Common Information About a Country

The official and full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is usually known by a shorter name – "The United Kingdom". The "United Kingdom" consists of England, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland. Their total area is over 244, 000 square km. The capital of Great Britain is London. The population of country is over 59 million. The British Isles are the home of four nations: English – 81. 5 %, Scottish – 9.6 %, Welsh – 1.9 % and Irish – 2.4 %. The population is divided into two groups: 47% - the Anglycane, 16% - the Catholics.

The state is situated on the north-west of Europe. Consists of island Great Britain, on which is located England, Scotland, Wales and parts of the island Ireland, which is occupied by North Ireland. The island Maine and Norman islands are dominions of the United Kingdom, but are not his member. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic ocean. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland – by the Irish Sea.

The state language is English. The United Kingdom consists of four history regions (England, Scotland, Wales, North Ireland), which are divided in the administrative relation on the numerous counties.

There are 39 counties in England, 6 metropolytenskyh counties and the special administrative unit is Large London (an administrative center – London). There are 8 counties in Wales (administrative center – Cardiff). There are 12 regions and 186 islands in Scotland (an administrative center is Edinburgh). There are 26 districts In North Ireland (an administrative center is Belfast). The island Maine and Norman islands have the special status.

The large cities of Great Britain are Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast.

The form of the rule is Limited monarchy. The Queens is officially head of all the branches of government, but she has little direct power in the country. The constitution has three branches: Parliament, the government and the courts. Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is usually the leader of the political party. The Prime Minister chooses a committee of ministers called the Cabinet.

The Great Britain is named the country of fogs and rains. It is washed by seas from all sides. That’s why the climate of Great Britain is very specific. It is changes depending on a region. In England the climate is soft and moist. Scotland is the most cold region of Great Britain. The climate of Wales and North Ireland is soft and moist too.

The vegetation of Great Britain is coniferous and leafy forests. In forests is more widespread oak, birch, ash, pine-tree.

In the United Kingdom dwell deers, foxes, rabbits, badgers, hares, roe deers, martens, wild cats. A salmon, trout of crack, herring, haddock is led in rivers and lakes. Partridges, wild-ducks, pigeons prevail in Great Britain.

The main rivers of Great Britain are Thames, Severn, Clide, Force, Usk, Foyle. Between numerous lakes exude Loch-Ness, Loch-Tey, Loch-Catrine. The lake Loch-Nei is the greatest lake the British islands.

England

England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, Chester, Oxford and Cambridge.

Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measures 80 metres across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four metres high. Why it was built is a mystery. Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is a splendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta and the oldest clock in England.

Chester is very important town in the north-west of England. In the past it used to be a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word castra, meaning "fortified camp". In Chester there is a famous museum which contains over 5000 ancient and modern toys.

Oxford is the home of the oldest university of England. The most famous college is Christ Church. It has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford.

Cambridge is the home of Britain’s second oldest university.

York was the capital of Northern England. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe. It was built by Romans, conquered by Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings.

Birmingham is often called the "City of 1500 trades" because of the great variety of its industries.

Scotland

Scotland is the north part of Great Britain. Five million people live in Scotland. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. There are two large cities here: Glasgow and Aberdeen. Scotland is full of mountains and lakes. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis. There are a lot of rivers. The sea nearly cuts the mountains into parts.

The Scottish flag is a white cross on a blue background. The cross is the cross of Saint Andrew. Saint Andrew was a disciple of Jesus.

A long time ago the Scots built many large churches beside the river. These churches were called Abbeys. The Scots built Melrose Abbey in 1136 but the English destroyed it in 1544. In the days of the Abbeys, the hills and farms were full of sheep and they still are.

Some people go to Scotland by plane. ............