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In its early history, Zimbabwe was inhabited by Bantu speakers from about the third century AD. Shona speakers arrived from the south, and became a powerful civilization in the region around the 13th century, and the Karanga dialect grew to dominate. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe emerged as a trading power, but starting around 1250, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe began to take over. The Kingdom of Mutapa took control of the region from about 1450, and became an important trade partner with Arabs and the Portuguese. Relations with the Portuguese led to wars in the 17th century, nearly destroyed the Mutapa Empire. The Rowzi Empire then arose, fighting off the Portuguese and ruling until they were conquered by Ndebele invaders around 1838. The next kingdom to take power was Matabeleland in 1840.

The British arrived in the 1880s, and with a royal charter for British South Africa Company, Matabeleland became Southern Rhodesia in 1898. Though the native people rebelled against the Europeans, Southern Rhodesia became a British colony in 1923. The British united Rhodesia with its other colony, Nyasaland in 1953, but the union was unsuccessful and ended a decade later with the division into three colonies. Southern Rhodesia declared independence from the UK in 1965, and became the Republic of Rhodesia in 1970. The country's independence was not recognized until 1979 when it became Zimbabwe, holding its first elections the following year. Since independence, Zimbabwe has suffered some unrest, particularly under the rule of Robert Mugabe. The Matabeleland Massacres from 1982 to 1985 saw the killing and mistreatment of many Matabele people. There have also been problematic elections in Zimbabwe, including those in 2005.

Neighboring Countries
Zimbabwe shares borders with Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique.

Major Cities
Geography
Zimbabwe is located in southern Africa, in the high plateau and Limpopo and Zambezi basins. Zimbabwe is landlocked, but shares Victoria Falls, which is one of the world's largest waterfalls, with neighboring Zambia in the northwest. Major rivers include the Zambezi River, Limpopo River, Pungwe, and Buzi Rivers. The terrain of Zimbabwe includes savannas, with mountains in the east, with the Eastern Highlands and forests. The highest point in Zimbabwe is Mount Nyangani, which stands 2,592 meters (8,504 feet) above sea level.

Points of Interest
Zimbabwe is home to many natural attractions, including Victoria Falls, which it shares with Zambia, and which is one of the world's biggest. Victoria Falls also offers outdoor recreational activities, from canoeing to rafting, bungee jumping to helicopter rides over the falls. Lake Kariba in the north is a major lake, where vacationers can spend a few days in a houseboat or check out the wildlife. Other sites include Mutoroshanga Ethel Mine and the Chinhoyi Caves. Hwange National Park is home to over 30,000 elephants, as well as many other types of wildlife. A few UNESCO World Heritage sites are located in Zimbabwe, including Matobo Hills National Park near Bulawayo, and Mana Pools National Park in the north.

The Great Zimbabwe Ruins are an archaeological site from the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe, with ruins dating back to the Iron Age.

The capital, Harare, is a busy city center with a few attractions, like the Chapungu Sculpture Park, an art exhibit with sculptures of black serpentine stone, the National Gallery and the Queen Victoria Museum. Other sites in the city include architectural attractions like the Mining Pension Fund Building, and natural attractions like the Kopje, which is a vista point above the city.

Transportation
The main airport in Zimbabwe is Harare International, which offers service to destinations from around Africa and Europe, and some flights to Dubai. There is another international airport in Bulawayo, which serves Johannesburg, while domestic flights are available for transport across the country. Roads into Zimbabwe are often found in disrepair, but it is possible to enter the country via car or bus from South Africa and Malawi. Train is an option for travel between the city of Bulawayo to Victoria Falls, and Hwange National Park. Buses are available for transportation within Zimbabwe, though service is not considered very good. In cities, minibuses are a good, inexpensive option, and some major roads have been improved.

ACOD~20140213

Last Updated : September 05,2020

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In its early history, Zimbabwe was inhabited by Bantu speakers from about the third century AD. Shona speakers arrived from the south, and became a powerful civilization in the region around the 13th century, and the Karanga dialect grew to dominate.

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It is said that the island we know as the United Kingdom (UK), today came into existence around 6,500 BC, when it was separated from the rest of Europe by the formation of the English Channel.

In the Roman Britain period, from 43 to 1065 AD, Roman rule covered much of England and Wales.

In the Anglo-Norman period and the Middle Ages, from 1066 to 1347, Duke William of Normandy, known as William the Conqueror, defeated King Harold of England and ruled over England and Scotland. In 1215 the Magna Carta (a royal charter of political rights) was signed and is considered to be the foundation of the parliamentary system of government.

In the Late Medieval period, from 1348 to 1484, the bubonic plague, also called the Black Death, spread through England, Wales, and Scotland and killed almost one-third of the entire population.

In the period of the Tudors from 1485 to 1713, Henry Tudor, also known as Henry VIII, defeated Richard III, and assumed sovereignty of England, and in 1534 he became the head of the Church of England after separating the English Church from Rome. In 1588 the colonization of territories by Britain began with the Virginia colonies. In 1603 Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, died without leaving a successor, and then the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was King James VI of Scotland, succeeded as James I, King of England - The first King of Great Britain.

