The UK today
The UK is a diverse society made up of people from many backgrounds. Most people live in towns and cities, but the country also contains extensive rural areas, national parks and protected landscapes.
English is spoken throughout the UK. Welsh has official status in Wales, and Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are among the other languages with important cultural roles. The UK’s population has been shaped by centuries of migration.
Religion, customs and traditions
Christianity has played a major role in UK history, while many other religions are practised today, including Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism and Buddhism. People are also free to have no religion.
Christmas and Easter are major Christian festivals and public holidays are associated with them. Other communities celebrate festivals including Eid, Diwali, Vaisakhi and Hanukkah.
Public holidays, national days and local traditions form part of cultural life. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November. Patron saints include St George for England, St Andrew for Scotland, St David for Wales and St Patrick for Northern Ireland.
Sport
Football, cricket, rugby and tennis have strong connections with the UK. Each nation has its own football team for international competitions. The FA Cup is a long-established football competition.
Wimbledon is one of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments. The Grand National is a famous horse race held at Aintree, while Royal Ascot is another major racing event. The London Marathon is a major annual running event.
Cricket originated in England and is played internationally. Rugby developed into rugby union and rugby league, which have different rules and traditions.
Literature and theatre
British literature and theatre have had an international influence. William Shakespeare wrote plays and poetry in the Tudor and early Stuart periods. Later writers include Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Hardy.
Poets associated with the UK include William Wordsworth and other Romantic poets. Modern literature includes writers from a wide range of backgrounds. For revision, connect notable writers with the kind of work for which they are known.
Music, art and film
Classical composers associated with Britain include Henry Purcell and Edward Elgar. In popular music, British groups and performers have achieved worldwide success, including The Beatles.
Important visual artists include painters such as J. M. W. Turner and John Constable. The UK also has a major film and television industry, and British actors, directors and productions have had international success.
Science and invention
The study material also connects British life with major scientific and technological achievements. Isaac Newton is associated with gravity and the laws of motion, Charles Darwin with the theory of evolution by natural selection, and Alexander Fleming with the discovery of penicillin.
Other notable figures include Alan Turing, whose work was important to computing and wartime codebreaking, and Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web.
Places of interest
The UK contains historic buildings, monuments, museums, national parks and natural landmarks. Knowing where notable sites are located can help with test questions.
Examples include the Tower of London and Houses of Parliament in London, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, Snowdonia (Eryri) in Wales and the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Stonehenge is in Wiltshire, while the Lake District is in north-west England.
Major cultural institutions include the British Museum, National Gallery and Tate galleries. Many museums and galleries have collections covering British and world history, art and culture.
Culture quick revision
Try learning names in groups rather than as isolated facts.
- ✓Wimbledon — tennis
- ✓Grand National — horse racing
- ✓The Beatles — popular music
- ✓Shakespeare — playwright and poet
- ✓Turner and Constable — painters
- ✓Darwin — evolution
- ✓Fleming — penicillin
- ✓Berners-Lee — World Wide Web