Friday, January 22, 2010

United Kingdom




History

The history of the United Kingdom as a unified sovereign state began with the political union of the kingdoms of England, which included Wales, and Scotland on 1 May 1707 in accordance with the Treaty of Union, as ratified by the Acts of Union 1707. The Union created the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which shared a single constitutional monarch and a single parliament at Westminster.

Prior to this, the kingdoms of England and Scotland had been separate states, though in personal union following the Union of the Crowns in 1603, with political, administrative and cultural institutions including representative governance, law systems, and distinguished contributions to the arts and sciences, upon which the United Kingdom was to be built.

On the new, united kingdom, historian Simon Schama said "What began as a hostile merger would end in a full partnership in the most powerful going concern in the world... it was one of the most astonishing transformations in European history." A further Act of Union in 1800 added the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Geography

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK, is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with many smaller islands.

The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 59°N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61°N), and longitudes 8°W to 2°E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, in South East London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian.

The UK lies between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 mi) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel ("Chunnel") bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

London and its best

Buckingham Palace



Guards at Buckingham Palace



Guard at London Musuem



Hyde Park



Late Princess Diana Memorial Brigde in Hyde Park



Tower of London



The Palace of Westminster



London Eye



Big Ben



The Monument



London Bridge



Tower Bridge



Westminster Bridge



Tube



Double decker bus



Hackney carriage



Red telephone box



Royal mail



Thames River

Friday, January 1, 2010

Terrebonne, Quebec



History

The city of Lachenaie is the oldest one and was founded in 1670 by Lord Charles Aubert de Lachenaye. Some natives were already present on this territory at the time. The colonisation really started in 1647 when Lachenaie was merged with the Repentigny Seigniory. Louis Lepage de Ste-Claire, priest, canon, and the son of René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, acquire the seigniory of Terrebonne on September 2, 1720. The abbot Louis Lepage de Ste-Claire built the first church in 1734 and the first manor in 1735. A few years later, the abbot Lepage equipped the city with a saw mill and a flour mill.

The city of La Plaine was founded in 1830 on fragments of other cities, namely Mascouche, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Saint-Lin and Terrebonne. At that time, the lords of Terrebonne and Lachenaie built the road named "chemin de la Grande Ligne" to join the two cities. It is now called the boulevard Laurier. In 1877, the rail system was developed and stimulated the economic growth. The village of Saint-Joachim was founded during that time, which was later, in 1920, to be renamed La Plaine.

The first lord of Terrebonne was André Daulier-Deslandes, who got his title in 1673. After the construction of the first wooden bridge in 1834, two main areas emerged. The commercial area was Terrebonne, and the agricultural was Saint-Louis de Terrebonne. In 1985, the two cities merged.

Geography

Terrebonne is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in western Quebec. It is located on the north shores of the Rivière des Mille-Îles and of the Rivière des Prairies, North of Montreal and Laval.

Winter in Terrebonne