The land and the people.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

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.

The UK is an island state: it is composed of some 5,500 islands, large and small. 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 Republic of Ireland) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK's area is about 244,000 square kilometres (it is twice smaller than France or Ukraine). The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (French: La Manche) and the Strait of Dover (French: Pas de Calais).

The separation of Britain from the continent has had a tremendous impact on the British nation. For centuries the British fell safe and secure protected by the Channel, and no foreign army has ever invaded the country since the Norman Conquest in the 1 lth century. No wonder the British are so different in their behaviour from other Europeans living on the continent, despite all the changes caused by modern technology and transport facilities. In 1994 a major breakthrough occurred when the Channel Tunnel (also referred to as the Chunnet) between Folkestone, on the British side, and Calais, on the French side, began to operate with high speed trains covering the tunnel distance (50.45 km) in about 35 minutes. The new transport link did not mean an end to the ferry service, because ferries do a great job taking travellers to more distant ports.

Great Britain is the name of the largest island of the British Isles and it is made up of England, Scotland and Wales; it does not include Northern Ireland, hi everyday speech 'Great Britain' is used to mean the United Kingdom. Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions - Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines (or Pennine Chain), and the Lake District. The Pennine Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plains region with low hills and valleys. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west.

The chief rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, and the Thames, which flows eastward to the port of London.

There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the northwest side of the Pennines lies the Lake District, containing the beautiful lakes which give it its name. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1859), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, and Edinburgh. The most important ports are: London, Liverpool, Southampton, Belfast, Glasgow, and Cardiff.

The population of the United Kingdom is around 63,182,000 people (according to the 2011 census). There are 21 other countries in the world with more people.

English is not the only language which people use in the UK. English is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland, and Welsh — in parts of northern and central Wales.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with executive power exercised by a government headed by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Executive power is vested in the monarch but in reality Her Majesty's Government is answerable and accountable only to the House of Commons, the lower house in Britain's Parliament. Ministers of the Crown are chosen largely from among Members of Parliament (MPs). The UK Parliament is composed of the elected House of Commons and the appointed House of Lords.

The UK's current monarch and head of state is Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953. She has now reigned longer than any other monarch in modern Britain, with Queen Victoria, on the throne for 63 years, coming second. Prince Charles is heir to the throne.

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national nag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).

The flag consists of three heraldic crosses.

- The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270s, is a red cross on a white ground.

- The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue
ground. It was combined with the cross of St George in 1606, after James I succeeded to the
throne.

- The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground.
This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of
Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on January 1,1801 to create the Union
Flag that has been flown ever since.

The Welsh dragon of Wales does not appear on the Union Flag. This is because when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, the Principality of Wales by that time was already united with England and was no longer a separate principality. The Union Flag was originally a Royal flag. When the present design was made official in 1801, it was ordered to be flown on all the King's forts and castles, but not elsewhere. It is today flown above Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham House when The Queen is not in residence.

The Union Flag is flown on Government buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, the Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day, and on the days of the State Opening and prorogation of Parliament. It is also flown on St David's Day (Wales), St George's Day (England), St Andrew's Day (Scotland), and St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland).

"God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of the UK.

England

Of the four parts which make up Great Britian, England is the largest, the industrial and most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. About 53 million people of the population of the UK live in England.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and northwest industrial cities. The coasts of England are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. No part of England is more than 120 kilometres from the sea.

There are many rivers in England. The longest is the Severn (388 km), and the most important is the Thames (354 km). The rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the southwest, but the rest of England is almost flat.

Northern England, Midlands and Southern England - each part of England is different. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area.

The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford', the cotton industry in Manchester, iron ore goes to the steel, heavy machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle and other cities. The industries of the Midlands, with Birmingham as its chief city, produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons.

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

The English flag is the St George's Cross, a thin red cross on a white field. A red cross acted as a symbol for many Crusaders in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries AD. It became associated with Saint George, and England claimed him as their patron saint, using his cross as a banner. This flag

remained in national use until 1707, when the Union Flag (which English and Scottish ships had used at sea since 1606) was adopted for all purposes to unite the whole of Great Britain under a common flag.

Many historians feel that the Three Lions (on the Royal Arms) are the true symbol of England. The three lions were first used by Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) in the late twelfth century, and toda

The Tudor rose was adopted as a national emblem of England around the time of the Wars of the Roses (1455-85) as a symbol of peace. It merged the white rose of the House of York and the red rose of the House of Lancaster who went to war over control of the nation. It is also known as the Rose of England.

"God Save The Queen" is the national anthem for the UK as a whole, but England does not have an official anthem of its own. "Jerusalem" and "Land of Hope and Glory" are all widely regarded - unofficially - as English national hymns.

London

When we think of Paris, Rome, Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as 'cities'. Modern London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities, towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, 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 8 million people.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is a big port and most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre.

The City extends over an area of about 2.9 square kilometres in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only about 7000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and the Stock Exchange.

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 and St. James'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 the Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets, Fleet Street where most newspapers once had their offices, Harley Street where the highest-paid doctors live, Street Oxford and Bond Street (major shopping places in the West End), and some others.

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. It is in the West End that the University of London is centred with Bloomsbury as London's student quarter. Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who come chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.

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. This is the East End of London, formerly unattractive in appearance, but now changing because of the introduction of new industries and very expensive housing.

Scotland

Scotland had been an independent state and was joined into the UK in 1707, after a long struggle for its independence.

Although Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big. It is the most northern part of the island of Great Britain and is not far away from the Arctic Circle. That's why it is not densely populated: its population is a little over 5 million people. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Apart from this land link with England, Scotland is surrounded by sea.

