Religion

Although today one of the most "secularised" states in the world, the United Kingdom is traditionally a Christian country, having official faiths:

Anglicanism, in the form of the Church of England, is the Established Church in England. The Queen is Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Presbyterianism (Church of Scotland) is the official faith in Scotland.

The Anglican Church of Wales was disestablished in 1920.

The Anglican Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871.

Other religions followed in the UK include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism.

The UK still is a predominantly Christian country. This is reflected throughout British public life – for instance there is an established church in England and a national church in Scotland. The Head of State is a Christian monarch crowned by an Archbishop in Westminster Abbey. British society could be said to belong to the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and even though only 7% of people in the UK are actually practicing Christians, the majority of people in the UK, 72%, identify themselves as Christian. Over 75 % of UK citizens consider themselves to belong to a religion.

Each of the four nations of the United Kingdom has distinctive church traditions.

Vocabulary notes

Anglicanism - англиканское вероисповедание; англиканство

archbishop - архиепископ

(to) disestablish - отменять устои, основы, нечто основополагающее; отделять церковь от государства

Presbyterianism - пресвитерианство

(to) secularize – секуляризовать, делать светским, отделять церковь от государства

Geography and climate

The United Kingdom lies to the north-west of the continent of Europe with the Republic of Ireland as its only land border. It extends over all of the island of Great Britain and the north-east part of the island of Ireland.

The United Kingdom is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and its bodies of water, including the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, St George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is linked to France and Continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.

Most of England consists of rolling lowland terrain, divided from more mountainous terrain in the north-west (Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District), north (the upland moors of the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District) and south-west (Exmoor and Dartmoor) by the Tees-Exe line. Lower ranges include the limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck, Cotswolds and Lincolnshire Wolds, and the chalk downs of the Southern England Chalk Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn and the Humber Estuary. The largest urban area is Greater London. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike, which is in the Lake District 978m. (3,208 ft).

Scotland's geography is varied, with lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west, including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344m. (4,406 ft). There are nearly eight hundred islands in Scotland, mainly west and north of the mainland, notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. In total, it is estimated that the UK includes around one thousand islands.

Wales is mostly mountainous, the highest peak being Snowdon at 1,085m or 3,560 ft above sea level. North of the mainland is the island of Anglesey.

Northern Ireland is mostly hilly. The province is home to one of the UK's World Heritage Sites, the Giant's Causeway, which consists of more than 40,000 six-sided basalt columns up to 12m. (40 feet) high. Lough Neagh is the largest body of water in the British Isles, by surface area (388 km²).The highest peak is Slieve Donard at 849 metres (2,786 ft) in the province's Mourne Mountains.

The greatest distance between two points on the UK mainland of Great Britain is 1,350 km (839 miles) between Land's End in Cornwall (near Penzance) and John O'Groats in Caithness (near Thurso), a two day journey by car. When measured directly north-south it is a little over 1,100 km in length and is a fraction under 500 km at its widest.

England has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round, though the seasons are quite variable in temperature. However, temperatures rarely fall below −4 C and will only rise above 32 C in the height of the summer. The prevailing wind is from the southwest, bringing mild and wet weather to England regularly, from the Atlantic Ocean. It is driest in the east, warmest in the southwest in winter (closest to Atlantic currents), and warmest in the southeast in summer (closest to the European mainland). Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it is not that common away from high ground.

Wales's climate is alike in most regards to that of England.

The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable. It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic. However, temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest place.

The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The weather is comparatively unpredictable at all times of the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern seaboard of North America.

The United Kingdom can sometimes be affected by blocking highs during summer, and along with the rest of Europe, has been hit by severe heat waves in recent years.

Vocabulary notes

blocking high - блокирующий антициклон

Chalk down - меловая возвышенность, холм

Highlands - Северное нагорье, Северо-шотландское нагорье (северо-запад Шотландии; главный город - Инвернесс [Inverness]; там, в отличие от Шотландской низменности [Lowlands], дольше преобладал гэльский язык и гэльская культура) полн. Scottish Highlands или Highlands of Scotland

Hilly – холмистый

Limestone – известняк; известняковый

Lowlands - Шотландская низменность (район центральной Шотландии в долинах рек Форт и Клайд) полн. Scottish Lowlands или Lowlands of Scotland; низменности

mainland - континент, материк; большой остров (среди группы небольших)

maritime climate - морской (приморский) климат

moor - торфянистая местность, торфяник; болото

plentiful - изобилующий, обильный; богатый

range – ряд, гряда (mountain range — гряда гор, горная цепь)

rolling lowland terrain - холмистая низинная местность

temperate - умеренный

unpredictable - непредсказуемый

World Heritage Site – Мировое культурное наследие (памятник)

Abbrevations

ft. – feet (foot)

m. - metres