Recomendaciones para el estudio en vacaciones.

Hola chicos/as.

Es importante que durante las vacaciones de verano no os relajéis y dediquéis algo de tiempo a repasar contenidos trabajados.

Aquí os dejamos algunas recomendaciones.

Un abrazo.

Ana y Alicia

Test de valoración

Hola chicos/as.

Hoy toca que valoréis vuestro proceso de aprendizaje durante este curso. En el cole tenéis la versión en papel, con el primer trimestre. tristemente no hemos podido hacer el del segundo trimestre.

Aquí os dejo la versión en digital para que podáis valorar el resto del curso.

Como siempre os dejo dos versiones en PDF para descargar 

O las imágenes para que las veáis

Mi libro de graduación

Hola chicos/as.

Aquí os dejemos un anuario o libro de graduación para que lo rellenéis y lo guardéis como recuerdo de vuestra etapa escolar.

Un abrazo.
Ana y Alicia.

Science: Travelling around the world: South Africa

Today we are going to visit:

South Africa

Here you have some videos with information:

Facts

Fun Facts

Nelson Mandela

Say "Hello" in the different official languages

Main Sport: Rugby. From the movie: Invictus

Music

South African geography song

And in this country, Spain won the FIFA World Cup in 2010

South Africa For Kids

Here are some interesting facts about South Africa for kids which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids.
South Africa Facts | Country Facts
Population: 58.5 million people live in South Africa (2019)
Capital city: Pretoria has 3 million inhabitants. Pretoria's nickname is "The Jacaranda City" due to the many jacaranda trees. In South Africa, the city is referred to as 'Tshwane' as the municipality changed its name in 2007. In fact, South Africa has three capital cities - read more below!
Name: Republic of South Africa, RSA, ZA (Zuid Africa meaning South Africa)
Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
Government: Democracy
Languages: 11 official languages: isiZulu, Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa, siSwati, Sesotho, Xitsonga, Sepedi, isiNdebele, Setswana, Tshivenda
Religion: mainly Christians and Muslims, but also Jews and other faiths.
Currency: 1 South African Rand (ZAR)= 100 Cents
History: South Africa was led by Apartheid leaders until Nelson Mandela came free from prison and became the first democratically elected leader in South Africa in 1994.
Listen to the Anthem
National Symbols: Protea (flower), Springbok (antelope) and others. Click here.
Climate: Various climatic regions. Mostly mild to hot in summer, most of the days, cold nights, snowfall in winter. Read more.
President: Cyril Ramaphosa
South Africa for Kids:
South Africa Geography
South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent. South Africa encloses two landlocked African countries which are eSwatini (formerly called Swaziland) and Lesotho. Both countries are ruled by kings and the people there are very poor.
South Africa also shares borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the North, and Mozambique in the East. 
Cape Point/South Africa
1K+Guardar
It takes a 12-hour flight from London/England, 12-hour flight from Singapore and it takes more than 17 hours from New York/USA to get to South Africa.
In South Africa, the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet off the Southern Cape coast. In the image to the right, you see Cape Point, the southernmost point of the Cape Peninsula. The southernmost point in South Africa is, however, Cape Agulhas which is roughly 120km (75miles) east of Cape Town.
 
