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The UK is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. It is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Each country of the United Kingdom has its own system of administrative and geographic demarcation, which often has origins before the formation of the United Kingdom itself.
In terms of their geographic distribution, we all know that the UK is an island group in Western Europe, islands constituting the island of the Great Britain and the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Britain – the largest island is the location for the separate countries of England, Scotland and Wales. England lies on the southern eastern part 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.
As for the administrative demarcation, there are three devolved national administrations, each with varying powers, situated in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh; the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively.
In this unit we are going to offer more details on the four countries of the UK, namely England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively in terms of their geographic, administrative and cultural features.
英国是在君主立宪制度和议会制度统治下的一个统一的国家。英国由四个部分组成：英格兰、北爱尔兰、苏格兰和威尔士。英国的每个部分都有自己的行政与地理划分区域，这种划分主要形成于联合王国形成之前。关于地理划分，我们都知道英国是一个西欧的岛国，由大不列颠岛、爱尔兰岛东北部与其他许多小岛组成。其中在面积最大的不列颠岛上，有英格兰、苏格兰与威尔士。英格兰位于大不列颠岛的东南部，苏格兰位于英格兰北部，威尔士位于英格兰西部。北爱尔兰位于爱尔兰海的西部，与爱尔兰共和国共同位于爱尔兰岛上。至于行政划分，英国有三个国家下放行政权力机构，每个机构权责各不相同，分别位于北爱尔兰的首府贝尔法斯特、威尔士的首府加的夫与苏格兰的首府爱丁堡。本单元我们将为大家详细介绍英国的四个部分：英格兰、威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰，主要介绍这四个地区的地理、行政与文化特征。
Population (2008) 51, 446, 000 (UK total 62, 008, 048)
Area 130, 423 km2 (UK total 24, 752 km2)
Population Density 395/km2
The country of England shows dominance over the other three nations in terms of area, population, economy and culture. As a result, it is usually mistakenly used to refer to the UK by foreigners as well as by people in England. But people in the other three nations would always prefer to be called British, Scottish, Irish or Welsh rather than English. So oddly, the English feel the most British and have the weakest sense of themselves as a separate "English" culture as compared with the other three nations.
With regard to geographic view, England consists mostly of lowland terrain which mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in the central and southern part. However, there are uplands in the north and in the southwest. The upland moors of the Pennine Chain in the north region, known as the "backbone of England", divides northern England into western and eastern sectors. There is no peak in England that is 1, 000 m or higher with the highest being 978 m (Scafell Pike). The longest river flowing through England is the Severn (354 km) while Thames is the longest river entirely in England (346 km). There are many lakes in England, the largest being Windermere, within the Lake District in the North West.
As a highly urbanized country, 80% of England's populations live in cities and only 2% working in agriculture. London is situated at the southeast of England. As the capital of the UK, London is also the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and a long history, London is also one of the most bustling financial cities in the world famous for its commercial and manufacturing industries. Other major cities in England also include Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
Today England is governed directly by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, although other countries of the United Kingdom have devolved governments. There exist in England four levels of administrative division today ranging from Region, County, District and Parish; however, such division has only a limited role in public policy. At the highest level, the whole England is divided into nine regions, with London included, that are each made up of a number of counties and districts. The lowest level of parish division is only exercised in parts of England.
