UK

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Great Britain is situated at the north-west part of West Europe.

It consists of two large island (Great Britain and Ireland) and about 5 000 smaller ones (such as Isle of Wight, the Hebrides, the Orkney and so on).

The UK is surrounded by the North Sea, Irish Sea, and Atlantic Ocean and on the south there is the La Manche Channel that divides England and France.

Its neighbour are Ireland to west and France to south-east.

It covers the area of 250 thousand sq. km.

The population is more than 60 million. About 7 million people live in London. The density of population of UK is one of the highest in the world - 232 people to square kilometer.

In England we can find many ethnic groups such as English, Scottish or Irish. The majority of people speaks English.

The official language is English.

The valid currency in Britain is one pound, which has hundred pence.

Britain is divided into four parts - England with capital city London, Wales with Cardiff, Scotland with Edinburgh and Northern Ireland with Belfast.

Political system of GB

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. The head of the state is the Queen. The head of government is prime ministr. The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. British parliament system is one of the oldest in the Word.

There are two main political parties: the Labour Party (left) and the Conservative Party (right).

Britain is member of all important international organizations - United Nations, European Community or NATO.

Geography

Great Britain is situated at the north-west part of West Europe.

The most mountainous area is Scotland. Here we can find the highest British mountain - Ben Nevis.

The longest river is the Severn and the biggest river is Thames. Other rivers of British Islands are the Avon, the Cam, the Humber and the Trent. Rivers in Britain are very important as source of energy.

The greatest number of lakes can be found in Scotland and in the Lake District. The most famous lakes are Loch Ness and Loch Lomond.

The weather is unpredictable. It is raining very often. The climate is affected by the Gulf Stream.

The climate is typically mild and wet. There are usually rainy summers and mild winters.

The winter in Great Britain is warmer than ours but the summer is less warm.

The flag of the UK is sometimes called the Union Jack. The flag is red, white and blue. It’s a combination of the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Interesting places

Bisedes London, which is in the centre of each tourist's attention, there are many other fascinating places:

There are university towns - Oxford and Cambridge.

Near there is Stratford upon Avon - birthplace of William Shakespeare.

In southern part of England is situated Canterbury - old town with majestic cathedral. To this town are situated famous Canterbury Tales.

Other old cathedral is in Winchester.

The Geographical heart of England and second largest city is Birmingham.