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Culture and society

Globalisation has ensured a mixture of cultures, religions, and societal norms. The United Kingdom is slightly different in that it combines four separate countries under one umbrella. Residents of the UK, or Great Britain and Northern Ireland, are often referred to as British even though each country has its own distinction: Scottish, Welsh, English or Northern Irish. Many natives prefer to be referred to by their country of origin rather than being called British, and ‘English’ should not be used to refer to people from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

History

United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

Climate

In general we have warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the continent, but the winters are milder. The overall climate in England is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 32ºC in summer.

Government

The government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining ministers. The prime minister and the other most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet.[4] The government ministers all sit in Parliament, and are accountable to it. The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation,[5] and since the Fixed-terms Parliaments Act 2011, general elections are held every five years to elect a new House of Commons, unless there is a successful vote of no confidence in the government or a two-thirds vote for a snap election (as was the case in 2017) in the House of Commons, in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II) selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs.[

The official Australian flag was designed in 1901 when Australia’s six colonies became a federation. The Union Jack represents Australia’s links to England. The large seven-pointed star represents the states and territories. The five stars on the right represent the Southern Cross constellation, which you can see in the Australian night sky. The Indigenous Australian flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag are also officially recognised as flags of Australia.

Public holidays

Public holidays in the United Kingdom are days on which most businesses and non-essential services are closed, although an increasing number of retail businesses (especially the larger ones) do open on some of the public holidays. There are restrictions on trading on Sundays and Christmas Day in England and Wales and on New Year's Day and Christmas Day in Scotland. Legally defined holidays, analogous to "public holidays" in many other countries, are usually called bank holidays in the United Kingdom, but can also be referred to as "public holidays"; strictly, however, "public holidays" refer to "common law holidays", the observance of which derive from custom and practice:

New Year's Day — 1st January: Celebrations of the New Year begin on 31 December in the evening. Many people hold New Year parties or attend public festivities, including fireworks at midnight to welcome the new year.
Easter: Easter is a traditional Christian celebration marking the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Australia and are celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. Easter is often celebrated with religious ceremonies, the giving of Easter eggs and spending time with family, often outdoors.
Christmas Day — December 25th: Christmas Day is a traditional Christian celebration that marks the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated by both Christians and non-Christians alike. Common ways to celebrate Christmas include decorating the home with Christmas lights and Christmas trees, giving gifts, attending religious ceremonies, holding a family feast consisting of roast meat and Christmas pudding (or sometimes a more informal Australian barbeque) and spending time with family. Because Christmas falls during the Australian summer, many Australians like to hold their celebrations outdoors.
Boxing Day — December 26th: Boxing Day is a traditional celebration marking the day following Christmas day. It is celebrated with a day of rest and cleaning after the festivities of Christmas day, family activities and shopping, with many retailers holding their biggest sales of the year.

Individual states and cities also celebrate their own public holidays, which may include celebrations such as Labour Day, Queen's Birthday, agricultural shows and sporting events such as the Melbourne Cup.