The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Geographical location

The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 244 000 sq. km.

The name United Kingdom (UK in short) refers to the union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain is a political term which describes the combination, Scotland and Wales. Britain only refers to England and Wales.

The Britain flag, also known as the Union Jack, consists of three heraldic crosses.

England occupies most of the southern two thirds of Great Britain. The capitalof England is London. It is also the capital of the UK. The inhabitants of England are the English. The English flag is a red cross on the a white background. It is also the flag of St. George, the patron saint of England. St. George`s day is celebrated on April 23. The national emblem and national flower of England is a red rose.

Wales is situated on the western part of the Great Britain. The capital is Cardiff. The inhabitants of Wales are the Walsh. The Walsh flag represents a red dragon on a green and white field. The patron saint of Wales is St. David. St. David`s day is celebrated on March 1. The national emblem and national flower of Wales are daffodils and leeks.

Northern Ireland lies in the northern of the island Ireland. The capital is Belfast.The patron saint of Northern Ireland is St. Patrick. St. Patrick`s day is celebrated on March 17. The national emblem and national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock.

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Irish Republic in the south.

The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).

There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the Cheviots separate England from Scotland, the Apennines stretch down North England along its middle, the Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. There is very little flat country except in the region known as East Anglia.

The highest peaks are Ben Nevis (1343 m.) in Scotland and Snowdon (1085 m.) in Wales.

Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Severen (354 km.) and the Thames (346 km.)are the longest of the British rivers. Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Trent, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon.

Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.

The warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot.

The population of the United Kingdom is about60 million people. The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.

Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. New industries have been developed in the last three decades. The main industrial centers are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol.

The capital of the country is London. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy.The national currency of Great Britain is the pound sterling. The symbol for the pound is £. 1p is a penny and the plural of “penny” is pence (2p=2 pence)

(See and listen to Unit 1.1 UK and 1.2 UK)