Why is the UK divided into counties? Detailed answer

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Why is the UK divided into counties? Detailed answer

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Why is the UK divided into counties?

The modern division of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland into counties is the result of a long process of historical, legislative, economic and social change over a thousand years. It began in the time of the Anglo-Saxons, when England was divided into regions, the common name of which "shire" (the Russian transcription of the word "shire") is preserved in the names of many modern counties, for example, Yorkshire, Lancashire, etc.

The division into regions stemmed from the principles of local self-government and self-defense. The Norman conquerors who conquered England in 1066 adopted this system from their predecessors.

Subsequently improved, it gradually reached the areas bordering Scotland and Wales. In Wales, the borders of the counties have changed little since the days of the Tudor dynasty, in whose veins English blood mixed with Welsh. Scotland has for centuries had a system of territories ruled by sheriffs, which was very different from the English. The division of Ireland into counties was carried out by the highest feudal nobility in the time of Henry II and further perfected by Oliver Cromwell 5 centuries later.

Over the past centuries, the map of the British counties has undergone constant changes, reflecting changes in the social life of the country. One of the most important factors causing these changes was the movement of population from one region to another, especially from the countryside to the cities during the "industrial revolution".

The largest cities, in which more people lived than in the rest of the territory of a particular county, were withdrawn from the latter in 1929 and turned into separate administrative units. It also happened that one county "swallowed" another! The creation of the Greater London Region in 1965 resulted in the former county of Middlesex being mentioned only on postal envelopes.

In some counties, two capitals appeared, one of which is a historical, and the other is an industrial, commercial and administrative center.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Who invented the steam engine?

a) James Watt.
b) George Stephenson.
c) Richard Trevithick.
d) Thomas Newcomen.
e) Heron from Egypt.

The prize goes to Heron (sometimes also called Heron of Alexandria) - moreover, 1600 years before Newcomen's machine of 1711.

Heron lived in Alexandria around 62 CE. e. and is better known as a mathematician and geometer. He was also a great inventor and inventor, and it was his aeropile, or "wind balloon", that became the first working steam engine. Using the same principle as a modern jet engine, a steam-driven metal ball was spun up to 1500 rpm. Unfortunately (for Heron), no one saw the practical use of the invention, and therefore it was considered nothing more than an amusing quirk.

Surprisingly (oh, Heron would have known about this!), But the railroad was invented 700 years earlier by the Corinthian tyrant Periander. Called Diolkos (that is, "boathouse" or "stockway"), it stretched for 6 km, perpendicularly crossing the Isthmus of Corinth (or Isthmus), and was a road paved with porous limestone slabs. In the middle of the road were two tracks, hollowed out at a distance of 1,5 m from each other. Wheeled carts moved along these ruts, onto which boats were loaded. They were pushed by brigades of slaves, and all this together formed a kind of "earth channel", which was the shortest route between the Aegean and Ionian seas.

Diolkos existed for almost 1500 years, until it finally fell into disrepair and fell into disrepair in 900. After that, the principle of the railway track was completely forgotten for about 500 years: only in the XIV century someone guessed to use it for trolleys in coal mines.

Renowned historian Arnold Toynbee wrote a wonderful essay discussing how history could have turned out if two inventions had come together to give the world a global Greek empire based on a rapid rail network, Athenian democracy, and a Buddhist-type religion built on the teachings of Pythagoras. In passing, he even refers to a failed prophet who lived at Nazareth, Railroad Cut, 4.

Heron also invented a vending machine - for five drachmas the machine dispensed a portion of holy water - and a portable device that ensures that no one else can sip the wine that you bring to a party from the category of those where everyone comes "with their own drink."

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ Which of the modern monarchical dynasties is the oldest?

▪ Are groundhogs harmless?

▪ What delicacy is produced in Sardinia, subjected to rotting and decomposition?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

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Gadget for the treatment of seasickness with electrotherapy 16.09.2015

Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a method to prevent seasickness through electrical stimulation. They expect to create a portable device with electrodes connected to the head and put it into mass production.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has long been successfully used to relieve acute and chronic pain of various origins, including headache. Electrical impulses from electrodes located on the skin above the pain focus stimulate the nerves to block pain signals in the direction of the brain, and the pain is not perceived.

The authors proposed to stimulate the left parietal lobe of the brain with electrical discharges in order to influence the vestibular apparatus of a person and thus eliminate the occurrence of nausea associated with seasickness.

The method was tested by 20 volunteers, including 10 men and 10 women. Electrodes were fixed on their heads for about 10 minutes to influence the current. The subjects were then seated in a motorized chair that rotated and tilted, simulating the conditions under which seasickness occurs in humans while traveling in ships and cars. The scientists recorded how long it took before the participants reported that they were feeling unwell, and then that the nausea had subsided. After the volunteers recovered from the first test session, the second session was carried out in the same way.

The authors noted that the current parameters and duration of exposure selected by them are safe for human health. According to the results of the experience, patients who underwent electrotherapy were less prone to seasickness and recovered from it faster than those who did not receive such treatment.

The researchers expect that in five to XNUMX years the technology will find its way into over-the-counter devices like those already available that use TENS to relieve chronic pain as well as pregnancy pain. Perhaps they will represent a cap with electrodes that can connect to a smartphone and use its processor and battery.

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