英国国家概况

2024年2月6日发(作者：)

英国

大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国（英语：The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern

Ireland；威尔士文：Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawra Gogledd Iwerddon；苏格兰盖尔语：An

Rìoghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn Mhòr agus Eirinn mu Thuath；爱尔兰语：Ríocht Aontaithe na

Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann；低地苏格兰语：Unitit Kingdom o Great Britain an

Norlin Airlann），简称联合王国（英文：United Kingdom）或不列颠（英文：Britain）[4]，通称英国，是由大不列颠岛上的英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士，以及爱尔兰岛东北部的北爱尔兰以及一系列附属岛屿共同组成的一个西欧岛国。中文里的“英国”一词，即由“英格兰”而来，其国际代码为GB。

英国本土位于欧洲大陆西北面的不列颠群岛，被北海、英吉利海峡、凯尔特海、爱尔兰海和大西洋包围。除了英国本土之外，还包括十四个海外领地[5]。

联合王国由四个国家联合而成，分别是英格兰、苏格兰、北爱尔兰和威尔士[6]。英国采用议会制政体，王国政府所在地为伦敦，但是同时拥有其他三个国家级行政机构分别位于贝尔法斯特（北爱尔兰），卡地夫（威尔士）和爱丁堡（苏格兰）。英国是世界上第一个君主立宪制国家，现任君主是伊丽莎白二世女王。

英王国在最强盛时期连同其海外殖民地被称为大英帝国，该帝国在1922年的时候达到巅峰，拥有全世界四分之一的陆地，是有史以来世界上面积最大的国家。大英帝国解体后，英国继续在语言，文化，政治上对其前殖民地保留了巨大的影响力，英国女王伊丽莎白二世现在仍然是英联邦组织的首脑，和其他15个英联邦国家的国家元首。

英国是一个发达国家、世界上第一个工业化国家[7]，在19世纪和20世纪早期是世界上最强大的国家[8]，但是经过两次世界大战和20世纪下半叶大英帝国的崩溃，英国已经失去了曾经在国际事务上绝对的领导力。不过，英国仍然是一个在世界范围内拥有巨大影响力、举足轻重的政治、经济、文化、体育和军事强国。

英国是第一、第二次世界大战主要战胜国，拥有核武器和世界上第四的军费开支，是联合国安理会常任理事国，对议案拥有否决权。英国亦为欧盟成员国、北约创始会员国、八大工业国组织成员国之一和欧洲四大经济体之一、全球前七大经济体、世界八大强国之一、也是一系列国际组织如经合组织、世界贸易组织的一员。

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,[nb 4] commonly known as the

United Kingdom (UK) and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of

continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part

of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the

UK that shares a land border with another state—the Republic of Ireland.[nb 5] Apart from

this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, the

North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west.

地理

英国总面积约243,610平方千米（94,060平方英里）。它占有不列颠群岛大部分地方，当中包括整个不列颠岛、爱尔兰岛东北（面积占整个爱尔兰岛1/6）和一些围绕不列颠群岛的小岛[10]该国坐落在北大西洋和北海之间，屿。东南海岸朝向法国，距离法国北部海岸 35千米（22英里），中间被英吉利海峡分隔。[11]根据一个1993年的调查，英国10％的国土是森林，其中46％用作畜牧业用途，另有25％用作农业用途。[12]伦敦格林尼治皇家天文台是本初子午线的起点。

英国国土最北端的横坐标是北纬61°，最南端的横坐标是北纬49°，而最西端的纵坐标是西经9°，最东端的纵坐标是东经2°。北爱尔兰与爱尔兰共和国的边界长达360-千米 (224-英里)。

[11]不列颠海岸线长达17,820千米（11,073英里）。[13]不列颠岛以海峡隧道连接欧洲大陆，总长度达50千米（31英里）（水底部分长达38千米（24英里）），是当前世界上最长的水底隧道。[14]

英格兰占了联合王国总面积的一半，达130,395平方千米（50,350平方英里）。[15]大部分是低地，[12]在过了Tees-Exe线后，西北有一些山脉；其中包括有湖区，Peak区、Exmoor区和达特穆尔的奔宁山脉和一些石灰岩山脉。英格兰最高的山峰是湖区斯科费尔峰（高达978米（3,209英尺））。主要河流、入海口有泰晤士河、塞文河和Humber河。[12]

苏格兰占英国总面积的1/3，面积达78,772平方千米（30,410平方英里）。[16]当中有近八百个岛屿，[17]大部分分布在苏格兰岛的西部、北部；分别称为赫布里底群岛、奥克尼群岛和设德兰群岛。苏格兰的地形是Highland Boundary Fault造成的，这个断层，西至Isle of Arran ，东至Stonehaven 。[18]断层造成两个不同的区域；西北部的苏格兰高地和东南部的苏格兰低地。苏格兰大部分山地都在高低区域，其中有不列颠岛最高的本尼维斯山（高达1,343米（4,406英尺））[19]在低地区域的福斯湾和 Firth of Clyde 之间的狭窄被称作Central Lowlands ，这个地带里坐落着拥有最多人口的格拉斯哥和首府、政治中心爱丁堡。

