Why is england also called britain

In northwest England and the Scottish Highlands are dozens of lakes, called lochs. These were left behind when the Ice Age glaciers melted. They tend to be long and narrow, and some are very deep. Legends say that a giant monster called Nessie lives in Loch Ness in Scotland.

In the s and s, people from former colonies in the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia came to the United Kingdom to work. Sports and literature are among the United Kingdom's cultural claims to fame. Soccer, rugby, cricket, boxing, and golf were all invented in Britain.

And the U. Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter books, is British. About 5, years ago, the center of the United Kingdom was covered with thick forests. Thousands of years ago, these woodlands were cleared by ancient farmers, and today only about 10 percent of the land is forest. The United Kingdom's complex geology gives rise to a wide variety of landscapes and a range of habitats for its animal and plant life. But it is a very crowded country, and there are not many truly wild places left.

The most successful wildlife species are those that can live alongside people. Great Britain's rugged mountains, like the Scottish Highlands, offer habitat that is relatively untouched by humans.

The country's 7, miles 12, kilometers of shoreline, ranging from tall cliffs to beaches to marshes, also provide homes for wildlife such as seabirds and seals. Britain's system of government has developed over many centuries. Kings once ruled with advice from a council of religious leaders and nobles. As Elizabeth I was childless, this made him her successor. In England and Scotland both, the parliament passed an act of union formalizing a melding of the two states.

The result was the United Kingdom of Great Britain. This would later include Ireland after then Acts of Union of Welsh people were long considered part of the Kingdom of England. They would not establish their own parliament until the late s.

The term U. These include Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, and other smaller islands. The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 52 states or countries that were formerly part of the British Empire. This does not include the United States.

These are identified as Commonwealth realms. However, they still participate in the partnership. The Commonwealth has no constitution. The Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles, however, states that the Commonwealth is "a voluntary association of independent sovereign states each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace.

However, the present-day U. These territories remain subject to British rule, though some are self-governing:. Instead of having a relationship with the U.

As members of the Commonwealth of Nations , each Commonwealth Realm governs itself, makes its own decisions and foreign policy decisions, but retains ties to the U. When Fox News did so yesterday, British onlookers were not amused. We regret the error. Erin Blakemore is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist.