The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has a long history as a major player in international affairs and fulfills an important role in the EU, UN and Nato. Britain was the world’s first industrialized country. Its economy remains one of the largest, but it has for many years been based on service industries rather than on manufacturing. More recently, the UK has suffered a deep economic slump and high public debt as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, which revealed its over-reliance on easy credit, domestic consumption and rising house prices. It is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. Its capital city is London, an important global city and financial center with the current monarch –since 6 February 1952- is Queen Elizabeth II.
The UK is ethnically diverse, partly as a legacy of empire. Lately, the country has been struggling with issues revolving around multiculturalism, immigration and national identity. With their de facto official language is English, it is estimated 95% of the UK’s population are monolingual English speakers. And the other 5.5% speak languages brought to the UK as a result of relatively recent immigration.
The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons seldom dropping below −11 °C (12 °F) or rising above 35 °C (95 °F). Summers are warmest in the south-east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Heavy snowfall can occur in winter and early spring on high ground, and occasionally settles to great depth away from the hills. England has warmer maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year than the other areas of the UK, though Wales has milder minima from November to February, and Northern Ireland has warmer maxima from December to February. England is also sunnier throughout the year, but unlike Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the sunniest month is July, totaling 193.5 hours. Overall, United Kingdom is a sub-tropical country with their 4 Seasons in the year, Spring from March to May, Summer lasts from June to August, Fall started from September to November, and Winter lasting from December to February with cool, wet, and windy weather.
Education and Best Colleges
England, as one of the lead centres of the Scientific Revolution from the 17th century and the United Kingdom led the industrial revolution from the 18th century, and has continued to produce scientists and engineers credited with important advances. One of the oldest school in the world, University of Oxford, have a great contribution to the world for their education and researchers.
University of Cambridge
Founded in 1209, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s fourth-oldest surviving university. With their motto ‘Hinc lucem et pocula sacra’ that means ‘from here, light and sacred draughts’, they believe Cambridge University is the best choice to gain enlightment and precious knowledge to share them with around the world.Cambridge has many notable alumni, including several eminent mathematicians, scientists, economists, writers, philosophers, actors, and politicians made Cambridge as the 4th best university in the world based on www.worldtop20.org. It consisted of 6 ‘Schools’, means broad administrative grouping of related faculties and other units: Art & Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicines, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology.Teaching and research in Cambridge is organized by faculties. The faculties have different organizational sub-structures which partly reflect their history and partly their operational needs, which may include a number of departments and other institutions.
It is a collegiate university, consisting of the central University and colleges. The central University is composed of academic departments and research centres, administrative departments, libraries and museums. Located in city of Oxford, England, Oxford become one of of the oldest English-speaking universities in the world and the world’s second-oldest surviving university since 1096.The university is made up of a variety of institutions, including 38 constituent colleges and a full range of academic departments which are organised into four divisions. All the colleges are self-governing institutions as part of the university, each controlling its own membership and with its own internal structure and activities. Being a city university, it does not have a main campus; instead, all the buildings and facilities are scattered throughout the metropolitan centre.Oxford University is made up of more than 30 different colleges. Colleges are academic communities, where students usually have their tutorials. Each one has its own dining hall, bar, common room and library, and lots of college groups and societies. All undergraduate students at Oxford become members of a particular college, and of the whole University. Your lectures, assessment, and any practical work will be organised by the academic department(s) who run your course, while your college will organise your tutorials and provide you with accommodation and other facilities.
University of Endiburg
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582, is the sixth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland‘s ancient universities. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the University. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh’s academic structure is based on three Colleges containing a total of 22 Schools. Consists of: College of Humanities & Social Science, Medicine & Veterinarian Medicine, and Science & Engineering.
Noted as the 17th QS World University Rankings 2013 and 2014, make them a member of the Russell Group of research-led British universities and, along with Oxford and Cambridge, one of several British universities to be a member of both the Coimbra Group and the LERU (League of European Research Universities). The University is also a member of Universitas 21, an international association of research-led universities.