人口（2008）51446000（英国共62008048）
面积130423km2（英国共24752km2）
人口密度395人/km2
英格兰是英国四个主要地区中面积最大，人口最多，经济最发达，文化影响力最大的地区。因此很多外国人总是错误地用英格兰来指称整个联合王国，而英格兰人们有时候也犯这种小错误，但是其他三个地区的人们却宁愿被称为不列颠人、苏格兰人、爱尔兰人或者威尔士人，而不是英国人。所以与其他三个地区不同，英格兰文化几乎与英国文化融为一体。
至于地貌特征方面，英格兰中部与南部地区呈低地地形，多低山与平原，而北部与西南部呈高地地貌，北部的高地沼泽奔宁山脉又被称为“英格兰的脊椎”，将北部地区分为东西两部分。英格兰没有1000米以上的高山，最高的斯可费尔峰也只有978米。流经英格兰的最长的河流是塞文河，全长354千米，而泰晤士河是英格兰境内最长的河流，全长346千米。英格兰境内有许多湖泊，其中最大的是位于西北部湖区的温德米尔湖。
英格兰城市化程度很高，拥有约80%的城市人口，只有2%的人口从事农业。伦敦位于英格兰东南部，作为英国的首都，伦敦也是英国乃至欧盟最大的大都市区域。伦敦不仅历史悠久，而且是世界上最繁忙的金融中心之一，并以其发达的商业与制造业闻名于世。英格兰其他主要城市还包括伯明翰、曼彻斯特、利物浦与纽卡斯尔。
和英国其他三个地区不同，英格兰没有自己的地方自治政府，现在直接由英国议会管理。今日的英格兰共有四种不同等级的行政区划，分别是区域等级、郡等级、区等级与教区等级。但是，这种划分方式在实施国家政策方面作用有限。在最高区域等级中，英格兰被分为包括伦敦在内的九个区域，这些区域又被进一步划分为大大小小的郡与区。最低级的教区等级划分只在英格兰的部分地区实施。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 dominance [ˈdɔminəns] n. 优势；支配（地位），统治（地位）
2 Scottish [ˈskɔtiʃ] n. 苏格兰人；苏格兰语
3 Irish [ˈaiəriʃ] n. 爱尔兰人；爱尔兰语
4 Welsh [welʃ] n. 威尔士人；威尔士语
5 terrain [ˈterein] n. 地面；地域；地带；地势
6 metropolitan [metrəˈpɔlit(ə)n] a. 大都市的
7 manufacturing [,mænjuˈfæktʃəriŋ] n. 制造业
Tips
Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
伯明翰，位于英格兰中部奔宁山脉南端，东南距伦敦约160公里。现已发展为仅次于伦敦的英国第二大城市。曼彻斯特，英国纺织业中心，位于英格兰西北部的兰开夏郡内，距伦敦西北约290公里，是英国重要的铁路和航空交通枢纽。利物浦，英格兰西北部城市，为英国第二大港口。纽卡斯尔，英国英格兰东北部港市，纽卡斯尔是英格兰北部的政治、商业和文化中心。
Population (2010) 5, 222, 100 (UK total 62, 008, 048)
Area 77, 080km2 (UK total 24, 752 km2)
Population Density 66/km2
Situated at the northern region of the UK, Scotland (Gaelic: Alba) is the second largest of the four nations, both in population and in geographic area. Scotland has previously been a unified state independent of the UK for a substantial period of history until 1707; therefore people in Scotland have a strong sense of themselves being "Scottish" and the unique "Scottish" culture. It is well-known in the world for its tartan check, bagpipe, whiskey industry. The official language in Scotland is English and the regional recognized languages include Gaelic and Scots.
Geographically speaking, Scotland is the most rugged part of the UK, with Highlands in both south and north and Lowlands in the middle. The highest peak of the UK – Ben Nevis (1, 343m) locates in the northern highlands. The central Lowlands are the location of the Firth of Clyde in the west and the Firth of Forth in the east. The central region is also main farming district in Scotland and boasts several large cities, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, and 90 percent of Scottish population.
Locating in the west of the lowland zone, Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the third largest in the UK. With a population of almost 1.2 million, home to nearly a quarter of Scotland's population, it is not only the commercial center of Scotland, but also an art and cultural center with many buildings and museums of the Victoria style. Edinburgh, the capital city and the second biggest city of Scotland, is located at the east of Scotland near the North Sea. As the political, economical and cultural center of Scotland, the city attracts over 2 million tourists all over the world for its beauty and the annual Edinburgh Festival. Different from England, Scotland has its own devolved government. It has partial self-government within the United Kingdom as well as representation in the UK Parliament. The Scottish Parliament has legislative authority for Scotland, as well as limited power to vary income tax. As for administrative division, Scotland has been divided into 32 Unitary Authority Regions since 1996. The "Region" in Scotland is similar to the "County" in England in nature.