In the period of the Georgians, from 1714 to 1836, during the reign of King George I, a role similar to that of the present day prime minister was assumed by Sir Robert Walpole. In 1801, by an act of the Union, Ireland was brought into the UK and the country became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

In the Victorian period from 1837 to 1900, Queen Victoria, the second longest-reigning British monarch introduced a number of constitutional changes. The People's Charter was based on these changes and though it was rejected many times in the Parliament, eventually five out of the original six demands in the Charter became part of the Constitution of Britain. This was also the period of the Industrial Revolution which led to the domination of Britain over a large part of the world.

The early 20th Century from 1901 to 1945, saw the start and end of the two world wars which took their toll on the economy of the UK. In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated as king in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, as the Church of England would not permit him to marry a divorcee. His younger brother came to the throne as King George VI.

The Post World War II period started in 1946 and continues into the 21st century. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne after the death of her father King George VI. In September 2015, she became the longest reigning British Monarch. The economy was nationalized when the Labour Party came to power after World War II. When the Conservative government was in power during the years of Margaret Thatcher, the national industries were privatized. These were also the years in which Britain let go of most of its colonies and dismantled the 'empire,' which at its peak had covered nearly one-fourth of the world at that time.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or the United Kingdom (UK) is part of the European continent as seen in the map of United Kingdom. It is bound in the North and West by the North Atlantic Ocean, in the South by the English Channel and in the East by the North Sea as represented in the United Kingdom Map. It is linked to France, which is only 22 miles (35 km) across the English Channel by a tunnel under the sea, and shares an international boundary with Ireland. Both are shown on the map of United Kingdom.

The geographic coordinates of the country are 54 degrees 00 minutes north and 2 degrees 00 minutes west. The northernmost point of the country is Out Stack on Shetland Island, while the southernmost point is Western Rocks on the Isles of Scilly, and the easternmost point is Lowestoft Ness in Suffolk, while the westernmost point is Soay on the archipelago of St. Kilda. The entire mainland part of the country lies between the 49 degrees north and 59 degrees north latitude, and 8 degrees west to 2 degrees east longitudes.

The prime meridian which is also called the Greenwich Meridian, or the International Meridian, passes through the UK. The standard time zone in the country thus has no offset from the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The entire country follows one time zone in the winter, the WET-Western European Time (UTC +0).

However in summer, daylight saving time sets the clock forward by 1 hour, and the time zone is then called BST - British Summer Time (UTC +1). This time zone is the same as WEST - Western European Summer Time (UTC +1). In the UK daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday of March, and ends on the last Sunday in October each year. Note, this clock forwarding does not apply to the overseas or dependent territories of the UK.

The United Kingdom Map highlights rivers in the UK are not very long since the country is an island. Important east-flowing rivers that flow into the North Sea are the Thames, Great Ouse, Trent, Ouse, Tyne and Tweed, with the Severn and the Wye rivers flowing westwards into the Atlantic Ocean. Technically the longest river in the UK is the Severn, while the deepest is the Thames, and is navigable as far inland as London. The rivers are marked on the map of United Kingdom.

The map of UK shows the largest lakes , are the Windermere and Rutland Water in England; Llyn Trawsfynydd and Lake Vyrnwy in Wales; Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in Scotland, and Lough Neagh and Lower Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the UK, and Loch Ness is famous for its sightings of the mythical creature 'Nessie.'

Despite its relatively small size, the UK is home to a number of different habitats, which include coastal habitats like sand dunes and salt marshes; lowland grassland and lowland heathland habitats; freshwater and lowland habitats like rivers, lakes, fens, and raised bogs, upland habitats like blanket bog, limestone pavements, and woodland habitats like mixed deciduous, native pinewood, and wood pastures. These habitats are home to thousands of species of flora and fauna.

Iconic flora of the UK is oak, elm, ash, beech, pine, and birch trees. The iconic fauna is; fox, deer, hare, hedgehog, rabbit, weasel, stoat, shrew, rat, and mice. Larger animals like wolf, bear, boar, and reindeer, have become extinct from the country. Among the declining bird species, the pheasant, partridge, and red grouse are protected as game birds even today.

There are 15 National Parks in the UK, 10 are in England, three in Wales, and two in Scotland. The National Parks in England see a great many visitors each year.

The popular National Parks are; the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, the North York Moors, the South Downs, Dartmoor, Northumberland, the Broads, the New Forest, the Peak District, and Exmoor. The Welsh National Parks are; The Brecon Beacons, the Pembrokeshire Coast, and Snowdonia. The two National Parks in Scotland are, the Cairngorms National Park and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park.

Culture of United Kingdom

Traditional food in the UK has been facing competition from recipes brought into the country from around the world, to the extent that today it is said that curry is the most popular dish in England. Most of the traditional dishes in the UK are based on meat, fish, potatoes, butter, and eggs.

