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78 Interesting Facts About . . .
the United Kingdom
1.
The word “Britain” is derived from the name of a Celtic tribe, the
Brythons.
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2.
The word “England” comes from “Angle-land,” or land of the Angli, or
Angles, a Viking tribe that came across the North Sea and settled in the
east and north. The French name for England, Angleterre, also literally
means “Land of the Angles."
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3.
At its zenith in the 18th century, the British Empire stretched 20% of the
world’s surface and contained a quarter of the world’s population.
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Windsor Castle was built by William the Conqueror in A.D. 1080 and is the
oldest continually inhabited royal residence in Britain
4.
Windsor Castle is the largest royal home in the world. It is also the oldest
continually inhabited royal residence in Britain, having been built by
William the Conqueror around A.D. 1080.
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5.
For the British, the position of monarch probably ranks as one of history’s
least safe occupations. English kings have been killed in battle (Harold),
beheaded (Charles I), assassinated (William II), murdered by a wicked
uncle (Edward V), and knocked off by the queen and her lover (Edward
II).
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6.
Nowhere in England is more than 75 miles (121 km) from the sea.
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7.
London is one of only two cities above the 50th parallel with a population
of more than five million. Moscow is the other.
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8.
Among European countries, only Ireland and Finland have a higher rate
of
heart
attacks than Britain.
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9.
The United Kingdom recently named chicken tikka masala as its national
dish, which is a spicy curry created in Britain and is unheard of
in
India
itself.
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10.
According to the Soil Association, a leading
organic-food
campaign, more
than 85% of the people in Britain want pesticide-free food.
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11.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society in both Britain and the
United States estimates that up to 50 million Americans can trace their
ancestry back to King Edward III.
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12.
The first fish and chips restaurant was opened in 1860 in London by a
Jewish immigrant named Joseph Malin.
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Every day, the
British drink 165 million cups of tea, more than 20 times that of the average
American
13.
Every day, the British drink 165 million cups of
tea
, which is over 20 times
more than the average American.
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14.
Prince William once paid $320 (£200) for Kate Middleton during a “slave
auction” at a
Harry Potter
-themed party.
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15.
When she married Prince William at age 29, Catherine Middleton became
the oldest spinster ever to marry a future British king. She and Prince
William are also distantly related (12th cousins).
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16.
About 30% of today’s Londoners were born outside the United Kingdom.
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17.
There is only a 21-mile (34-km) gap between England and
France
, and the
countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994. It
is the world’s second longest underground tunnel;
Japan
’s Seikan Tunnel
is the first.
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18.
Britain has an annual cheese-rolling competition that involves running
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down Coopers Hill after a Double Gloucester round. The winner gets to
keep the cheese.
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19.
Big Ben does not refer to the famous clock, but actually to the bell.
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20.
It is thought that St. Patrick may have brought the early knowledge of
whisky distilling from Ireland around the mid-5th century. The Scots call
it
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