BRITAIN/U.K./ENGLAND/ETHNICAL DIVERSITY IN BRITAIN
By Olga Lucia Restrepo Cano
Britain is made up of England capital London and Wales capital Cardiff. United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland capital Edinburgh, Wales and Northern Ireland capital Belfast. United Kingdom is an Island. Between Ireland and Britain there is a Sea named IRISH SEA. Colombia is located in South America and it is made up of several states, every one of them beautiful and important by itself, such as Quindio capital Armenia where a live.
The official name of United Kingdom is “UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND”, in our case the official name of our Country is “REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA”.
The name Britain goes back to Roman times when they called England and Wales “Britannia”. Britain was the name made popular by the Romans when they came to the British Islands. The name Colombia came from the Latin Columbus, the last name of Cristobal Colon or Cristoforo Colombo in Italian.
Moreover, England used to be Known as Engla Land, meaning “THE LAND OF THE ANGLES”, people from Continental Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th Century, along with the Saxons and Jutes. About the ancient history of Britain, they were invaded by Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans. The Romans came to Britain nearly 2000 years ago, today the ruins of Roman buildings, forts, roads and baths are part of their history. Saxons arrived after Romans left Britain. It was during the second half of the fifth Century. Vikings arrived about year 800; they came across the North Sea from the three countries of Scandinavia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Colombia was invaded by Spanish people, the first one was Alonso de Ojeda, who arrived to Peninsula of Guajira at 1499. Eleven years after that the Spanish founded Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien, the first colony on American Continent. This people named Conquerors treated the aborigines very badly, they firstly subjugate them as slaves and finally they were forced to be evangelized.
Britain is a Multicultural Country because people from all cultures and ethnicities can be founded in every corner of Britain and each person in his or her own way has contributed to make Britain the place it is today. Many of the people you will see will be British people but they all look different because the people of Britain are a mixed race. In Colombia the ethnical diversity is the result of the mix among Amerindians, Spanish colonial people and afro-descendants. Among the immigrants, the biggest groups came from Arabic world, Europe and China, also Jewish and Gypsies. Immigrants from other Latin-American Countries such as Brasil, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, Peru and Antilles are in our territory also, although in a low number.
In Colombia the official language is THE CASTELLANO, tongues and dialects of the different ethnical groups are also officials in their territories. There are approximately 65 aborigine tongues that It have been preserved, such as WAYUU, PAEZ, GUAMBIANO and EMBERA.
In London over 250 Languages are Spoken, making the capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world, this happening because the immigration. According the 2001 census people living in London could be classified as the following list:
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76% as white
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10% Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani
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5% Black African
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5% Mixed races
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1% Chinese
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