Britlink - The British Site

Britlink - Britain & The British

Welcome to Britlink, an information and links site, were information is always free! We hope to cover as much about the British, the British Isles as possible. Britlink intends to focus on less well coverd issues, issues with a social or political aspect, nothing is too small or too trivial to find a place on this site. Our aimis to provide a home for all kind of topics and issues.
Your opinion counts, let us know your views, are there any subject or issues we should cover? Do you have content we can publish at Britlink? Please contact us.

The United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state occupying most of the British Isles off the northwest coast of Europe. Its territory and population are primarily situated on the island of Great Britain, but it also shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland on the island of Ireland. The United Kingdom is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and its ancillary bodies of water- the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is a political union made up of four constituent countries, commonly termed the home nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In the United Kingdom, the monarch has extensive theoretical powers, though his or her role is mainly, though not exclusively, ceremonial.

Channel Islands CSituated just off the coast of France on the edge of the English Channel, the beautiful Channel Islands, a British Crown dependency since 1066, are fiercely independent and justifiably proud of their history and traditions.
This popular tourist destination is also an attractive offshore tax haven (for many companies), and as a result the islands have a thriving financial industry.
In addition, they're known worldwide for locally grown flowers and for their prized purebred Guernsey cows. The local language and pubs may be English, but the islands were once a part of Normandy, so many of the place names and roads, as well as the food are decidedly French.
The Channel Islands comprise two separate territories: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, and have a total population of about 160,000.

Isle of Man A British crown dependency, the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin in Manx) lies in the Irish Sea almost an equil distance from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. With an area of 572 km² (221 square miles) and a population of around 76,315 (2001 Census) it arguably has the "Oldest Continuous Parliament in the World" (a claim made by several other countries) - the Tynwald - supposedly founded in 979. Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the island came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language, the native language for the Isle of Man.
English is now the only language spoken on the island.
The island is also famous for the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) Race, which is a motorcycle racing event held on the Isle of Man since 1907. The tailless Manx cat originated on the island.

The Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories are territories that are under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom, though not part of the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Overseas territories should be distinguished from crown dependencies (the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which have a different constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom), and protectorates (which were not formally under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom).
They should also not be confused with Commonwealth realms, which are independent states sharing the same sovereign as the United Kingdom.
At one time, most crown colonies were directly administered by officials appointed by the British government.
Today, however most overseas territories are self-governingerritories, only relying on Britain for defence, foreign affairs, and some trade issues.

Cornwall, County or Country? The Cornish self-government movement is a social movement which seeks greater autonomy for the area of Cornwall. The movement's advocates argue that Cornwall is not merely a county of England (which is its current administrative status) but a duchy and a distinctive nation which has never been formally incorporated into England via an Act of Union. Supporters of Cornish self-government who assert that Cornwall is, or ought to be, a separate legal entity from England do not necessarily mean to advocate full independence from the United Kingdom, but rather seek official recognition for Cornwall as one of the constituent countries or home nations of the UK.
Some supporters of Cornish self-government question the legal legitimacy of English rule in Cornwall, due to the failure of the former Parliament of England to ever pass an Act of Union, although their claims are not generally recognised within the United Kingdom (or sometimes within Cornwall itself). However, many see some degree of autonomy as a stepping stone towards this, and are supportive of the Cornish Assembly Campaign.

The BBC With the BBC at its core, British television is global television, with international channels and programme exports worldwide. Founded in 1922 by private companies interested in radio broadcasting, its first radio transmission went out on November 14th of that year.
In 1927 it was granted a Royal Charter of incorporation and became the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The BBC began TV broadcasts in 1932, started the worlds first regular television service in 1936, were the first to use teletext known as Ceefax in 1973 and invented NICAM stereo in the early 1980s. Today the Corporation is a global broadcaster and supplier of programming to the worlds television channels.
The BBC operates a host of radio channels, covering the country on both a national and local level. BBC radio is available on most broadcasting platforms, satellite, DAB, Freeview, Cable and Online.
The BBC is also one of the main share holders in the Freesat digital satellite platform.

British Publications Newspapers are traditionally categorized into two types in the United Kingdom. Broadsheets which are larger in size and are seen as being more intellectual and upmarket; and tabloids which are smaller in size and seen as being more downmarket than broadsheets, containing more stories about celebrities or gossip. However, some broadsheet papers, such as The Times and The Independent have recently switched to a smaller size, preferring to call themselves compact rather than be stigmatised by the tabloid label.Most towns and cities in the UK have at least one local newspaper, such as the Evening Post in Bristol and The Echo in Cardiff. However, they are not known nationally for their journalism in the way as the Nationals.