人口（2010）522200（英国共62008048）
面积77080km2（英国共24752km2）
人口密度66人/km2
位于英国北部的苏格兰（盖尔语：Alba）是在人口与面积上均为英国第二的地区。由于苏格兰在1707年之前一直是一个独立自主的国家，因此苏格兰人民族意识很强，拥有独特的苏格兰文化。苏格兰的格子呢、风笛、威士忌世界闻名。虽然苏格兰的官方语言是英语，但是盖尔语和低地苏格兰语也是官方承认的地区语言。
就地貌特征而言，苏格兰是英国最为崎岖不平的地区。北部与南部均为高地，而中部为低地。英国最高的山峰本尼维斯山就位于北部高地，高约1343米。中部低地有西侧的克莱德河湾与东侧的泰河湾。中部低地居住着苏格兰90%的人口，也是苏格兰主要的农业区域，苏格兰最大的城市格拉斯哥与爱丁堡就位于中部低地。
位于低地西部的格拉斯哥是苏格兰最大的城市，也是英国第三大城市，现居人口约120万，占苏格兰总人口的1/4。格拉斯哥不仅是苏格兰的商业中心，也是艺术文化中心，当地有很多维多利亚风格的建筑与博物馆。苏格兰的首府爱丁堡位于苏格兰东部北海附近，也是苏格兰第二大城市。爱丁堡是苏格兰的政治、经济、文化中心，其美丽的风景吸引了超过200万世界各地的游客。此外，游客来这里也是为了参加每年一度的爱丁堡国际艺术节。苏格兰与英格兰不同，通过中央权力下放，有自己的自治政府。苏格兰在位于伦敦的联合王国议会有代表权。苏格兰议会拥有立法权和有限的所得税改动权。至于行政区域划分，苏格兰从1996年分为32个统一管理区。苏格兰的“区”与英格兰的“郡”性质接近。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 previously [ˈpri:vju:sli] ad. 事先；以前
2 substantial [səbˈstænʃəl] a. 多的；大的；大量的；丰盛的
3 tartan [ˈtɑ:tən] n. 格子呢；方格花纹
4 bagpipe [ˈbæɡpaip] n. （乐器）风笛
5 whiskey [ˈ(h)wiski] n. 威士忌酒
6 legislative [ˈledʒis,leitiv] a. 立法的；有立法权的
7 unitary [ˈju:nitəri] a. 单一的；统一的；一元的
Tips
1．Gaelic and Scots
盖尔语与低地苏格兰语均是苏格兰除英语之外的官方语言。盖尔语主要用于苏格兰和爱尔兰等凯尔特文化区，发音类似于德语，分为苏格兰盖尔语和爱尔兰盖尔语。苏格兰盖尔语是高地苏格兰人的传统语言。苏格兰语又称低地苏格兰语，是低地苏格兰人所使用的语言，属于一种日耳曼语族的语言。
2．Edinburgh Festival
爱丁堡艺术节为世界五大综艺节日之一，每年八月举行，为期四周。该节日创立于1947年，为世界上历史最悠久、规模最大的艺术节，所邀请的参展对象包括音乐、舞蹈、戏剧各领域中的顶尖人士以及深具潜力的新秀，也被公认为世界上最具有活力和创新精神的艺术节之一，对推动全球剧场艺术蓬勃发展功不可没。
Population (2010) 3, 006, 400 (UK total 62, 008, 048)
Area 20, 779 km2 (UK total 24, 752 km2)
Population Density 140/km2
Locating at the south west of UK, Wales is the smallest among the three nations of the Great Britain. It is very close to the most densely populated parts of central England and there is no natural boundary between Wales and England, so Wales shares a close political and social history with the rest of Great
Britain. Nevertheless, it has retained a distinct cultural identity. Wales is officially bilingual, the Welsh and English languages having equal status. Spoken by 20% of the population, the Welsh language is an important element of Welsh culture, and its use is supported by national policy.
Most parts of Wales are covered by mountains. There are three mountainous regions in particular: Snowdonia in the northwest, the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, and the Brecon Beacons in the south. Snowdon in the area of Snowdonia is the highest point in Wales at 1, 085m. Wales is much less urbanized as compared with England and has preserved many sites of natural beauty. Wales has three national parks: Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast. It also has five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Cardiff has become the capital city in Wales since 1995, also the youngest capital in Europe. It is the biggest city with around 340 thousand people in Wales and it is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions. Cardiff also has beautiful coastal view and two national parks, so it is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010.