An interesting fact about meal times in the UK is that the three meals of the day were traditionally called breakfast, eaten in the morning; dinner, which was the main meal in the afternoon; and tea, which was the evening meal. Today they are referred to as breakfast, lunch, and supper.

In the early 1960's, the Beatles arrived on the UK music scene, and since then Pop music has been an integral part of British culture. Given the multicultural composition of the UK today, there are several other genres of music that are popular in the country. In alphabetical order they include Bhangra, BritPop, Garage, Glam Rock, Goth, Grunge, Hip Hop, Indie, Madchester, Mods, Northern Soul, Progressive Rock, Punk, Rockers, Ska, Soca, and Techno.

The UK is home to some of the biggest legends of the music world, including: Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Sir Elton John, and Pete Townsend. Many world-renowned bands hail from the UK, including The Beatles, Queen, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, The Who, The Clash, and the genre-defining,Led Zeppelin.

Art in the UK has been greatly impacted by European traditions, and a classification of British art separate from the European styles is extremely difficult. Thus, the art movements of Europe which have also had an influence on British art are Medieval and Gothic Art, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classical, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Bauhaus, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism and Post-Modernism which is continuing till today.

However three British art movements which began in the UK are: the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848-1854), the Arts and Crafts Movement (1861-1914), and Pop Art (1955-1985).

Some of the most renowned British painters are: William Hogarth (1697-1764), Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), George Stubbs (1724-1806), Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), John Constable (1776-1837), J.W.M. Turner (1775-1851), John Sell Cotman (1782-1842), Samuel Palmer (1805-1881), Sir Stanley Spencer (1891-1959), Richard Hamilton (1922-2011) and David Hockney (1937- ).

Some of oldest sculptures found in the UK are the massive stone crosses believed to have been carved between 500 and 1000 AD. Stone, marble, bronze, wood, ceramic, and metal are among the diverse media that have been commonly used for sculpting in the UK.

Some of the finest British sculptors are Nicholas Stone (1586-1647), John Bushnell (1630-1701), Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), Joseph Wilton (1722-1803), Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823), John Bacon (1740-1799), John Flaxman (1755-1826),Sir Richard Westmacott (1775-1856), Matthew Cotes Wyatt (1777-1862), Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey (1781-1841), John Gibson (1790-1866), Samuel Joseph (1791-1850), Alfred Stevens (1817-1875), George Frederick Watts (1817-1904), Alexander Munro (1825-1871), Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), Henry Moore (1898-1986), Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sir Anthony Caro (1924-2013 ), Antony Gormley (1950- ) and Anish Kapoor (1954- ).

Like many aspects of its culture, British architecture has been influenced by the nation's long and diverse history. Broadly the architectural styles in the UK correspond to its historical periods, and are classified as Pre-Roman, of which Stonehenge is the most famous example and can be located on the map of United Kingdom; Roman, of which the Hadrian's wall is an example; Anglo-Saxon, characterized by high and narrow structures; Norman, characterized by rounded arches; Gothic, which was influenced by France; Vernacular, which was constructed in wood; Tudor, in which the focus shifted from defense to entertainment structures; Stuart, which was influenced by the Palladian style of Italy; Georgian, which was influenced by the European Palladianism; Victorian, in which steel was introduced; 20th Century, characterized by non-symmetrical designs; Modernism, in which reinforced concrete frames were introduced; High-Tech, which was used for commercial buildings; Post Modern, which led the construction boom of the shopping malls and office complexes; and current, which focuses on building sustainable structures.

Some of the well-known British architects are Inigo Jones (1573-1652), Christopher Wren (1632-1723), Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661-1736), Thomas Archer (1668-1743), Colen Campbell (1676-1729), William Kent (1685-1748), Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (1716-1783), Robert Adam (1728-1792), James Wyatt (1746-1813), Humphrey Repton (1752-1818), Charles Barry (1795-1860), Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), A.W. Pugin (1812-1852), William Butterfield (1814-1900), G.E. Street (1824-1881), Sir Richard Rogers (1933- ), Sir Norman Foster (1935- ), Sir Terry Farrel (1938- ), Will Alsop (1947- ), Zaha Hadid (1950-2016 ), Eric Parry (1952- ), David Chipperfield (1953- ) and Sunand Prasad (1962- ).

In the UK, the eras of literature can be classified into Gothic, Medieval, Renaissance, Restoration, Romantic, Victorian, and the Modern period.

It is contended that some of the world's greatest writers and poets have come from the UK. This claim is difficult to refute with names like: Geoffrey Chaucer (1342/43-1400), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), John Milton (1608-1674), Daniel Defoe (1660-1731), William Wordsworth (1770-1850), Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), Jane Austen (1775-1817), Lord Byron (1788-1824), Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), John Keats (1795-1821), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1895), H.G. Wells (1866-1946), William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), E.M. Forster (1879-1970), Sir P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975), Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930), Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), George Orwell (1903-1950), Graham Greene (1904-1991) and Dylan Thomas (1914-1953).