South Africa for Kids: Geography
South Africa has various mountain ranges and the grasslands. In the interior of the country, you will find a high plateau. 
The Kalahari Desert in the north is part of the 'highveld', the highlands of the country. Johannesburg also lies on this plateau at 1,700m (5,577ft) above sea level, but most of the bigger cities such as Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth, are located near the coast in low-lying areas.
The longest river in South Africa is the Orange River which forms also part of the border between Namibia from South Africa.
In the mountain ranges of the Drakensberg region, especially in the Lesotho mountains, there is snow in winter and you even could go skiing in South Africa. Tiffindell is the most popular winter resort town. Sometimes also the higher mountain tops in the Western Cape near Cape Town receive some snow in winter. Although the snow might be enough for a snowball fight, it certainly is not enough to go skiing.
Did you know, that the Tugela Falls in South Africa are the second-highest waterfalls in the world?
South Africa for Kids:
South Africa Attractions
Cape Town's Table Mountain
Cape Town: Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, beaches. More about Cape Town attractions here.
Kruger National Park for safaris and great wildlife viewing
Sun City near Pretoria for fun and games galore with amazing wave pool and lots of things to do for the whole family
Addo National Park near Port Elizabeth for elephant-spotting
Durban
Durban for surfing and great beaches and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands for some insights into South African history
iSimangeliso (formerly St Lucia Wetlands) for wildlife viewing and unspoilt nature
Drakensberg Mountains for hiking and nearby Lesotho for skiing in Africa
South Africa for Kids: Animals
Wildlife in South Africa is abundant. There are many species of antilope such as kudu, springbok, wildebeest, impala, oryx and gemsbok. When you go on safari you can see many other South African animals like lions, elephants, giraffes and monkeys.
African Penguin
South Africa is home to the African Penguins and the Great White Sharks live in the ocean waters here too. Sometimes beaches are closed for bathing due to the sharks in the bays. Many beaches have shark nets. Remember to only swim in the sea where there are lifeguards on duty.
Whale watching is very popular in South Africa too and you will encounter an enormous sea life in South Africa when you go on a boat trip.
South Africa for Kids:
South Africa People
South Africa is often called the 'Rainbow Nation', because there are so many different languages are spoken and different cultural traditions are lived. Below you see people of the Ndebele tribe.
Women of the Ndebele tribe
South Africa is often called 'The Cradle of Humankind', because archaeological artefacts, tools and human remains proof that people lived in the area more than 100,000 years ago. The ancient San and the Khoi were the early African civilizations settling the Cape. There are only few descendants of the local San people living in remote areas in the Karoo desert and near the Cape West Coast.
Zulu woman showing a wire basket
The biggest South African population group, the Zulu, mainly live in rural settlements in KwaZulu-Natal, they even have a king. The South African president, Jacob Zuma, actually belongs to the Zulu leaders. Portuguese, Dutch, British, French and German explorers have traveled and populated southern Africa in the 17th and 18th century and therefore you can find many European influences in South Africa too.
Read more about the 11 official languages in South Africa and learn some fun South African slang words here.
Nowadays most of the people in South Africa live in or near the big cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The rural areas are still very poor and also in the cities many people live in shantytowns or townships.
Did you know that in South Africa, cars drive on the left side of the road as they do in the UK and Australia? However, all distance and speed signs are in metres and kilometres and km/hour and not as in England in yards and miles and miles/hour!
South Africa for Kids: Food
The food the people eat in South Africa is very diverse. The South African staple food for the locals is 'mealies', which is corn, and seasonal vegetables, like potatoes, beans, carrots and peas.
South Africans love their meat and game meat such as kudu and springbok are common. However, most people eat beef, chicken, lamb and ostrich with their meals. The people in South Africa love a BBQ (here called 'braai') and almost every house has got a fireplace which is called 'braai-place'.
Bobotie
Typical South African food:
bobotie: typica Cape Malay food containing rice, lamb and fragrant spices. Click to find a tasty easy-to-do bootie recipe.
koeksisters: taste like donuts soaked in sticky sweet sauce. Yummy!
mealie pap: corn porridge
Boerewors
biltong: a cured and dried meat that is a typical South African snack and similar to beef jerky. Kids love to take this as snack to school.
boerewors: Afrikaans for 'farmers sausage', is often put on the grill, formed in a curl (see image)
Read more about South African traditional food here.
Did you know that...?
… most people speak at least two or three languages, one of them usually English or Afrikaans
… South Africa has really three capital cities. The powers are distributed between Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein. The parliament meets for six months in Pretoria and the other half of the year in Cape Town. 
We hope you enjoyed our information on South Africa for Kids. Read also our top 15 South Africa facts even locals often do not know here.

