Fiche de révision : The United Kingdom Today

📋 Plan du Cours

1. Les nations et territoires britanniques
2. Drapeaux, capitales et traditions
3. Géographie et ressources du Royaume-Uni
4. Population et diversité migratoire
5. Religions et langues régionales
6. Dévolution et institutions nationales
7. Autonomie et débats constitutionnels

📖 1. Les nations et territoires britanniques

★ À maîtriser

📌 Great Britain comprises England, Scotland and Wales, whereas the United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Compléments

• The full name “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” was adopted in 1927.

• The United Kingdom excludes the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; the British Isles comprise more than 5,000 islands.

💡 Astuce mémo

Great Britain réunit trois nations ; le United Kingdom en ajoute une quatrième.

📖 2. Drapeaux, capitales et traditions

★ À maîtriser

• The capitals are London for England, Edinburgh for Scotland, Cardiff for Wales and Belfast for Northern Ireland.

• The Union Jack was first created in 1606, the Irish cross of Saint Patrick was added in 1801, and it became the official flag in 1908.

Compléments

• The national days are 23 April for England, 30 November for Scotland, 1 March for Wales and 17 March for Northern Ireland; Scotland also celebrates Burns Night on 25 January.

• The national flowers or emblems are :

  • the rose for England
  • the thistle for Scotland
  • leeks and daffodils for Wales
  • the shamrock for Northern Ireland

📖 3. Géographie et ressources du Royaume-Uni

★ À maîtriser

• The United Kingdom covers 243,610 km², compared with 551,695 km² for France, and consists of two main islands and smaller islands.

• The United Kingdom has a mild temperate climate with much precipitation; the southwest is sunniest and warmest, the southeast is driest, and the Lake District and western Highlands of Scotland are wettest.

Compléments

• Ben Nevis in Scotland is the United Kingdom’s highest point at 1,344 metres.

• The main rivers are the Thames, Severn, Humber, Tees, Tyne, Tweed, Avon, Exe and Mersey.

• The United Kingdom has coal mines in the north and Wales, petroleum in the North Sea, fertile agricultural land in the south, and many ports supporting naval trade.

• The Eurotunnel connection to Paris was inaugurated in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II and François Mitterrand.

📖 4. Population et diversité migratoire

★ À maîtriser

• The United Kingdom’s estimated population was 69,281,400 in mid-2024, and England has the greatest population density while Scotland has the lowest.

• The fertility rate fell from 1.87 children per woman in 2007 to 1.47 in 2022, while the average age at childbirth rose from 26.4 in 1975 to 30.7 in 2019/2020.

• Minority ethnic groups represent 14% of the population; around half are Asian or Asian British, often of Indian or Pakistani descent, and they are concentrated mainly in English urban areas.

Compléments

• Greater London had 9,089,736 inhabitants in 2024, and the southeast and London are the most populated areas.

• Life expectancy is 82 years for women and 79 years for men, and since 2001 the population aged over 60 has outnumbered children under 16.

• The course gives net migration figures of 313,000 in 2020, a record 906,000 in 2023, 331,000 in 2024 and 171,000 in December 2025.

• Migration to the United Kingdom has included English and Scottish Protestants moving to Northern Ireland in the 18th century, Irish Catholics moving to Scotland in the 19th century, migration from eastern and central Europe in the 20th century, migration from former colonies including India and other Commonwealth countries, and 21st-century asylum seekers and political refugees.

💡 Astuce mémo

Baisse de la fécondité → vieillissement de la population.

📖 5. Religions et langues régionales

★ À maîtriser

• The Elizabethan religious settlement dates from 1558–1559, and the British monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

• English is the United Kingdom’s official language; Welsh is spoken by 25% of people in Wales and is the first language of 20%, while Gaelic is spoken by 1.2% of people in Scotland.

Compléments

• The main Christian churches are :

  • the Church of England or Anglican Church
  • the Protestant Church of Scotland
  • Nonconformist churches such as Methodists and Baptists
  • the Roman Catholic Church

• Minority languages include :

  • Bengali
  • Gujarati
  • Hindi
  • Punjabi
  • Urdu
  • Arabic
  • Chinese

• Regional accents can signal social class, and Received Pronunciation is also called BBC pronunciation or the Queen’s English.

📖 6. Dévolution et institutions nationales

🔑 Notions clés & Définitions

• Devolution : The transfer of power from London to elected bodies in regional capitals, giving the nations more self-government and autonomy without necessarily granting independence.

★ À maîtriser

• In September 1997, devolution referendums produced 50.3% yes votes in Wales and 74.3% in Scotland.

📌 The UK Parliament at Westminster remains the only body that legislates on matters involving the whole country.

Compléments

• The Wales Act and Scotland Act of 1978 made separate parliaments possible if 40% of voters approved in referendums; Welsh voters voted no and Scottish voters voted yes on 1 March 1979, but low turnout led to the legislation being aborted.

• The 1998 Government of Wales Act established the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff, with 60 members first elected in 1999 and powers over its budget and major Welsh issues but not taxation; it was renamed the Welsh Parliament or Senedd in 2020.

• The 1998 Scotland Act created the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, with 129 members first elected in 1999 and powers over legislation and taxation.

📖 7. Autonomie et débats constitutionnels

★ À maîtriser

• The Good Friday Agreement and the Northern Ireland Act of 1998 established the Northern Ireland Assembly, a power-sharing body with 108 members, following the end of the Troubles in the late 1990s.

• In the September 2014 Scottish independence referendum, turnout was 84.6% and 55.3% voted no; Scotland had voted 62% against Brexit.

Compléments

• The Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended from 2017 to 2020 and again amid a deadlock after the May 2022 election until February 2024.

• On 3 February 2024, Michelle O’Neill became Northern Ireland’s first nationalist first minister, with DUP politician Emma Little-Pengelly as deputy first minister in a power-sharing agreement.

📌 Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, goods checks were conducted between Great Britain and Northern Ireland at Northern Irish ports rather than at the Irish border, while Northern Ireland continued to follow EU product-standard rules.

• Sinn Féin MPs follow an abstentionist policy by refusing to swear allegiance to the sovereign and not taking their seats at Westminster.

• The English Question concerns the lack of English MPs outside Westminster, while the West Lothian Question concerns Welsh and Scottish MPs voting on English questions.

💡 Astuce mémo

Dévolution transfère des pouvoirs ; indépendance sépare le territoire du Royaume-Uni.

📊 Tableaux de synthèse

Les pouvoirs dévolus aux nations