9781422285916

INTRODUCTION T he current country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—often referred to simply as the UK or Britain—has existed as a unified sovereign state for a very short time—only since 1927, in fact. The seeds of the union were sewn in 1707 when the kingdoms of England and Scotland merged into a country called Great Britain and later, in 1800, the Kingdom of Ireland joined to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922, Ireland seceded from the UK and became the Irish Free State. One day later, Northern Ireland seceded from the new Ireland to rejoin the United Kingdom, with the present formal name coming into being a few years later, in 1927. So, like the United States—although with countries instead of states—England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are united under a central government and currency but with its individual countries able to make decisions that concern themselves. Tiny geographically in comparison to other nations, the UK has had an extensive and enduring influence on the world. Through its imperial strate- gies of acquiring colonies and harnessing their economic life to the mainland, Britain has enjoyed the produce and resources of countries around the world while bolstering its own economy. Being an island, its inhabitants across the centuries have taken to the seas on long voyages of exploration, thus ensur- ing the name Great Britain was known around the globe. Its storied landscape is punctuated with castles, quaint villages, and churches. Its many canals criss-crossing the countryside and connecting its towns and cities are a testament to the Industrial Revolution born in the kingdom. Its miles of coastline—with its ports as well as its beauty—have inspired artists and writers who have helped define Western civilization and have urged its inhabitants to look outward beyond its shores.

7

FAMILY AND FRIENDS INTRODUCTION