| There are 2 countries in the British Isles: The UK and the Irish Republic |
Countries |
| There are also 3 dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man |
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| The UK is 4 countries: England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales |
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| Great Britain is an island, not a country. It does not include N Ireland |
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| There are over 6,000 islands in the British Isles. Only 136 are inhabited |
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| The highest mountain in the British Isles is Ben Nevis in Scotland |
Mountains |
| The 10 highest mountains in England are all in the Lake District |
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| The mountainous terrain of Wales helped defend it from the English |
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| Carrauntoohil is the highest peak on the island of Ireland |
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| Two thirds of the UK's mountains are in Scotland |
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| The Giant's Causeway in Ireland was made by crystalising lava |
Landmarks |
| The 3 km Tay Bridge in Scotland is the longest bridge in the British Isles |
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| Stonehenge was built with rocks quarried 180 miles away in Wales |
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| The Cliffs of Moher in County Clare are Ireland's most visited attraction |
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| The clocktower known as Big Ben is actually named Elizabeth Tower |
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| 78% of the 68 million people in the British Isles live in England |
People |
| The first "humans" arrived in the British Isles almost a million years ago |
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| 78% of Irish people are Catholics. In Britain its just 7% |
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| The biggest cause of death is dementia |
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| Life expectancy in the UK is 81.4. In Ireland it is 81.5 |
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| The largest lake in the British Isles is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland |
Lakes |
| The deepest lake is Loch Morar in Scotland. It's 310 meters deep |
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| Lakes in Scotland are "lochs", in Ireland "loughs" and in Wales "llyn" |
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| Loch Ness is famous the world over as home of the Loch Ness Monster |
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| The Lakes of Killarney in Ireland have their own monster - Muckie |
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| There are no snakes in Ireland. Legend says St. Patrick banished them |
Wildlife |
| 4,000 species of beetle live in the British Isles |
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| There is a species of wren found nowhere but Fair Isle in the Shetlands |
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| The schely is a fish found only in the lakes of the Lake District |
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| The Snowdon lily is a flower found only in the mountains of Wales |
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| There are many native languages including Cornish, Gaelic and Shelta |
Languages |
| 3,000-5,000 people speak Cornish fluently |
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| Welsh is over 1,500 years old - one of the oldest languages in Europe |
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| The most common tongue is English, a mix of German and other languages |
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| The Scottish Gaelic alphabet has only 18 letters |
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| The smallest city is St. David's in Wales. Less than 2,000 people live there |
Cities |
| England has 51 cities, Ireland 8, Scotland 7, Wales 6, and Northern Ireland 5 |
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| Almost 10 million people live in London - 14% of the British Isles' population |
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| Aberdeen’s nickname is the Granite City |
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| London Underground is the oldest tube network in the world. It opened in 1863 |
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| The first fish and chip shops opened in the 1860s |
Foods |
| A type of stew called "cawl" is Wales' national dish |
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| The main ingredients of haggis are sheep's offal |
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| Irish stew is made with root vegetables with either lamb or mutton |
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| England's national dish is roast beef so the French call Englishmen "les rosbifs" |
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| Irish post-boxes are green |
Culture |
| Wales' nickname is "The Land of Song" |
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| William Shakespeare is the UK's greatest cultural icon |
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| Scotland is the birthplace and home of golf |
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| Robin Hood is a character from medieval folklore still culturally relevant today |
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