The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Read the text and say what new facts about Great Britain you have learnt.

To the west of the continent of Europe lie two large islands. The larger of them is called Great Britain, and the other, Ireland. These two and 5, 500 smaller islands form the British Isles.

The island of Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. The isle of Ireland is divided into Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK (the United Kingdom) is the official name of the country, occasionally referred to Great Britain, which is, strictly speaking, only а as geographic name.

Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea from the west, by the North Sea from the north and west. Itis separated from the European continent by the English Channel. The narrowest part of the English Channel is called the Strait of Dover. The UK is not а very large country. Its territory is about244, 000 square kilometers, and no point of the countryis more than 120 kilometers away from the sea.

At the same time, the population of the UK is the third largest in Europe, comprising about60 million people. Itis incorrect to call everybody who lives in the United Kingdom “English”, as this is the name only for those who live in England. The residents of Wales are named Welsh, while the people of Scotland are called Scottish. The correct common name for English, Scottish and Welsh is British. Those who live in Northern Ireland are called Irish.

The climate of the British Isles is generally mild; it is seldom cold in winter and never too hot in summer. This is dueto the warm currentof the Atlantic Ocean, GulfStream. Britain was always known as the countryof fogs, butnow it is not quiteso because of the climatic changes: there is may be less fog than in any other European country.

There are no high mountains and long rivers in the UK. The highest mountainis Ben Nevis in the Highlands of Scotland, and the longest rivers are the Severn and the Thames.

Geographically, the UK has а very convenient position, being located on the crossroads from Europe to America. This is one of the reasons why Britain was (and is upto the present time) one of the leading world powers. The capital of the countryis London. It is situated on the river Thames.

Britain has an ancient and glorious history. It used to be the great empire “where the sunnever sets”. It gave the world many famous scientists, writers, political leaders and explorers, suchas Newton, Darwin, Drake, Shakespeare, Churchill and others.

For centuries monarchs ruled Britain. The constitutional monarchy is still preserved in the country, thoughit is practically no more than а tradition and а tributeto the past. QueenElisabeth II is the Head of State. Her power is limited by the parliament, which is elected every fouryears. The leader of the party that has won themajority during the elections becomes the Prime Minister. Infact, he becomes the head of state and forms the Cabinet. The second largest party forms the official Opposition.