Science: Travelling around the world: Canada

Today we are going to visit:

Introducing Canada

Facts about Canada

Canada the musical

Canada Facts

Canada Geography

Main sport: ice hockey

Music

Canada Facts For Kids

Interesting Canada Facts

Here are some interesting Canada Facts for Kids which were choosen and reseached by kids especially for kids.

• Population: 36.9 million people (2018)
• Capital: Ottawa 1.3 million inhabitants (2018)
• Name: Canada
• Government: Democracy
• Languages: English, French
• Religion: mainly Christians (Roman Catholics and Protestants)
• Currency: 1 Canadian Dollar (CAD)=100 Canadian cents
• National Symbols: Maple leaf, beaver
• History: Canada's biggest bay, Hudson Bay, was discovered in 1610. Since the 16th century, both French and English kings have ruled over the country. Canada gained independence from Britain in 1867. Today, Queen Elizabeth II of England is  also the Queen of Canada and the head of state. The prime minister elected by the people is Justin Trudeau.

Canada Map: Where is Canada?

Canada Map

Canada is a country in the northern hemisphere. The country belongs to the North American continent and shares borders with the United States of America. Canada and the USA actually share the longest international border in the world. It is 8,891km/5,525miles long.

The longest part of the border is shared with the US-state of Alaska and is more than 2,475km/1,538miles long.

Canada Geography

• Canada is the second biggest country in the world, after Russia - measured by total area!

• Canada is a sparsely populated country, most of the people live close to the US-Canada border where the main urban areas such as Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec are.
• Canada's longest river is the McKenzie River in the North West. The river is 2,635miles or 4,241km long.

Watson Lake in Yukon/Canada

• The highest mountain in Canada is with 19,551ft or 5,959m the Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory at the border with Alaska.
• Canada has the largest waterfalls by water volume. These are the Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls

Canada Attractions for Kids

Canada is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. There are many attractions for Canada visitors and kids will love to explore the amazing nature and wildlife.

Cycling in Canada

Families also can go on great canoe trips in the national parks or enjoy skiing and snowboarding and other winter fun activities in the mountains. But also the big cities such as Toronto, Quebec and Vancouver have lots to offer to families travelling with kids with stunning museums and wonderful city parks for great outdoor activities such as cycling, climbing, sledging or iceskating.

Winter fun in Canada

Here are our favorite Canada attractions for kids:

• Vancouver: in the West of the country is great for outdoor sports. The Winter Olympics in 2010 took place in and around Vancouver/British Columbia. In the city, great attractions for children are the Maritime and the Science museums as well as the fantastic Grouse Mountain Skyride or doing the cliff walk and crossing the Capilano River over the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Vancouver

• Niagara Falls: One of Canada's biggest tourist attractions, they were formed in the last Ice Age. The Niagara Falls are the largest waterfalls in Canada by volume of water.
• Quebec City: The Old Town was founded in 1608. Great to see the Frontenac castle buildings from the 18th and 19th century.

• Toronto: The CN Tower and the Roger's Center are great attractions in this city at the shores of Lake Ontario. The CN Tower is actually the tallest freestanding structure in the western hemisphere, while Roger's Center is a huge stadium and spots the world's first retractable roof.
• Banff National Park: Amazing wildlife, make sure to watch your belongings, as bears tend to chew up everything they find laying around, such as stray hiking boots;-) We had our experiences...

Moraine Lake in Banff National Park

Canada Facts for Kids: Economy

• Canada is the second largest oil reserve holder after Saudi Arabia. The province of Alberta leads in the production of oil and natural gas in Canada.
• Canada is the leader in uranium mining. And uranium is used in nuclear power plants for producing electricity.
• The province of Saskatchewan is the main agricultural province in Canada and grows 45% of Canada's grain such as wheat, canola, flax or rye.

Canola field in bloom in Saskatchewan/Canada

• Canada is the world leader of Hydro Electricity which uses the power of the water to produce electricity.
• Canada is second in sawn softwood production after the USA.

Canada Facts for Kids: Canada People

The Canadian people are called Canadians. Most of the Canadian families have roots in England and France, as during the French and British colonised the country and thus many families from 'the old world' immigrated into Canada.