And added to the list are Nobel Prize winners in Literature from the UK: Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), John Galsworthy (1867-1933), T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), Patrick White (1912-1990), Elias Canetti (1905-1994), Sir William Golding (1911-1993), Sir V.S. Naipaul (1932- ), Harold Pinter (1930-2008), and Doris Lessing (1919-2013).

From the spangled silk gowns of the days of yore, to the style of the swinging sixties and Punk style, the fashion scene in the UK has seen it all. Some of the most famous fashion designers and brands from the UK are Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Burberry, Christopher Kane, Mary Quant, Matthew Williamson, Katharine Hamnett, Jonathan Saunders, and Paul Smith.

While some well-known fashion boutiques for women in the UK are: A La Mode, Bernard, Celestine Eleven, Feathers, Genevieve, Mechant Archive, Mooi, Rewind Vintage Affairs, The Gathering Goddess, and Twentyone St. Johns Wood, all in London; Changing Room, in Tunbridge Wells; and Please Don't Tell, in Belfast. Two boutiques which cater to men are Shefton Men in London, and Zoo in Ilford.

Some of the famous boutiques for both men and women's fashion are: the Box Boutique, Browns, B Store, Diverse, Hostem, House of Liza, Labour of Love, Larizia, Layers, Old Curiosity Shop, Press, Primitive London Ltd, Start, The Library, The Old Shoreditch Station, Ursa Loves all in London; Autograp in Birmingham; Pollyanna in Barnsley; Seasons in Sheffield; Giulio in Cambridge, and The Editeur in Chester.

Due to the influence of its history and the rich tradition of literature, cinema in the UK has favored some genres over others. Broadly, the British films can be classified into Action, Adventure, Drama, Animation, Biopic, Documentary, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy (including romantic comedy), Family, Crime, Horror, Science, Thriller and Musical.

One of the iconic characters of British cinema is the world's most well known MI6 spy, Secret Agent, James Bond, code named '007'.

Other famous film actors from the UK are: Sir Lawrence Olivier, Anthony Jeremy Brett, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Roger Moore, Dame Judy Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Jeremy Irons, Micheal Caine, Emma Thomson, Kate Winslet, Emma Watson, Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Grant, Daniel Craig, Daniel Radcliffe and Benedict Cumberbatch. Sir Sean Connery is a well-known Scottish actor. Two well-known Welsh actors are Sir Anthony Hopkins and Katherine Zeta-Jones.

Some famous British film directors are: Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Richard Attenborough, David Lean, Ridley Scott, Danny Boyle, Mike Leigh, and Ken Russell.

Sports are very popular in the UK. Some of the most popular sports are; football (soccer), rugby, cricket, tennis, squash, golf, horse racing, motor sports, darts, boxing, athletics, and chess.

Some of the UK's best-known sporting icons are: Sir David Beckham and Sir Bobby Charlton (football), Sir Stephen Redgrave (rowing), Lester Piggott (horse racing), Ian Botham (cricket), Sir Sebastian Coe and Paula Radcliffe (middle-distance and long-distance running), Lennox Lewis (boxing), Daley Thomson (decathlon), Mo Farrah (middle-distance running), Nick Faldo (golf), Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean (ice-skating), and Fred Perry and Andy Murray (tennis).

Famous Brits

10 Britons who are considered most influential by the British public are: Sir Winston Churchill, a politician, soldier, artist and former Prime Minister; Isambard Kingdom Brunel, an extraordinary Victorian engineer; Princess Diana of Wales; Charles Darwin, a naturalist; William Shakespeare, a playwright and poet; Sir Isaac Newton, a mathematician and scientist; Queen Elizabeth I who reigned over England from 1558-1603; John Lennon, a musician and composer; Horatio Nelson, a British naval hero; and Oliver Cromwell, a military, political, and religious figure.

Transport and Communication of United Kingdom

With about 397,039 km (245,709 miles) of roads, the UK had the 20th-largest road network in the world in 2017. The country has a system of trunk roads which are maintained by the highway authority, and non-trunk roads which are maintained by the local authorities. Based on their grading, the roads are classified into three categories; motorways, A-roads, and B-roads.
UK Road Map...

The UK is ranked 18th in the world, with its 16,320 km ( 10,141 miles) of railway tracks. The main railway stations in the country are; Paddington Station, Waterloo Station, London Bridge Station, King's Cross Station, Liverpool Street Station, Victoria Station, Euston Station, and Charing Cross Station in London; Glasgow Central Station in Glasgow; Birmingham New Street, in Birmingham, and Leeds City Station, in Leeds.
UK Rail Map...

With 460 airports, as per the year 2013 data, and 28 registered air carriers, the UK is ranked at number 18 in the world. Twenty four of the airports are international commercial airports, and based on the volume of passengers, the largest are; London Heathrow, London; London Gatwick, London; Manchester, Manchester; London Stansted, London; London Luton, Luton, Bedfordshire; Edinburgh, Edinburgh; Birmingham International, Birmingham; Glasgow International, Glasgow; Bristol International, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon, Liverpool.

