Introducere in istoria si civilizatia britanica

Obiective- Familiarizarea studentilor cu elemente de istorie si cultura britanica, ce stau la baza intelegerii poporului englez si a limbii engleze, care faciliteaza cunoasterea literaturii engleze care faciliteaza cunoasterea literaturii engleze si care. In general sunt absolut necesare unui specialist in limba si literatura engleza; prelegerile vor aborda teme majore, cu semnificatii deosebite pentru istoria li civilizatia engleza.

GREAT BRITAIN – PHYSICAL FEATURES
Great Britain’s full political title is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The archipelago is constituted of England, Scotland and Wales, forming the largest island known officially as Great Britain. The second island, Ireland, is shared between the UK and The Republic of Ireland.The rest of the islands – Anglesey, the Orkneys, the Shetlands, the Hebrides, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly are also included in the British administration.

The Channel Islands – off the French coast – have a special position, and so does the Isle of Man – in the Irish Sea. They are not part of the UK, although they are members of the Commonwealth. They have nevertheless the status of selfgoverning Crown Dependencies but the British government is still responsible for their defence and international relations. More precisely, Britain’s geographical position is marked by 0° longitude – passing through Greenwich, the international time measure – by latitude 50° N – passing through the Lizard peninsula in the South West and by 60° N latitude, across the Shetland islands.

Despite its relatively small and compact size, if compared with other European countries, Britain possesses a richly varied landscape. Its physical area amounts to about 244,100 km2, 95% of which is land. England’s surface is 129.634 km2, Wales’ – 20, 637 km2, Scotland’s – 77,179 km2 and Northern Ireland’s – 13,438 km2.

For millions of years Britain was part of the European mainland but, after the last Ice Age, when apparently the glaciers melted suddenly, the sea level rose, separating Britain from Europe through the English channel in the South, and the 154 North Sea in the North. Nowadays, in the South, only 32 km of water – the Straits of Dover – separate England from continental Europe.