Canada has two official languages: English and French. Almost half of the population can speak both languages. The majority of Canadians speak English as first language, but French is the main language in the Quebec province. In Quebec also almost half of the population is bilingual, which means that they are able to speak both languages fluently.

• Almost 90% of all Canadians live within 200km/125miles of the Canada-USA border!
• Main languages are English and French
• Inuit are one group of Canada's indigenous people
• Life expectancy at birth is 81 years
• Literacy Rate is 99%

Among the aboriginal people in Canada are the Métis, the First Nations People and the Inuit.

Inuit Family

The indigenous people in northern Canada are called 'Inuit'. Inuit people, which were called 'eskimos' previously but this name is not acceptable and pejorative. Today, only 5 in 100 Canadians refer to themselves as 'Inuk' (one of the Inuit people). 

The inuit live today in modern houses but still build igloos, especially when hunting. The inuit children go to the community's schools, but there are no universities in the North. So if the children decide to go on studying, they have to leave their communities and move to university cities. In the Inuit language, writing text was only begun in the 19th century before they mainly used symbols for writing. 

***

We hope you enjoyed reading out Canada Facts for Kids. Make sure to bookmark this page, as we plan to add on more information. Feel free to contact us if your school would like to work on a school project about Canada (animals, food, people, traditions, games, sport etc.) with us.

Find 25 more fun facts about Canada here:

Canada Facts for Kids: Resources

• Canada Facts for Kids References: BBC News: Canada Profile latest checked 4 October 2017
• Canada Statistics: Government of Canada official website - archived article - 4 October 2017
• Various Canada Quizzes - 4 October 2017
• Inuit Cultural Online Resource: last accessed 4 October 2017

Picture credits on Canada Facts for Kids: Shutterstock.com and sxc.hu (Clipboard: 1.Meysam Sadat-Mansouri, 2.Sumair ur Rahman and 3.Cindy Pepper)

Science: Travelling around the world: United Kingdom

Today we are going to visit:

Ten facts about UK

UK geography songs

UK money

Musical tour

Music

The Beatles

Ed Sheeran

Main Sports: Football, Cricket and Rugby

Football

Cricket

Rugby

UK Facts | United Kingdom

Our UK Facts for Kids provide interesting and fun facts about the United Kingdom, its geography, its landmarks and attractions.

Here are some interesting UK Facts which were choosen and researched by kids especially for kids.

UK Facts for Kids

The United Kingdom includes four countries. First let's start with explaining the distinctions between United Kingdom, Great Britain and Britain.

• UK: United Kingdom is an European country that includes four separate countries on the British isles: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• Great Britain is the name for three nations on the main isle: England, Scotland and Wales
• Britain is used only for including the mainland countries England and Wales

United Kingdom Facts for Kids

• Population: about 66 million people live in the United Kingdom (2020)
• Capital: London with 9 million inhabitants
• Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Government: Parliamentary Monarchy, Democracy
• Language: English 
• Religion: mainly Christians 60%
• Currency: 1 British Pound (GBP) = 100 penny

• National Anthem: 'God Save the Queen'
• National Holiday: none, however, the Queen's official birthday is a celebrated public holiday on the second Saturday in June.
• National Symbol: Lion (national animal), Union Jack (national flag) and the national colours: blue, white and red
• History: In 1707, the first political union of the Kingdom of England which then included Wales and Scotland was formed. In 1922 Northern Ireland joined this Union. From 1835 until 1925 the city of London was the largest city in the world. In 1927 the UK was officially proclaimed. From 1973 - 2020, the UK was part of the European Union.

Quick UK Facts | UK Geography

• The United Kingdom is a country in northwestern Europe. 
• The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• The UK is located mainly on two large islands in the Atlantic Ocean. 
• No location in the UK is further away from the sea than 125 km/ 77 miles!
• The only land border to a non-UK country is in Northern Ireland the border with Ireland.

• The United Kingdom is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon/USA and slightly bigger than Ghana.
• The UK lies on the prime meridian which marks the Greenwich meridian timezone (GMT).
• The landscape is dominated by rolling plains and rugged hillsides.

• The UK has 13 British overseas territories, among them are Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula and Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

London is the capital city of the United Kingdom

• The United Kingdom was part of the European Union from 1973 and left the EU on 31 January 2020. A transition period until 31 December 2020 is currently taking place until new arrangements between the EU and the UK are in place. Read more about the European Union here.

Facts about the UK
Geo Superlatives

• The largest country of the UK is England. The smallest country is Northern Ireland.
• The UK has the third longest coastline in Europe with 12 430 km/ 7 723 miles - after Norway and Denmark (Greenland)
• The United Kingdom's highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland with 1 345 m/4 412 ft.

Ben Nevis highest mountain of the UK

• The largest lake in the UK is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
• Loch Ness is the largest fresh water lake (by volume) in the UK. 
• The longest river in the UK is the river Severn with 354 km/ 220 miles.

Bridge over the Severn river linking England with Wales

• London Heathrow is the biggest airport on the European continent.
• There is only one land border to Ireland.
• Bishop Rock off the Scilly Isles in southern England is the smallest of the UK islands.

UK Facts | UK Landmarks

• London: The capital city has many attractions. London’s Shard skyscraper is the tallest building on the European continent with 310 m/1,015 ft. in height.

London at the River Thames and the Shard skyscraper

• Edinburgh: The capital city of Scotland is known for its castle and the Royal mile. The International Fringe Festival in the city attracts more than 250 000 visitors every year!

Edinburgh Castle

• Windsor: This quaint town in Southern England is also known for its castle, which is a royal residence built in the 11th century. Windsor castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world.

Windsor Castle

• Stonehenge is known as the oldest monument in the world dating back over 3 000 years and thus these huge rocks are older than the Pyramids. 

Stonehenge

• Loch Ness: Scotland might be know as the country of the Loch Ness monster, however, no proof could ever be obtained about Nessie. The Loch Ness monster is commonly known as Nessie. Did you know that 'loch' is Scottish and means 'lake'?

Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness

• Cardiff: The capital city of Wales is often referred to as the 'City of Arcades'. Cardiff has the most indoor shopping centres in the UK. However, the Welsh city also has many historic houses and castles that are worth a visit. 

Cardiff in Wales

• Belfast: Northern Irelands main business center is located on the banks of the Lagan River. The city has one of the biggest ports of the UK. Shipbuilding was a major sector for the city in the last century and once had the biggest shipyard in the world where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912. At the Titanic Belfast you can learn about the story of the fateful ship and its voyage.

Illuminated city hall in Belfast/Northern Ireland

UK People

The UK is a country with a diverse and multiethnic population. People from all over the world have made this country their home. 

The light patches show UK population centres

Most of the population of the UK (83%) live in urban areas only about 20% live in rural areas. The majority of Britons live in and around the main centres of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The biggest city of the UK is London. 

Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow are also cities with more than 1 million inhabitants.

The most popular sports are soccer, rugby, cricket and golf. All these sports are said to have been invented in the UK. Golf is said to have been invented already in 1457. The old golf course in St Andrews/Scotland is the oldest golf course in the world.

St Andrews golf course in Scotland

The UK has over 130 universities among them the most prestigious universities Oxford and Cambridge.

UK Facts | Famous People

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philipp - image by Lorna Roberts

• Queen Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926) is the longest reigning monarch in the world. She reigns in the UK for 60 years + on the throne. Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne after her father King George VI died in 1952. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning royal in the world and still head of state of 16 Commonwealth countries.

William Shakespeare

• William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616): nicknamed 'The Bard', Shakespeare is the world's biggest playwright. His works 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Macbeth' and 'Hamlet' are known by people from all over the world. Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London is a great place to experience a play or learn about his famous plays.

Florence Nightingale

• Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910): the English social reformer opened the first school for professional nursing in 1860 and helped spreading medical knowledge. She travelled widely in Egypt and Greece before she worked and trained nurses in the Crimean War. She was nicknamed the 'lady with a lamp'.