Wales also has its own devolved government. The Government of Wales Act 1998 established devolution in Wales, and certain executive and legislative powers have been constitutionally delegated to the National Assembly for Wales. The scope of these powers was further widened by the Government of Wales Act 2006. Since 1996 Wales has been divided into 22 unitary authorities including counties, cities and county boroughs.
人口（2010）3006400（英国共62008048）
面积20779km2（英国共24752km2）
人口密度140人/km2
位于英国西南部的威尔士是大不列颠面积以及人口最小的地区。威尔士紧邻人口密集的英格兰中部地区，与英格兰没有明显界限，因此威尔士在历史上与大不列颠其他地区有着紧密的政治社会联系。然而，威尔士依然有着自己独特的文化特征。威尔士的两种官方语言威尔士语与英语地位平等。有20%的威尔士人口讲威尔士语，国家政策也支持其使用，可以说威尔士语是威尔士文化的重要组成部分。
威尔士是多山地形，主要分布在三个区域：西北的斯诺登尼亚地区、威尔士中部的坎布瑞安山脉、南部的布雷肯比肯斯。威尔士最高的山峰斯诺登山就在斯诺登尼亚地区，高约1085米。与英格兰相比，威尔士乡土气息较重，保存了多处优美的自然风光。威尔士境内有三处国家公园：斯诺登尼亚、布雷肯比肯斯、彭布罗克海岸国家公园，并且有五处杰出的自然风景区。
自1995年起加的夫成为威尔士的首府，也是欧洲最年轻的首府。加的夫拥有34万人口，是威尔士的主要经济中心，也是大多数威尔士文化与运动机构所在地。加的夫景色秀丽，有两座国家公园，因此也是威尔士最受欢迎的旅游胜地，据统计2010年接待了1830万游客。
威尔士也有自己的自治政府。1998年通过的威尔士政府法案确立了英国在威尔士的权力下放，并将部分行政立法权下放给威尔士国民议会。而相关的权力通过2006年的威尔士政府法案又进一步扩大。从1996年起，威尔士被分为22个一元行政单位，包括郡、市、郡级自治市镇。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 retain [riˈtein] vt. 保留，保持；留住；挡住，拦住
2 bilingual [baiˈliŋɡwəl] a. （能说）两种语言的 n. 通两种语言的人
3 mountainous [ˈmauntinəs] a. 多山的；有山的
4 destination [,destiˈneiʃən] n. 目的地，终点
5 constitutionally [,kɔnstiˈtju:ʃənəli] ad. 宪法上，立宪上；本质地，天性地
Tips
1．Welsh
威尔士语是威尔士的语言，讲威尔士语的，有60万人，不到威尔士总人口的1/4。与通行于爱尔兰与苏格兰部分地区的盖尔语一样，威尔士语是凯尔特语族的语言。作为威尔士的一个殖民地，阿根廷的巴塔哥尼亚也有好一些威尔士语的使用者。
2．Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
杰出自然风景区。指由英格兰环境保护组织“自然英格兰”（Natural England）选定的位于英格兰、威尔士与北爱尔兰的风景壮丽的自然景区。之所以不包括苏格兰地区是因为苏格兰有自己的国家风景区（National Scenic Areas）。
Population (2010) 1, 789, 000 (UK total 62, 008, 048)
Area 13, 483 km2 (UK total 24, 752 km2)
Population Density 140/km2
Northern Ireland (often called "Ulster" after an ancient Irish kingdom which once existed in that part of Ireland) takes up about one-sixth of the island of Ireland and is separated on the east from Scotland by the narrow North Channel. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the southwest – the only land border of the UK. Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four nations both in area and population. Besides English, Irish is also the official language of Northern Ireland.
Geographically speaking, Northern Ireland shapes like a saucer with low central plains surrounded by a ring of coastal mountains. The highest point is Slieve Donard, rising 852m in the southeast. Lough Neagh, which lies near the center of the nation, is the largest freshwater lake in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast, which locates at the northeast corner of Northern Ireland with a population of only 350, 000. Major industries in Belfast includes ship and airplane constructions, telecommunication, technology and trading. It is also home to the largest shipbuilder in the UK – Harland and Wolff.
