Britain is one of the most visited and interesting countries in Europe and the world. This is why we decided to present to you eleven facts which most people don’t know about the United Kingdom and England.
1: The word “Britain” derives from “Brythons” which is the name of a Celtic tribe which lived on the island from the British Iron Age to the Middle Ages. The word “England” comes the old English word of “Englaland” which literally translated means “Land of the Angles”. The Angels were a Germanic tribe which settled on the island during the early Middle Ages.
2: Legally, Queen Elizabeth II is the owner of 1/6 of the Earth’s landmass. It is like this because she is the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada which is the second largest country on Earth.
3: At its peak, the British Empire was home to ¼ of Earth’s population and spanned over 20% of the world’s surface. As of date it is the largest empire to have existed throughout history.
4: Tradition obligates the ruling monarch to send a personalised card to every British citizen that becomes a centenarian (people who reaches the age of 100). This practice dates back to 1908 when King Edward VII had his secretary send a congratulatory letter to Reverend Thomas Lord of Horncastle for his 100th birthday. It is also mandatory that the ruling monarch greats centenarians yearly for each birthday after the age of 105.
5: London and Moscow are the only two cities in the world which are above the 50th parallel with a population of over five million residents.
6: Although almost every British citizen owns an automobile, studies show that the average car in the United Kingdom is parked for 96% of the time. This is mainly due to the fact that most of the locals prefer to use public transportation for their daily affairs and use their automobile only when going on a weekend escape or long distance vacation.
7: The population of the United Kingdom is constantly growing because the country has become an immigration hot spot. Every year, people from all over the world pack their bags and move to Britain. They take care of their relocations by hiring licensed companies such as Monster Removals which provide insured domestic man and van services in London.
8: Windsor Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited royal palace in the United Kingdom. It was constructed under the orders of William the Conqueror during the late 11th century and since then has always been an official royal residence.
9: Britain is home to the world’s shortest airline flight. It connects two local islands and lasts approximately two to three minutes.
10: Importing and drinking alcohol in the British parliament is strictly forbidden. However, there is an exception to the law which grants permission to the chancellor to consume alcohol while presenting the annual budget statement.
11: London is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- Tower of London
- Kew Gardens
- Maritime Greenwich
- Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey