England

LECTURE 4

Topic: ECONOMICAL REGIONS OF THE UNITED KINDOM

List of questions:

1. England

2. Wales

3. Scotland

4. Northern Ireland

Literature:

1. Нестеров Н.М. Страноведение: Великобритания. Ростов на Дону, «Феникс», 2006.

2. Михайлов Н.Н. Лингвострановедение Англии. М., «Академия», 2003.

3. Артемова А.Ф. Великобритания. Книга для чтения по страноведению. М, «АСТ: Восток-Запад», 2006.

4. Томахин Г.Д. По странам изучаемого языка. М., «Просвещение», 1998.

5. M. Pugh A History of Britain. Oxford, 2001.

6. M. Vaughan-Rees In Britain. Lnd., 1999.

Of four parts which make up the UK England is the largest, occupying the territory of 131000 sq. km. it is the most industrial and mostly populated part of the country. Its population over 47 million people and England is divided into 39 nonmetropolitan and 7 metropolitan (including a big city) counties. The capital of England, as well as of the whole UK, is London.

In its relief England is not a very hilly country but it is not flat. The most important range of mountains is the Pennine range or the Pennines. Across the north end of the Pennines are the Cheviot hills which separate England from Scotland. In the north west England the Cumbrian mountains are situated. The south-west peninsula of England has areas of high moorland. The highest mountain peak is Scafell Pike (978 m).

The chief rivers are: the Severn flowing along the border between England and Wales and the Thames on which London stands. It is the only and the longest river wholly in England flowing eastwards to the North Sea.

England is famous for its Lake District in the north, in the valley which separates various mountains from each other. It has 16 lakes. The Lake District is a good place for walking holiday and for sailing. The famous poet William Wordsworth was born there in 1770. He wrote many poems about the Lake District.

Economy England is a highly developed industrial part of the UK. Historically England is divided into several economic regions: the South Industrial and agricultural region (Southern England), Central England (the Midlands), Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northern England.

Heavy machinery, electronics and shipbuilding are developed in London and its outer ring, Nottingham, Bristol-on-Avon, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham and other cities. The wool industry is centered in Leeds and Bradford. Food processing is developed in Liverpool. Midland plain makes farming land.

In the estuaries of the Thames and other rivers of the region there are large oil refineries and shipyards. Oxford and Cambridge are famous university centers, Oxford being also a car-manufacturing center, while Cambridge includes such industries as instrumental making, printing, electronics.

England is rich in sights and holiday centers. It is impossible to speak about history of England without Nottingham. Its name is connected with the name of the legendary hero Robin Hood. The monument to him is situated in this city.

Strafford-upon-Avon is Shakespeare’s birthplace. Thousands of people visit the house where the great playwright lived. The best monument to Shakespeare is the theatre created in his honour in this city.

Blackpool in Northern England is the largest holiday town in Britain. 7 million people shop here every year. Blackpool Tower is 500 ft tall. Inside there is a Zoo, an aquarium and a theatre. Many holiday-makers visit lots of good beaches in Torquay, the birthplace of “queen of crime” Agatha Christie, situated 12 miles north of Dartmouth.

Canterbury, situated in Kent (South-Eastern England), is a cathedral city, the cradle of Christianity in Britain, glorified by Geoffrey Chaucer in his “Canterbury Tales”. The town has history of over 2000 years. Since the 7^th century Canterbury Cathedral has been the mother of English churches, its Archbishop is the Spiritual head of the established Church of England.

Another historic place in the South of England is Hastings, now a popular resort. In the past it was a base of the royal fleet and the frequent target of French attacks, especially during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 – 1453). It is famous for its battle, the site of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, in which the Saxon king Harold II was defeated by his Norman opponent William and England then came under Norman rule. “Harold’s Stone” marks the place where he died. There is also the Battle Historical Society’s Museum which offers an extremely rich collection documenting the history of Sussex from earliest times to today.

One of the most famous monuments situated in south-west England is Stonehenge. It is built of circles of stones. Some of the stones are very heavy and large. Nobody knows who built Stonehenge.

The town of Bath has been important since Roman times. It gets its name from the large Roman baths there. The water tastes horrible but people say it’s very good for your health.

Brighton is a well-known resort. Political congresses take place here too.