As an island nation, the UK has about 7,723 miles (12,429 km) of coastline, and over 1,988 miles (3,200 km) of waterways. However, only about 385 miles (620 km) of the waterways in the country are used for commercial activities. Some of the country's well-known ports are; Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, and Teesport in England; Milford Haven in Wales, and Forth Ports in Scotland.

The UK has several oil terminals, including; Fawley Marine terminal, and Liverpool Bay terminal in England, Braefoot Bay terminal, Finnart oil terminal, and Hound Point terminal in Scotland.

By March 2019, the United Kingdom had 60 operating satellites (as per the UCS Satellite Database).

The international country code for the UK is 44. There were 33.14 million telephone lines in use, and 79.10 million mobile cellular connections in the country according to 2017 International Telecommunications Union (ITU) data.

The internet country code for the UK is '.uk,' and as per 2017 data, 26.01 million people used the fixed line broadband internet connection in the country.

In the UK there are no specific criteria to define a city, and even today city status is granted by the British Monarch. Thus, many cities included in the official list of 66 UK cities would be considered 'towns or villages,' by the rest of the world. For example, St. David's, in Wales, with a population of just 2,000, is the smallest city in the UK.

By global standards, some of the largest cities in the UK are; London, Birmingham, Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bristol, Liverpool/ Merseyside, Leicester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. These cities can be located on the map of United Kingdom.

Interestingly, not classified as cities in the UK are: Reading, Berkshire, Dudley, West Midlands, Northampton, East Midlands, Luton, Bedfordshire, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Bournemouth, Dorset, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Swindon, Wiltshire, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Poole, Dorset, Middlesbrough, and North Yorkshire, yet nearly anywhere else in the world they would be considered cities.

United Kingdom Facts

Quick Facts

Official Name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Lat Long 51.5000 N, 0.1167 W

Area 242,495 km ² (93, 628 sq mi )Water (%) 1.34

Official Languages English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Ulster Scots

Major Religion Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduismism Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.)

National Day 12. April 1927

Form of Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Prime Minister Boris Johnson since 2019

Currency Pound Sterling (GBP)

GDP $2.569 trillion (2014 est.)

Time Zone GMT (UTC) Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)

What is the Official name of UK
The official name of UK is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Where is United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country consists of the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many other smaller islands as shown in the map of United Kingdom.

What is the capital of United Kingdom?
London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. Covering an area of 607 square miles, it is the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. It is located on the River Thames.

London is the largest financial center in the world, almost on par with New York. It has the fifth-largest GDP in compared to the other wealthy cities in the world. Fashion, cuisine, tourist places, and art and architecture of the city attract a million visitors; it is the most-visited city in the world. The Tower of London, Kew Gardens, Palace of Westminster, St Margaret's Church, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, and Trafalgar Square are the major attractions. Some of these places are shown on the map of United Kingdom.

How big is United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom covers a total area of 94,060 square miles. The country has a coastline of 11,073 miles. As per census in 2011, the country had a population of 63.18 million.

What are the ethnic groups in United Kingdom?
The majority of the population of the United Kingdom is composed of whites. The minority ethnic groups in the country include South Asians, Blacks, and Chinese.

What are the administrative divisions of United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom comprises four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as seen in the United Kingdom Map, and fourteen overseas territories. Each country has its own system of administration.

Who are the political leaders of United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is a unitary parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.

Monarch - Elizabeth II
Prime Minister - Boris Johnson

What is the official currency used in United Kingdom?
The pound sterling denoted by the ISO 4217 code GBP is the official currency of the United Kingdom. It is commonly called the pound and is the currency of the Crown dependencies as well as the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It is subdivided into 100 pence.

What is the official language of United Kingdom?
English is the official language of the United Kingdom. Scots, Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Cornish are the other languages spoken in the country.

What is the official religion of United Kingdom?
Christianity is the dominant religion of the United Kingdom. The Anglican Church of England is the established church in the country. The other major religions in the country include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism. The Presbyterian Church of Scotland is the national church of the country.

What is the economy of United Kingdom like?
The United Kingdom is the fifth-largest economy in the world with a high per capita GDP. In 2017, its gross domestic product (nominal) was estimated at a total of $2.638 trillion, while the nominal GDP per capita was $10,749. The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and issues the national currency, the pound sterling; it is the world's third-largest reserve currency.

Services sector is the largest sector, accounting for around seventy-nine percent of the GDP. Tourism is a significant part of the economy; the United Kingdom is the sixth-most visited country in the world. London draws the maximum number of international visitors of any city.

The country also has a large automotive and aerospace industry. The pharmaceutical industry is also a significant part of the economy. The United States, Germany, Netherlands, France, Ireland and China are its major trading partners.

When is the national day of United Kingdom celebrated?
The United Kingdom does not have any official national day, though proposals have been made for the same. Presently, the Queen's official birthday is celebrated as a national day. The four countries of the United Kingdom have their own national days, including St George's Day in England, St Andrew's Day in Scotland, St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland and St David's Day in Wales.

