United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
some basic information
Geography
Government
Education
Chemical Engineering
Geography
here is a map
There are two islands to the west of Europe.
The larger eastern one is called Britain.
The smaller western one is called Ireland.
The larger island and the little islands around it are called Great
Britain.
The UK is a nation of 60 million people consisting of Great Britain
and the northeast region of Ireland.
(The rest of the island of Ireland is a country called the Republic
of Ireland, or sometimes Eire, or just Ireland.).
Government
The government regions of the UK are England, Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland.
Populations are as follows: England 50 million, Wales 3 million, Scotland
5 million, N.I. 2 million.
There is a UK parliament in London, but each of the above regions has
some sort of local government.
The official language of the country is English throughout, but Welsh
is an official language in Wales.
(Official documents and place names in Wales are given in both languages,
but technical higher education is given in English.)
The capital of England is London. The capital of Wales is Cardiff
(Caerdydd). The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. The capital
of Northern Ireland is Belfast. The capital of the UK is London.
Education
The education system, legal system and many other government functions
are slightly different in Scotland.
Throughout the UK, education is compulsory from age 5 to 16 years old,
and free up to 18 years old.
Students in higher education currently pay for their own living costs
and pay part of the tuition fees. To help them do this, they can
borrow money (at no interest while a student) which must be paid back later
when they are working. Many have part-time jobs.
Schools are run by local government (i.e. city or county). Universities
are independent institutions, but receive money from the national government
according to the number of home students they take. They can also
charge fees to foreign students and get money from research activities.
UK School Education 5-18
UK University Education
UK Postgraduate Education
Chemical Engineering
The Institution of Chemical Engineers
approves degree courses in the UK.
There is 1 approved department in Wales, 1 in Northern Ireland, 4 in
Scotland and 12 in England.
UK Chemical Engineering Departments
UK Chartered Engineer Status
This page produced by Martin
Pitt, updated 10 April 2001