Northern Ireland

England

The United Kingdom is very small compared with many other countries in the world. However there are only nine other countries with more people, and London is the world's seventh biggest city. When you travel about the country you can see how the scenery changes right in front of your eyes. Highlands turn into lowlands; forests and hills turn into meadows and plains very quickly. It's hard to believe, but in Great Britain one you can find practically any type of scenery. Britain is an unusually beautiful country! England can be divided for five parts: the Southeast, the Southwest, East Anglia, the Midlands and the North of England.

The Southeast is a highly populated region of England. London, the capital of the UK, and such historical cities as Windsor, Dover and Brighton are situated here. When people travel to Britain by sea or by air they usually arrive in the Southeast, for this is where the main passenger ports and airports are. Heathrow airport, one of the world's busiest airports is about 33 km west of central London.

The Southwest is the region where the main activity is farming. The Southwest used to be known for its pirates. The two principal cities of the region are Bristol and Bath. If you want to see the famous Stonehenge you should also come here. The most westerly point of Great Britain "Land's End" is also in the Southwest.

East Anglia is very flat and it is another farming region. It has beautiful cities with fine historic buildings such as Cambridge. It is more that half surrounded by the sea.

The Midlands, known as the heart of England, is the largest industrial part in the country. The most important industrial cities are Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, which is one of Britain's big ports, and Birmingham. The two famous.

Other cities in the Midlands are Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford. Stratford is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and Oxford is famous for its university.

The North of England has some of the wildest and loneliest parts in the country. Here you can find deep valleys, rivers and waterfalls, hills and mountains. This part of the country is rich in coal. The main attractions of the North of England are certainly the Lake District, the cities of York and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

England is often subdivided into three parts: the South, the Midlands and the North. In the South, the landscape is varied. The climate is warmer than in other areas. There are hundreds of miles of sea coast which range from flat or stony beaches to high rocky cliffs. The mild and sunny climate makes the south coast popular with holiday-makers. Some coastal resorts are famous, Brighton being among them. Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are rural counties with hidden fishing hamlets and are home to Britain's warmest weather in winter. There are also high and deep wooded valleys. Inland, the landscape is gentle and green. It's famous for its quiet beauty of the countryside.

One of the most beautiful counties in the South of England is certainly Kent. It is known as the gardens of England, because it is famous for its fruit and vegetables. In general, the South is wealthier than other areas of Britain. Work of all kinds is provided by the land. British Aerospace has factories building aeroplanes in several parts of the South. Lots of people are involved in service industries including financial, business and government services, computer services and information systems. There are also science-based companies and research organizations.

The Midlands Region has a lot of farming land, but this part of the country is better known as an industrial area. Birmingham, which is often called 'the big heart of England', is the most important city of the Midlands. It is the second largest city in the United Kingdom. Birmingham is famous for engineering, especially car production. Derby is another engineering centre. Rolls Royce makes airplane engines and cars there.

The West Midlands is another industrialized area, where there are many collieries and steelworks. It is known for the black smoke and blackened buildings there. In contrast, the Midlands region has some beautiful picturesque countryside in the Peak District with its National Park.

In the North, the weather is considerably colder. There is almost always snow in the winter. This is a region of great natural beauty although industry of some kind has existed here for hundreds of years. There is a strong contrast in the North between the beautiful open, hilly countryside and its industrial towns and mining villages. In parts of the North, especially in Yorkshire, there are gentle wooded valleys, green pastures and excellent farming land.

West Yorkshire is a very good county for sheep farming, and it has long been Britain's most important area for the wool industry. Some famous industrial cities in the North are Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland, an integral part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is situated in the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland is bounded on the north and northeast by the North Channel, on the southeast by the Irish Sea, and on the south and west by the Republic of Ireland. It includes Rathlin Island in the North Channel and several smaller offshore islands. Northern Ireland is also known as Ulster, because it comprises six of the nine counties that constituted the former province of Ulster. The total area of Northern Ireland is 14,148 sq km (5463 sq mi).

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16