Note: Since Brexit, the UK is in the mode of transition from the being a part of EU. It is estimated this will last till the end of 2020.

Last Updated on: September 19, 2020

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It is said that the island we know as the United Kingdom (UK), today came into existence around 6,500 BC, when it was separated from the rest of Europe by the formation of the English Channel. In the Roman Britain period, from 43 to 1065 AD, Roman rule covered much of England and Wales.

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Share your answers to questions from Zimbabwe  here

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Share your answers to questions from Zimbabwe  here

# data[].attributes.body
Remember to read the answers  to the questions you asked. Has anything surprised you?

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What do you want to know about your partner class or country? Post your questions here

# data[].attributes.subject
What do you want to know about your partner class or country? Post your questions here

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Discuss and agree on 5 pictures to  describe your school or local area. 

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Discuss and agree on 5 pictures to  describe your school or local area. 

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Don't forget to tell us the name of the place you are describing and give reasons for your choices

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Explore the map and share your ideas of what you think Zimbabwe is like? (think about homes, jobs, nature, industry, landscape, leisure, sport, transport, buildings, animals)

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Explore the map and share your ideas of what you think England is like? (think about homes, jobs, nature, industry, landscape, leisure, sport, transport, buildings, animals)

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You have a national park in Zimbabwe. What animals are protected in the park? What types of wild animals do you have in Zimbabwe as a whole?

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How have you adapted your homes for climate change? Here we reduce our energy use by switching off our lights, use less water, plant a tree and spread the word.

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Earlswood Lakes near St Patrick's CE Primary Academy 

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Earlswood Lakes near St Patrick's CE Primary Academy 

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This is within 2 miles of our school. It is man- made to feed a local canal and owned and maintained by the Wildlife Trust. Lots of visitors enjoy walking around 3 lakes for exercise, fishing and the wildlife. Birds that live on water breed there including Grebes, ducks and swans. Two of the lakes are linked by a road to houses.

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Rujeko Primary  - questions from pupils at St Patrick's CE Primary Academy

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Rujeko Primary  - questions from pupils at St Patrick's CE Primary Academy

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What age group are you? Are you a mixture of ages? How big is your school. Is your school in a town or village? Do you have access to a computer suite for the classes? What is the surrounding area like around the school? Is it a green land or brown because of the heat? Do you have a playground or field? What age group do you move to a Secondary School if that is your system?

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Climate Change issues at St Patrick's CE Primary Academy.

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Climate Change issues at St Patrick's CE Primary Academy.

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We tend to get weather events with storms and gale force winds. The rainfall is horrendous and we get massive rainfall in a short period of time. Our school flooded 2-3 years ago and we had to shut the school for a whole week while the school dried out and had to be redecorated. We had a months rainfall in 3 hours.
We are also prone to intense heat weather events where it can be too hot to venture outside.

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This is our Trim trail which is an activity centre within our school grounds. We use it when we get rewarded as a class e.g. star of the week, golden class time, at lunch times small groups are allowed on.
Just in front of it is our wildlife garden that invites bugs and birds to live and eat. The bees enjoy the pollinating plants.

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We spent some time looking at maps and pictures of Zimbabwe and we were surprised at what we found! We thought it would be more dusty and desert-like but there are actually lots of plants, especially in the cities- much more than we have in the built up areas near us. The buildings were much taller than we expected and the cities look really similar to those in our country, just a bit more sunny!  It is quite built up and busy and we could see business people going to work: it looks very industrial and new. People seem to be doing similar jobs to those that we do in our country. We also think people in Zimbabwe like football like we do. There are lots of roads and cars and some of the houses look like ours too.
There are lots of beautiful, impressive looking hotels; we would like to stay in for our next residential!
We saw waterfalls that were amazing and lots of cool animals like elephants, lions, hippos and tapirs.

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This stone sits outside our school. We feel proud of it because it is like our very own landmark.

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This plaque commemorates Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould because he wrote the famous hymn Onward Christian Soldiers so children from our school could march up the hill to it on Pentecost. It makes us feel special because not every school has their very own hymn that was written especially for them.

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This is a picture of Coxley Woods near our school and we think it represents the nature in our area. Animals like hedgehogs, crayfish, ducks, squirrel, foxes and frogs live there. There are lots of different trees and birds too. We also go there to do outdoor learning which is lots of fun. We do things like build dens, hunt for animals, plants and minibeasts, learn survival skills build dams and do science experiments in the stream. We also love to play games there like line of sight!