威尔士占全英面积不到1/10，约20,779平方千米（8,020平方英里）。[20]威尔士在全英来说，是最多山地的，只有南威尔士山地较少。海滨城市加的夫、斯旺西和纽波特都坐落在南威尔士。在这三个城市的北部，有South Wales Valleys 。Snowdonia 和斯诺登山 （高达1,085米（3,560英尺），是威尔士最高的山）是威尔士最高的两座山。威尔士14座超过914米（3000尺）的山一起被称为Welsh 3000s。威尔士的海岸线长达1200公路（750里）。威尔士也有几个岛，当中最大的是西北部的Anglesey。

北爱尔兰面积只有14,160平方千米（5,470平方英里），大部分都是山地。北爱有不列颠群岛最大的湖，内湖，面积达388平方千米（150平方英里）。[21]北爱的高峰是Mourne Mountains的Slieve Donard（高达852米（2,795英尺））。[12]

The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square

kilometres (94,060 sq mi). The country occupies the major part of the British

Isles[99] archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern

one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies

between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the south-east coast

coming within 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the coast of northern France, from which

it is separated by the English Channel.[100] As of 1993 10% of the UK was

forested, 46% used for pastures and 25% used for agriculture.[101] The Royal

Greenwich Observatory in London is the defining point of the Prime

Meridian.[102]

The United Kingdom lies between latitudes 49° to 61° N, and longitudes 9° W to

2° E. Northern Ireland shares a 360-kilometre (224 mi) land boundary with the

Republic of Ireland.[100] The coastline of Great Britain is 17,820 kilometres

(11,073 mi) long.[103] It is connected to continental Europe by the Channel

Tunnel, which at 50 kilometres (31 mi) (38 kilometres (24 mi) underwater) is the

longest underwater tunnel in the world.[104]

England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK, covering 130,395

square kilometres (50,350 sq mi).[105] Most of the country consists of lowland

terrain,[101] with mountainous terrain north-west of the Tees-Exe line; including

the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines and limestone hills

of the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The main rivers and estuaries are

the Thames, Severn and the Humber. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike

(978 metres (3,209 ft)) in the Lake District. Its principal rivers are the Severn,

Thames, Humber, Tees, Tyne, Tweed, Avon, Exe and Mersey.[101]

Ben Nevis, in Scotland, is the highest point in the British Isles

Scotland accounts for just under a third of the total area of the UK, covering

78,772 square kilometres (30,410 sq mi)[106] and including nearly eight hundred

islands,[107] predominantly west and north of the mainland; notably the

Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. The topography of Scotland is

distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault—a geological rock

fracture—which traverses Scotland from Arran in the west to Stonehaven in the

east.[108] The faultline separates two distinctively different regions; namely the

Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east. The

more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous

land, including Ben Nevis which at 1,343 metres (4,406 ft) is the highest point in

the British Isles.[109] Lowland areas, especially the narrow waist of land

between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central Belt, are

flatter and home to most of the population including Glasgow, Scotland's largest

city, and Edinburgh, its capital and political centre.

Wales accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK, covering 20,779

square kilometres (8,020 sq mi).[110] Wales is mostly mountainous, though South

Wales is less mountainous than North and mid Wales. The main population and

industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the coastal cities of Cardiff,

Swansea and Newport, and the South Wales Valleys to their north. The highest

mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa)

which, at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft), is the highest peak in Wales.[101] The 14, or

possibly 15, Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high are known collectively

as the Welsh 3000s. Wales has over 1,200 kilometres (746 miles) of coastline.

There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest of which is Anglesey

(Ynys Môn) in the northwest.

Northern Ireland accounts for just 14,160 square kilometres (5,470 sq mi) and is

mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh which, at 388 square kilometres (150 sq mi),

is the largest lake in the British Isles by area.[111] The highest peak in Northern

Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains at 852 metres (2,795 ft).[101]

气候

英国地处中纬，常年受西风带控制，北大西洋暖流流经，全年温和多雨，为温带海洋性气候。四季气温甚少低于-11C°，高于35C°。[22] 风多从西北吹来，带来大西洋的潮湿天气，[11]东部位于西风的背风地带，所以东部较西部干燥。夏季最温暖的是英格兰南部，因为她纬度较低且城市热岛效应较强，而较寒冷的是纬度较高的苏格兰北部。冬季和高地的早春多大雪。[23]

The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all

year round.[100] The temperature varies with the seasons seldom

dropping below −11 °C (12 °F) or rising above 35 °C (95 °F).[112] The

prevailing wind is from the south-west and bears frequent spells of mild

and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean,[100] although the eastern parts

are mostly sheltered from this wind—as the majority of the rain falls over

the western regions the eastern parts are therefore the driest. Atlantic

currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters; especially in

the west where winters are wet and even more so over high ground.

