The United States of America

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The UK occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of 4 main parts which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The UK is an island state. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is a small country (it is twice smaller than France or Spain), with an area of some 244,100 sq. km. Its population is over 57 million people. The climate of the country is mild and humid. There is much rain and fog here. The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country with very few mineral resources. English is the official language. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain (after its major isle), England (after its major historic part) or the British Isles.

Of the four parts which make up Great Britain England is the largest industrial and most densely populated country. Over 46 million people live in England. The coasts of England are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover.

There are many rivers in England. The longest is the Severn, the most important is the Thames. The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is known for the wool industry of Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry of Manchester, metal goods of Birmingham, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities.

Each part of England is different. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat.

The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area.

The Midland plain makes good farm land.

In Southern England are found some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, is in Southern England.

The red rose is the national emblem of England.

London

Modern London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries. It is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have grown together to make one vast urban area.

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames, it is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London.

The City extends over an area of about 2,6 sq.km. in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6 000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world.

The West End can be called the centre of London. Here are the historical palaces as well as the famous parks. Hyde Park with its Speaker’s Corner is also here. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St.Tames’s Park. In the West End there is Buckingham Palace, which is the Queen’s residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament.

The best-known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices, Downing Street, the London residence of Prime Minister and the Place where the Cabinet meets, Fleet Street where most newspapers have their offices, Harley Street where the highest paid doctors live, and some others.

Trafalgar Square is so-named in commemoration of Nelson’s great Victory. The Nelson Column 170 feet high stands in the geographical centre of the city.

The «musts» for the sightseer are the Houses of Parliament, facing the Thames, on one side, and Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey, on the other. The House of Commons sits to the side of the Clock Tower (Big Ben), the House of Lords - to the Victoria Tower side.

Westminster Abbey is the crowning and burial Place of British monarchs. It has the Poet’s Corner with memorials to Chancer, Shakespeare, Milton, Tennyson, Longfellow, Dickens, Kipling and other leading writers. Only a few, however, are actually buried here.

There is also the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, a touching symbol of the nation’s grief.

The name «West End» came to be associated with wealth, luxury and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries. Tourists are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.

It is in the West End where the University of London is centred with Bloomsbury as London’s student quarter.

The port of London is to the east of the City. Here were kilometres and kilometres of docks, and the great industrial areas that depended upon shipping. Formerly unattractive in appearance, the East End of London is now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.

The United States of America

(The USA)

The United States of America is the fourth larg­est country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). The USA lies in the central part of North America. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometres. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean. Its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It has a sea-boarder with Russia.

The climate of the country varies greatly from arctic in Alaska through continental in the cen­tral part to subtropical in the south.

The USA is a federal republic. It consists of fifty states and the District of Columbia. The capital of the country is Washington, D. C. The population of the USA is about 250 million people. Each state has its own government. The seat of the federal government is Washington, D. C. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The executive branch is headed by the President and his Administration. The legislative power is exercised by the US Congress. The judicial one is headed by the US Supreme Court. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main po­litical parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic.

The flag of the USA is called "Stars and Stripes." There are three colours on the flag of the USA. They are red, white and blue. As there are fifty states in the USA, there are fifty stars on the American flag: one star for each state. The Ameri­can flag has thirteen stripes. The stripes are red and white. The flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes. There is one stripe for each of the first thirteen colonies which in 1776 became independent of England.

The eagle became the official national symbol of the country in 1782. It holds an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (symbols of strength) in its paws.

The USA has an official song. It is called The Star Spangled Banner.

The USA is one of the greatest industrial and leading agricultural nations in the world. The USA produces around 25% of the world's industrial products, agricultural goods and services.

The USA is rich in coal, iron and oil. Many rivers cross the country. The most important are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado, and the Sacramento. The main lakes are the Great Lakes in the north.

The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington and others. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

The USA is one of the most powerful and highly developed countries in the world.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30