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We explored the map and discovered that England is part of the European continent. It is an Island, bound in the North and West by the North Atlantic Ocean in the South by the English Channel and in the East by the North sea. Britain is not a land locked country because it has sea ports including the port of London, Liverpool.
Its big cities include, London, Birmingham, Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bristol, Liverpool, Merseyside, Leicester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are different modes of transport including airways, railways,  motorways and waterways. Waterways in the country are mostly used for commercial activities. Most jobs include accountancy, business, charity, agriculture, voluntary work, creative art and design and many more. In Britain, most most homes are apartments, skyscrapers houses, caves, castle, cabins and chalets. The traditional dishes are based on meat, fish, potatoes, butter and eggs. Curry is the most popular dish. Leisure activities include fishing, cinema and sport.  Most popular sports include football, rugby, cricket, tennis, squash, golf, horse racing, motor sport, darts boxing, athletics and chess. Pop music is the integral part of music culture although there are several other genres of music including Bhangra, Britpop, Hip hop, rockers, progressive rock etc.

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Helen McGhie Primary School Administration Block

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Helen McGhie Primary School Administration Block

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The administration block is a compact block that include the reception, Head's office,  Deputy's office and the account's office. This is where the school management takes place. Planning, coordination and orientation takes place in the administration block. It sets the tone of our school. From its appearance, it tells the visitor, what type of a school is Helen McGhie.

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In the school garden we plant different types of crops including maize and different types of vegetables under the two curriculum subjects namely Agriculture and Science. School gardens reconnect us with the natural world and the true source of our food and teach us valuable gardening and agriculture concepts and skills that integrate with several other subjects  as well as several educational goals, including personal and social responsibility. Under Agricultural topics like Climate and Land use, we describe climate change, identify changes in agricultural activities as a result of climate change. Most importantly we implement strategies to mitigating climate changes in the school garden thus taking part in global effort to fight the common challenge.

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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Computer Laboratory enables global learning through various technologies. ICT is a subject in the curriculum. It is also integrated into other learning areas across the curriculum. In the computer laboratory we interact with different technologies and engage on research. We research on global challenges like Climate change. We are in a world of technology, therefore we learn to become global citizens through technology.

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Culture village portrays our cultural heritage practices. Our school is a town school, therefore , the culture village teaches us about our rural home settings. Items found on the culture village include hunting tools like bows, arrows and spears. Other items include traditional kitchen utensils like clay pots, wooden cooking sticks and wooden plates. Indigenous farming tools like hoes, wooden plough are also found. Culture village teaches us cultural diversity and tolerance.

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Questions from Helen McGhie School to Horbury Bridge Academy

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Questions from Helen McGhie School to Horbury Bridge Academy

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1. Where is your school located?
2. Is it  located in a rural or city setup?
3. How big is the school in terms of the enrolment?
4. What is the age group of your learners?
5.What is the range of your percentage pass rate for the past five years?
6.What is the administrative structure of your school?
7. What is the responsible authority for your school? Is it council, Government, Private, etc
8.How many subjects / learning areas do you take?
9.Which sporting activities does your school offer?
10. What efforts are you putting in place as a school to deal with global challenges like climate change.

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Some of our children do litter picking on our school grounds during their lunch, do you have problem with litter?

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Our school is had its beginnings 1875 when the school building was a tiny little house to where we are today. 

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Our school is had its beginnings 1875 when the school building was a tiny little house to where we are today. 

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Has your school building got a history?

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Questions from Balsall Common Primary School

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Questions from Balsall Common Primary School

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Do you have packed lunch or can you eat hot dinners at school?
How to children get to/ from school?
What subjects do you have?
How many children in your classes?
Are classes mixed, boys and girls?
Are classes mixed by age?
Describe your playground and what do you do during break?
How long are your school days?
How many days a week do you attend school?
Do children have to wear a school uniform?
Does school provide children with resources (pens, paper/ books etc)?
What is the temperature difference during seasons?

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Balsall Common Primary School - climate change issues: Pollution, Waste and litter. Reduction in wildlife.

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Balsall Common Primary School - climate change issues: Pollution, Waste and litter. Reduction in wildlife.

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Pollution:
Our school is by a busy road and majority of our parents drive to drop off/ collect their child vs walking. In many cases the idle the car during this process. With the lead of our Year 2 school councillors, we are starting a 'clean our air' campaign.

Waste and litter:
Too much plastic in lunch boxes that is not taken home or put in bins plus too much food waste from children.

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We are currently experiencing high temperatures. This is proven by our weather station recordings for these early days of December. In the past years, we used to experience high temperatures in  Mid August to Mid November.  This used to be our hot season in the previous years. Our current daily temperature recording proves that there is an existence of climate change in our local area.  The temperatures are getting warmer during our main rain season-summer. During the past years we use to experience cool temperatures and heavy rains. Our summer season is from mid November to Mid March.

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Our school yard is surrounded by trees to safe guard biodiversity, protect nature and fight climate change. Trees also provide us with shade when we are outdoors during  break time and lunch time.

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The sporting grounds are ever green. We use sprinklers system as our water management system to water the lawn around the school grounds.

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1. What is your school like?

2. How is climate change affecting you?

3. What are the big climate change issues?

4. How much rainfall do you get? Do you get a lot?

5. What is art like in your country?

6. Why does your flag have a bird on?

7. What is the highest temperature it can reach on a hot day?

8. How easy is it to get around in your country?

9. What animals do you have in your country?

10. What do the colours on you flag mean?

11. What resources to you have in school to help you learn?

12. Do you have a steel industry?

13. What books do you read?

14. Do you get some of our migrating birds when it is cold in our country?

15. What is your food like?

16. How many people are in your school? Class?

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Hello friends. My name is Shamshad Maulano. I would like to to how many seasons you have in your country and which are they?