• J.K. Rowling: author of 'Harry Potter' book series who became the first author who earn one billion US dollar in her career as a writer in 2014. The seven fantasy novels tell about the adventures of the young wizard Harry Potter and his friends. 

UK Facts | Language in the UK

The main language spoken in the UK is British English. Scots, Welsh and Irish are also spoken. There are also four Celtic languages spoken: Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Welch and Cornish.

In Wales, Welsh names are given on road signs together with English names which makes traveling much easier for many.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the town with the longest name in the world, but fortunately the town is known also as  Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or simply Llanfair PG.

The ancient languages Scottisch Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Welsh and Breton are still spoken in England but only by groups of people.

Did you know that French was actually the official language in the UK for about three hundred years, from 1066 - 1362! The Breton language is nowadays mostly spoken by the people in Brittany in northwestern France.

UK Facts | United Kingdom Economy

UK pound notes

The Pound Sterling is one of the strongest currencies in the world.

The UK is the world’s sixth largest economy after USA, China, Japan, Germany and India.

The United Kingdom is the third largest economy after Germany and France on the European continent.

The USA, Germany, France and China are the UK's biggest trading parters.

Among the biggest UK companies and manufacturers are

• HSBC (Banking and Financial Services)
• BP (British Petroleum)
• AstraZeneca (Pharmaceuticals)
• GlaxoSmithKline (health products and pharmaceuticals such as Dr Best oral health care, Horlicks malted drinks) 
• Unilever (food, household and health care products such as Omo or Skip washing powder, Axe deodorant, Lipton tea or Magnum icecream.

Major natural resources are coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron-ore, limestone and zinc.

UK Facts | UK Food

Food and soft drinks are among the main manufactured goods in the UK, still almost half of its food stuff consumed on the British isles is imported to meet the populations needs.

Typical English Breakfast with fried egg, sausages, bacon, black pudding, baked beans, tomatoes and toast

Popular food in the UK:

• Fish and Chips: deep fried fish or fish fingers with french fries that have been soaked with vinegar
• Bangers and Mash: sausages and mashed potatoes
• Black Pudding: sausage or sliced meatloaf of pigs blood and fat that has been mixed with pepper or spices and cooked or fried.
• Yorkshire Pudding: similar to a flat round roll, eaten usually with the main meal and vegetables, not a dessert

Yorkshire Pudding with roast beef, peas, potato mash and turnip mash is a typical Sunday meal

• Toad-In-The-Hole: Similar to a Yorkshire pudding, the dough is baked with sausages and mixed vegetables
• Haggis: Traditional Scottish dish made with lamb's offal (liver, lungs, heart) minced with onions and spices. The minced meats is cooked in a casing, formerly they used an animal's stomach. This dish tastes much better than it sounds! This dish is often served with mashed potatoes and mashed turnips. 

Typical Scottish Haggis

• Baked Beans on Toast: Baked beans in tomato sauce are especially popular among children.
• Shepherd's Pie: meat pie filled with lamb mince and vegetables.
• Welsh Rarebit: baked toast with Cheddar cheese
• Chicken Tikka and Chicken Korma: see below :-)

And Britons like curries, albeit mild ones. Chicken Korma and Chicken Tikka have been voted among most popular dishes in the UK.

Chicken Tikka

And as many of you might have guessed already: the British are big tea drinkers and are among the world’s biggest tea consumers.

Afternoon tea is actually a light meal of tea and sandwiches or toast, scones or pastry served in between lunch and tea. Afternoon tea is taken around 16h and 17h in many families when children come home from school. Tea time!

English scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream - Yummy!

UK Facts | UK animals

The largest mammal in the UK is the red deer. Various species of deer and rabbits are common in the UK.

Red Deer in Scotland

Badgers, foxes and hedgehogs live in the woodlands and forests of the isles. 

UK Facts | Did you know?

The UK was the first to use postage stamps: In 1840 the first stamps show a portrait of Queen Victoria. The first postage stamp called 'Penny Black' as it was worth one penny and was black.

And last but not least: The UK is one of only five countries that do not have a written constitution but follows a common law system.