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.

资源

英国主要的矿产资源有煤、铁、石油和天然气。硬煤总储量1700亿吨。铁的蕴藏量约为38亿吨。西南部康沃尔半岛有锡矿。在柴郡和达腊姆蕴藏着大量石盐。斯塔福德郡有优质粘土。康沃尔半岛出产白粘土。奔宁山脉东坡可开采白云石。兰开夏西南部施尔德利丘陵附近蕴藏着石英矿。在英国北海大陆架石油蕴藏量约在10～40亿吨之间。天然气蕴藏量约在8600～25,850亿立方米左右。

宗教

在英国，每个人都享有宗教自由，因此，在英国各中心地区也形成了多种不同的宗教信仰蓬勃发展的局面。英国有两个“官方的”教堂：即英格兰教堂[英国圣公教会]和苏格兰教堂[长老教派]，除此之外，各种不同的宗教和数不胜数的教派在英国都可以找到自己的代表。

绝大多数的英国人都信奉基督教，尽管当前去教堂做礼拜的信徒人数并不多，每周大约只有110万人。穆斯林是英国国内最大的非基督教团体[超过150万人]，此外，佛教、印度教、锡克教和犹太教也拥有大量的信徒，而且数量还在不断增长。

悠远而多元化的宗教历史在英国的另一个产物就是遍布英国各地令人叹为观止的教堂、寺

院和修道院建筑。格拉斯敦伯雷修道院，是以往凯尔特举行宗教活动的地方，曾经在亚瑟王的传奇故事中扮演过重要的角色；坎特伯雷大教堂的戏剧色彩也非常浓厚，相传圣奥古斯汀于公元597年从罗马来到英国传福音，五年之后，他主持修建了坎特伯雷大教堂。

有很多个性鲜明的历史人物都脱胎于英国的宗教历史，其中包括在英国发动新教改革的亨利八世、充满神秘色彩的圣帕特里克，现在每年世界各地都庆祝他的节日；以及大名鼎鼎的罗宾汉传奇故事中十二世纪时的狮心王里察德等等。

Forms of Christianity have dominated religious life in what is now the United

Kingdom for over 1,400 years.[306] Although a majority of citizens still identify

with Christianity in many surveys, regular church attendance has fallen

dramatically since the middle of the 20th century,[307] while immigration and

demographic change have contributed to the growth of other faiths, most notably

Islam.[308] This has led some commentators to variously describe the UK as a

multi-faith,[309] secularised,[310] or post-Christian society.

In the 2001 census 71.6% of all respondents indicated that they were Christians,

with the next largest faiths (by number of adherents) being Islam (2.8%),

Hinduism (1.0%), Sikhism (0.6%), Judaism (0.5%), Buddhism (0.3%) and all

other religions (0.3%).[312] 15% of respondents stated that they had no religion,

with a further 7% not stating a religious preference.[313] A Tearfund survey in

2007 showed only one in ten Britons actually attend church weekly.

The Church of England is the established church in England.[315] It retains a

representation in the UK Parliament and the British monarch is its Supreme

Governor.[316] In Scotland the Presbyterian Church of Scotland is recognised as

the national church. It is not subject to state control, and the British monarch is

an ordinary member, required to swear an oath to "maintain and preserve the

Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government" upon his or her

accession.[317][318] The (Anglican) Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920

and, as the (Anglican) Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870 before the

partition of Ireland, there is no established church in Northern Ireland.[319]

Although there are no UK-wide data in the 2001 census on adherence to

individual Christian denominations, it has been estimated that 62% of Christians

are Anglican, 13.5% Catholic, 6% Presbyterian, 3.4% Methodist with small

numbers of other Protestant denominations such as Open Brethren, and

Orthodox churches.

首都

伦敦（London）。英国第一大城市及第一大港，欧洲最大的都会区之一兼世界三大金融中心之一。人口 751.24万，面积1,577.3平方公里。作为欧洲最大和最具国际特色的城市，伦敦是英国的政治文化中心，是不折不扣的国际大都市，也是众多国际组织和企业的总部所在地。伦敦的主要景点有：白金汉宫、唐宁街10号(首相官邸)、大英博物馆、威斯敏斯特宫、伦敦塔、海德公园、格林尼治天文台、福尔摩斯博物馆、大本钟、伦敦塔桥、伦敦眼、特拉法尔加广场。