The United Kingdom is located off the northwestern coast of Europe and consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. English is the main language spoken throughout the UK, though Scottish Gaelic and Welsh are also spoken in certain regions. British culture is characterized by a strong sense of humor, mixed cultural influences in cities like London, and traditions like Sunday roasts, fish and chips, and sporting events like soccer and tennis tournaments at Wimbledon.

1. Culture – United Kingdom

3. Geography
• The UK is situated north-west of the European continent
between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.
• Total land area of 244,100 square kilometres. From north to
south it is about 1,000 kilometres long

4. States and territories of United
Kingdom
• The United Kingdom is made up of:
• England- The capital is London.
• Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .
• Wales - The capital is Cardiff.
• Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.
England, Scotland and Wales together form Great Britain.
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland together
form the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland" (UK)

5. Weather and the seasons
• United Kingdom's seasons follow the sequence:
▫ Summer: June to August
▫ Autumn: September to November
▫ Winter: December to February
▫ Spring: March to May
• It rains a lot in United Kingdom, and it can be cloudy. The
weather is unpredictable though its rarely extreme. The rain
doesn’t come all in one season – it can come at any time of
the year, and on any day. You might experience beautiful
sunshine, blustering winds and drizzling rain – all in one
afternoon!

6. People
• British people live in the UK. They are people who live in England, Scotland,
Wales or Northern Ireland.
• British people can also either be English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish (from
Northern Ireland only).
• The British are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech. They are
famous for their politeness, self-discipline and especially for their sense of
humour.
• British people have a strong sense of humour which sometimes can be hard for
foreigners to understand.
• Britain is a country of mixed cultures. London has the largest non-white
population of any European city and over 250 languages are spoken there.
• Therefore not all British people are White or Christians

7. Food
• Traditional English Breakfast (Full English)
eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked
beans and mushrooms
• Traditional English Dinner
meat and 2 vegetables with hot brown gravy
• Sunday Roast Dinner
roast meat, two vegetables and potatoes with
a Yorkshire pudding

8. Sports
• England’s national sport:
– Most popular sport: soccer (football)
• Rugby: this sport used to be played by the rich upper class only
• Tennis: Wimbledon
– Traditionally, visitors eat strawberries and cream while watching the game
brought to Britain from India in the 19th Century by army officers
• Boxing Day Hunts: Traditionally it is a day for fox hunting
– Boxing Day is the following day after Christmas Day

9. Language
• The main language in the UK is, of course, English, which is spoken throughout the whole
country.
• In Wales, some people still speak Welsh; however, since all Welsh people also speak
English, you only need to speak English anywhere in the UK.
• For such a relatively small country, there are a lot of dialects in the UK, and some of them
can be hard to understand, even for English people.
UK dialects include:
1. Cockney - probably the most famous and generally attributed to people from
London
2. Brummy - people from Birmingham
3. Mancunian - people from Manchester
4. West Country - people from Devon, Cornwall and Bristol area
5. Scouser - people from the Liverpool area
6. Geordie - people from Newcastler, Middlesborough and Sunderland
7. Scottish - people from Scotland
8. Welsh - people from Wales

10. Everyday Slang Expressions
• All the world and his wife = A large number of people - we went shopping and seemed to meet the
world and his wife
• Bob's your uncle = There you go - that's all there is to it
• Daft as a brush = Stupid
• Full of beans = Very lively and energetic - she's full of beans today
• Hollow legs = Refers to someone who could seemingly eat all day,
and never fill up - you have hollow legs
• Keep your pecker up = Try to remain cheerful even if times are difficult
• Pipped at the post = Beaten at the last minute
• Spend a penny = Go to the toilet - I need to spend a penny
• Swings and roundabouts = Refers to a situation where positive and negative balances out - it's
swings and roundabouts
• Take the micky (mick/Michael) = to laugh at someone - are you taking the micky?
Thick as two short planks = Stupid
• Thin on the ground = Scarce
• Throw a wobbly = Get very angry
• Works like a Trojan = Works very hard

11. Everyday Slang Words
• Argy-bargy = Heated Argument
• Agro = Hassle
• Back of Beyond = Middle of Nowhere
• Banger = Sausage, Firecracker, or Old Car
• Busker = Street Performer
• Butty = Sandwich (as in a "bacon butty")
• Chuffed = Pleased
• Cuppa = Cup of Tea
• Doddle = Easy Task (as in "that was a doddle")
• Dodgy = Suspect (as in "that looks a bit dodgy")
• Lad = Boy
• Lass = Girl
• Naff = Worthless or Useless
• Over the Moon = Delighted, Elated
•Over the Top (O.T.T.) = Carried Away
•Peckish = Hungry
•Put paid to ... = Put an end to ...
•Quid = One pound sterling
•Rabbit (verb) = To Chat On and On
•Sleeping Policeman = Speed Bump
•Strop = Bad Mood
•Stroppy = Argumentative
•Tad = Little
•Wonky = Unstable (as in "that looks
wonky")
•Yonks = Ages (as in "that went on for
yonks")
•Naaked: Tired & Sleepy
•Piss off: Get Lost

12. Festivals and Holidays
Name Date
New Year's Day 1-Jan
St. Patrick's Day 17-Mar
Good Friday
Variable
Easter Monday
May Day Bank Holiday First Monday in May
Spring Bank Holiday
Last Monday in May
Battle of the Boyne (Orangeman’s Day)
12-Jul
Late Summer Bank Holiday Last Monday in August
Christmas Day 25-Dec
Boxing Day 26-Dec

13. • OFFITIAL NAME : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland
• CAPITAL: London
• TOTAL AREA: 243,610 sq.km
• POPULATION: 64 million people
• HEAD OF STATE: Queen Elizabeth II
• FORM OF GVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy
• LONGEST RIVER: Severn (220 miles)
• HIGHEST POINT: Ben Nevis (1,344 m)
• NATURAL RESOURCES: coal, petroleum, natural gas, limestone
• NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Bank Holidays
• MONEY: basic unit – Great Britain Pound
• NATIONAL SYMBOLS: Flag and Coat of Arms
• NATIONAL ANTHEM: “God Save the Queen”
Facts!!!