopes, brown bears and other animals native to Europe.
• How was Great Britain formed? Towards the conclusion of the Pleistocene Ice Age, isostatic depression of the Earth's crust and the melting of glaciers caused the sea levels to rise. Before the Ice Age, Great Britain was a peninsula. The rise in the sea level also resulted in the formation of English Channel. In the Iron Age, Britons who spoke the Celtic language inhabited Great Britain. After being conquered by the Romans, the province later came to be known as the ancient Roman province of Britannia. After the decline of the Roman Empire, the Britons assimilated with the Germanic tribes. They together were called the English people.
• Since the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island has become a unified state, the word British refers to the United Kingdom. In the Nineteenth and the Twentieth century, Great Britain has emerged as a great power.