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Hello my friends. My name is Audrey Muvengwa. I would like to know about the learning areas you are doing. How many are they and which are they. Here in Zimbabwe we are doing six learning areas which include Mathematics, English, Indigenous language, Social Sciences, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Physical Education and Art,

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Hello. I'm Sermon Gutsa. May you describe your school for us. Our school has a school garden, sporting grounds,we have 5blocks which are,the infant block, lower junior,upper junior, the ICT block and the home economics block.

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This is our teacher Ms Meke. I would like to know about your curriculum and co-curriculum activities done at your schools

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Reply by St Patrick's CE Primary Academy

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Reply by St Patrick's CE Primary Academy

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We are  a one form entry rural Primary school. Ages 3-11 years old approx. 260 . We have a Senior Leader Team and we are an Academy with some Council control. We take 11 subjects altogether and we have many sporting opportunities due to a fantastic PE lead Teacher and the use of outside companies.
We switch off lights, park and stride to reduce car use, litter pick in school and our communities local to us, we recycle, re-use, reduce, repurpose and refuse.

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We love the look of your modern school and the surrounding area. We are impressed with the solar panels.

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A lovely photo, thank you. Is this the school uniform or do the children wear their clothes.

This is St Patrick's school uniform and our motto on the front of our school brochure.

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We would like to know about your seasons.  Here we have four seasons namely Summer covers Mid November to Mid March, Autumn- Mid March to Mid May, Winter - Mid May to Mid August and Spring -Mid August to Mid November. We assume that your cold season is mainly associated with snow. How long is your cold season and what type of crop do you plan during?

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What is the main crop that you grow in England.

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In Zimbabwe, we have five farming regions classified according to soil type, vegetation, climate and the amount of rainfall received per year. We would like to know more about your farming regions. How many farming regions do you have?

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We would like to know about your rural setup. What is the standard of living for the people living in your rural areas?

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Helen McGhie Primary School answers to questions from Horbury Bridge Academy

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Helen McGhie Primary School answers to questions from Horbury Bridge Academy

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1.  Our School is also beautiful. See the uploaded pictures. Our school is like a bee hive. It is always full of activities mainly, learning and sporting activities.
2.Climate change affect us by imposing extreme temperatures. These temperatures mainly affect the corps leading to low yields in commercial farming which will in turn result in hunger and poverty.
3. Big climate change issues are Hunger and poverty.
4. Rainfall is very unpredictable because of climate change. Sometimes we receive excess rainfall and sometimes we receive very little to sustain our crops. both conditions lead to low yields.
5.Art in our country is like a hobby through drama, drawing, fabric designing, sculpturing, painting an all other forms of art. Art represents a big part of our history as Zimbabweans
6. Our flag has got a bird, the golden bird, known as the "Great Zimbabwe Bird. It is the national symbol of Zimbabwe and is most likely a representation of the bateleur eagle or the African fish eagle. It "exemplifies the strong bond that ancestral humans had with animals, nature and spiritual guides and it is treated with a high level of importance and respect.
7. The Highest temperature on a hot day is 44 Degrees Celsius.
8. It is very easy to get around in our country, we have different modes of transport including road, air and rail. mainly we use road especially from city to city. However, travelling challenges can be met in order to get to some of the remote rural areas.
9. We have got many different animals in our country including lions, elephants, buffalos, zebra, cheetahs, hare, kudu, rhinos, monkey, baboons, wild dogs, giraffe, impala, leopard, tortoise and hyena.  We have different types of snakes. We also have water animals like hippos, fish and crocodiles
10. Five colors on our Flag are as follows
Red-represents the blood shed during our liberation struggle
White-peace and harmony
Black-the black majority of Zimbabwe
Green- vegetation
Yellow-Minerals and Wealth
The red star represents aspiration and hope.
11.At our school we have got textbooks for different learning areas, exercise books, chalkboards, white boards, computers although not adequate, a projector an a printer in the computer lab.
12. Zimbabwe has iron and steel industries. The largest of them is called ZISCO steel located outside Kwekwe town in Redcliff.
13.We read different textbook for different subjects. Those books are from different publishers. We also read novels, story books and sunrise books.
14. Most of your migrating birds get here in our autumn season- our post rain season.
15. Our food is delicious, very colorful and appetizing. Our staple is sadza and love it.
16. Our school has a total enrolment of 1165. Each grade has three classes. In Our class, grade 5 Red we are 44 learners.

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Our incredibly old Oak Tree in front of our Administration part of our school building. We nearly lost this tree a few years ago and it had to be cut back 

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Answers from Helen McGhie Primary school to  Horbury Academy  

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Answers from Helen McGhie Primary school to  Horbury Academy  