Scotland is divided into three regions: the Highlands, which is the most northern and the most underpopulated area with a harsh climate, the Lowlands, which is the industrial region, with about three quarters of the population, and the Southern Uplands, with hills, which border on England.

The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Great Britain (1344 m), is in the Grampian mountains. Many valleys between the hills are filled with lakes, called lochs. The best-known is Loch Ness where some people think a large monster lives. The most important city here is Aberdeen which is the oil centre of Scotland. Ships and helicopters travel from Aberdeen to the North Sea oil rigs.

Most of the population of Scotland is concentrated in the Lowlands. Here, on the Clyde, is Glasgow, Scotland's biggest city. Shipbuilding is one of its most important industries; other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining.

Edinburgh has been the capital since the 15th century, when its fortified castle was the centre of Scotland's resistance to its enemies. Edinburgh is the cultural centre of Scotland. It is associated with the names of George Gordon Byron and Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes. It is also associated with the Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama, the biggest art festival in Europe. The Festival was first held in 1947 and has been held annually ever since every August. There are plays, concerts and exhibitions from countries all over the world. That's the "official" festival. But there's an "unofficial" festival, too. This is called the Edinburgh "Fringe". At the Fringe, visitors can see cheaper concerts and plays by students.

The national flag of Scotland features a white saltire (representing the cross of the Christian martyr Saint Andrew, Scotland's patron saint) on a blue field. The Scottish flag is one of the oldest flags in the world, dating back to the 9th century.

The national symbol of Scotland is the thistle. The national day is St Andrew's Day, although Burns' Night (25 January) tends to be more widely observed.

The Scots speak English, but with their own accent. The various Scottish dialects should not be confused with Gaelic, the Celtic language spoken in the north and west of the country. Scottish Gaelic, the traditional language of Scotland, is basically the same language as Irish Gaelic, and Gaelic speakers from the two countries can usually manage to understand each other.

Many Scottish family names start with "Mac" or "Me", which means "son of, in Gaelic. For instance, MacDonald was originally the son of Donald. Both forms (Mac and Me) are found.

Scots are very proud of their nationality, culture, and traditions. One of the most characteristic elements of their tradition is the national dress. Men wear the kilt, which is a garment like a skirt. To call it a "skirt", however, is a serious insult to a Scot. The kilt is made of woollen cloth of a chequered pattern, called tartan. Some military regiments, many Scottish farmers, and shepherds wear kilts every day. Many other Scots wear it on Sundays, on holidays, and at celebrations, such as a wedding. The kilt as the normal dress of the Highland Scots is known to have existed for over 1,400 years, so as a national dress it has a long and proud tradition.

Another word associated with Scotland is clan. In Gaelic, "clan" means an "extended family". The clan system started in Scotland in the 6th century when the Scots began to divide their lands between their leaders. The clan system had a recognised hierarchy starting with the chief, and down through lesser chieftains to simple clansmen who were sworn to absolute loyalty. Each clan still retains its individual tartan with its own colour pattern.

Wales

Another constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is Wales. It became part of England in 1536 by the Act of Union. Until then it had been regarded as a separate principality but a dependency of England. The Welsh call their country Cymru, and they call themselves Cymry, a word which has the same root as 'comrader' (friend, or comrade). The population of Wales is about 3 million people. About 75 per cent of the people of Wales live in towns and urban districts.

Wales is a highland country of old, hard rocks. North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys, South Wales is a land of high hills and wide valleys. The pride of Wales in scenery, is

Snowdonia, a region of high mountains and a national park of 2,130 km² in area. Snowdon (1,085 m) is the highest mountain in Wales.

Except for coal,, mineral resources are limited, and include gold, silver, lead and copper. South Wales is more developed: coal mining, steel production, electronics, electrical engineering can be found here.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. Cardiff is situated near the mouth of the Taff River. It is an important industrial city and a port. It is also an administrative and educational centre.

The island of Anglesey situated off the north coast of Wales is a place of a very famous village with the longest place name in Europe and one of the longest place names in the world - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrob\vllllantysiliogogogoch. The English cannot pronounce it in full, so it is commonly known Llanfair PG or Llanfairpwll. The name means: St. Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio with a red cave. The name is retained due to its unique character and also to attract tourists.

The leek has been recognised as the national symbol of Wales since the Middle Ages, when St. David persuaded Welsh warriors to distinguish themselves from their Saxon enemies by wearing a leek in their caps. Other symbols include the Red Dragon, introduced by the Romans, and the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St David's Day, the Patron saint of Wales.

There are two official languages in Wales: English and Welsh. Welsh is very much a living language. It is used in conversation every day. Local government uses Welsh as its official language, public bodies issue official documents and literature in Welsh versions. All road signs in Wales are in English and Welsh. The language has its own TV channel and radio.

The 2001 Census in the UK returned that 20.5 % of the Welsh (580 000 people) speak Welsh as a first language and although few are monolingual, it is believed that at least half of those are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh rather than English.

The Welsh people, especially in rural areas, are fond of folk music, singing, poetry and drama. Welsh literature is one of the oldest in Europe. There are many choirs in Wales, the standard of singing is high and the love of good music is widespread. Now there is a growing movement of revival of Welsh culture from which sprang the revival of Eisteddfod. Eisteddfod in the form of a gathering of poets, or bards, had occasionally been held in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Nowadays Eisteddfod is a festival of Welsh culture. It includes competitions in prose, poetry and singing.

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