Northern Ireland has undergone violent political conflict for many years. The troubles are caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant, which takes up the majority of the nation's population. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom, while nationalists wish for it to be politically united with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule. The conflict escalated into armed campaigns between paramilitary groups from 1960s to 1990s. It is not until the signing of the "Good Friday Agreement" in 1998 that the two parties proclaimed to cease fire.
Northern Ireland has devolved government within the United Kingdom. There is a Northern Ireland Executive together with the 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly. As for administrative division, in 1974, Northern Ireland abolished the previous divisions of 6 counties and divided the whole nation into 26 District Council areas.
人口（2010）1789000（英国共62008048）面积13483km2（英国共24752km2）人口密度140人/km2北爱尔兰（常被称为“阿尔斯特”——曾位于北爱尔兰的古代国家名）占爱尔兰岛全部面积的1/6，东部的北部海峡将其与苏格兰分开。爱尔兰的西南部与爱尔兰共和国接壤，这也是英格兰唯一的陆地边境。无论从面积还是人口上来说，北爱尔兰都是英国四个地区中最小的。英语、爱尔兰语是北爱尔兰的官方语言。从地形上看，北爱尔兰很像一个茶托，中间是低的平原，四周被沿海的山脉环绕。境内最高峰是当纳德山，位于北爱尔兰东南部，高852米。内伊湖位于北爱尔兰中部，是英国最大的淡水湖，同时也是欧洲最大的淡水湖之一。北爱尔兰的首府是贝尔法斯特，位于北爱尔兰东北角，仅有35万人口。贝尔法斯特的主要产业有造船业、飞机制造业、无线电通信、技术与贸易。英国最大的造船厂——哈兰德与沃尔夫就位于贝尔法斯特。
北爱尔兰多年来政治冲突不断。主要争端来自民族派与联合派。大多数爱尔兰人都是民族派，民族派多数是天主教徒，主张与爱尔兰共和国统一；大多数联合派人士是新教徒，主张北爱尔兰继续作为联合王国的一部分，但是民族派认为北爱尔兰在制度上应该有自由权，政治上与爱尔兰其他地区一致。20世纪60年代到90年代间，两派的冲突上升为半军事组织之间的武装冲突。直到1998年，通过签订《受难日协议》，两派才宣布停火。
北爱尔兰也有自治政府，包括北爱尔兰行政部与由108名议员成立的北爱尔兰议会。至于行政区域划分，1974年，北爱尔兰废除原来的6个郡，改设为26个自治区。
词汇 Vocabulary
1 saucer [ˈsɔ:sə] n. 茶托；浅碟；（放花盆的）垫盘
2 freshwater [ˈfreʃwɔ:tə(r)] a. 淡水的；内河航行的；无经验的
3 telecommunication [ˈtelikəmju:niˈkeiʃən] n. 电讯；远程通信；无线电通信
4 nationalist [ˈnæʃənəlist] n. 民族主义者；国家主义者；民族独立主义者
5 unionist [ˈju:njənist] n. 工会会员；联合主义者
6 escalate [ˈeskəleit] vi. 逐步增强；逐步升高 vt. 使逐步上升
7 paramilitary [,pærəˈmilitəri] a. 准军事的；辅助军事的 n. 准军事部队
8 proclaim [prəˈkleim] vt. 宣告，公布；声明；表明；赞扬
Tips
1. Irish
爱尔兰语，即爱尔兰盖尔语，在语言分类上属于印欧语系的凯尔特语族，和同属该语族的布列塔尼语、威尔士语、以及苏格兰盖尔语有相当密切的关系。爱尔兰语是爱尔兰的官方语言，同时也是北爱尔兰官方承认的区域语言，使用人口有26万。
2. Good Friday Agreement
1998年4月10日，包括新芬党在内的北爱尔兰各派在多方多年调停下，终于签订《受难日协议》，宣布停火合作，加强北爱地方自治，负责调停的两名北爱尔兰领袖更得到当年诺贝尔和平奖。