Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.
June 25th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Salisbury We traded in the hustle and bustle of the big city of London for the English Countryside. WOW, what a difference. Salisbury is a quaint market town with a small touristic flavor to it. People flock ... 19 photos[full story]
June 23rd 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Stonehenge In the last few weeks of my England stay, I'm trying to do as many things a possible. Upon asking anyone if they wanted to go to Stonehenge, Krystel informed me that they were going in two weeks for ... 16 photos[full story]
June 21st 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Trowbridge This weekend we decided to hire a car and take off on a day trip with our friend Kathleen. Our first destination was the historic, Roman city of Bath. Bath is famous for its hot springs, Roman period ... 12 photos[full story]
April 27th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Marlborough I can't believe it... I am sitting in my house writing this! That is the most wierd thing ever!
We left Auckland at around 9:45pm, and we had the worst seats on the plane. We had the two seats rig ... [full story]
April 13th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Salisbury Saturday 12 April - 05:45am....Barp!, barp!, barp! Off goes the alarm, with eyes still shut Lav turns of the alarm and wakes Steve, reminding him of the amazing day's challenge ahead. Originally we th ... 39 photos[full story]
March 12th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire » Longleat Well near Logleat but a journey to get here! Moya, gerry and self went up to London on Monday evening to go to a wine tasting and to have dinner with Alex and hgis squeeze (Zenyp??). This involved the ... [full story]
January 30th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Wiltshire Finally I have beaten the bag, and got it closed! It is all padlocked now, and it is not being opened until tomorrow, when I am in Sunny Cape Town on the first day of my Gap Year trip.
I am meeting ... 1 photos[full story]
Map of United Kingdom
United Kingdom's Flag
