GEOGRAPHY

England is about the size of Alabama.

Wales is about the size of Massachusetts.

Scotland is about the size of South Carolina.

These three countries together make up Great Britain.

With the addition of Northern Ireland, about the size of Connecticut, they make up the United Kingdom, which is a bit smaller than Wyoming.

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HISTORY

Britain is an island nation made up of three smaller countries- England, Scotland and Wales, along with the Northern part of neighbouring Ireland. Britain's population has always been a mix of peoples from different places.

Britain has not been invaded since the Normans came from France in 1066, but it was invaded many times before that. The invaders included Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings . The Romans first came in 55 BC and Britain was part of the Roman Empire for almost 400 years, nearly twice as long as the United States has been a nation!

Liberty has been important in Britain since the English King John was forced to sign Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter) in 1215. Magna Carta said that even the king had to obey the law. And in 1783 Britain gave birth to the United States, whose laws, government and many other institutions were based on those of Britain.

Britain has always been ready to stand up to dictators, alone if necessary. In the early 1800s the British defeated the Frenchman Napoleon. In the 20th century they fought Hitler and his Nazis.

The Dawn of History

The Romans

The Anglo-Saxons

The Vikings

The Normans

The Middle Ages

The Tudors

The Stuarts and the Civil War

The Hanoverians and American Independence

Queen Victoria and the British Empire

The Twentieth Century and the Two World Wars