Lecture 1. Physical geography of the UK.

The official name of Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland. But people often make this name shorter - they call this

country "the United Kingdom", or even "the UK".

The United Kingdom is situated to the north-west of Europe. Actually it is

separated from Europe by the Channel. The Channel is not very broad, only

about 40 kilometers. Now a tunnel constructed under the Channel lines up

the UK with its nearest continental neighbour, France. So it is much easier to

reach the UK from Europe than earlier, when it could be done only on board

the ship. Since 1973 the United Kingdom is a member of the European

Union.

The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The UK occupies the Island of Great Britain (which is the largest island in Europe), a

number of small islands to the west of Scotland and the northern part of the

Island of Ireland. The southern part of the Island of Ireland is the Republic of

Eire.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four

almost independent countries. These are England, Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland.

England is bigger than other parts of the country in both its territory and population.Over 6O million people live in Britain, and about 75 percent of the British

population lives in England. The capital of England as well as of the whole

United Kingdom is London, which is situated in the south-east of England.

London and is more than a thousand years old.

Scotland occupies the northern part of the Island of Great Britain. The area

of Scotland is more than half as big as England. But Scotland has the lowest

population density in the UK. Scotland has its own legal, banking and

education systems. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. It is an old

beautiful city. Glasgow is the main industrial centre of Scotland. Scotland is

well-known for its beautiful mountainous scenery.

Wales is lying in the western part of the Island of Great Britain. It is not so

populated as England - only about two million people live in Wales. Wales is

one of the most beautiful parts of the British Isles - with hills and high

mountains, deep rivers and valleys. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. It is the

biggest city in Wales and also an important port.

Northern Ireland occupies the northern part of the Island of Ireland. The

capital of this country is Belfast. Northern Ireland is the most

problematical part of the UK. Some people in Northern Ireland want to

be independent of the UK. That is why there are permanent conflicts and terrorist acts organized by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the Northern Ireland and in other parts of the UK.

Foreigners often call everyone in the UK «English», but the Irish, the Welsh and the Scots don't like this, because they are Celts by the origin, and the English are the Teutons. Every part of the UK has its own language which is not like the English language.

Like its own language, each part of the United Kingdom also has its own national flower. The national emblem of England is the rose. The rose was adopted as England's emblem in the 15th century, around the time of the War of the Roses. The symbol of Wales is a daffodil, a beautiful white-and-yellow spring flower. And the Scots consider a thistle to be their symbol. A legend runs that this flower has saved an old Scottish castle from enemies, because one of them stepped over a thistle with big thorns and cried out of pain. Citizens of the UK call their banner the Union Flag or Union Jack. It is blue, red and white. This banner consists of the flags of Scotland, England and Ireland. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of Saint Andrew, the flag of England is the Cross of Saint George and the flag of Ireland is the Cross of Saint Patrick. And one can see that every cross is represented in the Union Jack.

The Capital of the UK - London

The capital of the UK is London. It is a very old and big city. London is situated at the mouth of the Thames river. First mentions about a settlement there date back to the time when Celtic tribes lived on the British Isles, and it was long before Christ. In the first centuries of the Christian era London became an important city of the Roman empire. And in the 12^th century it already was the capital of England.

London consists of several main districts, and also includes numerous suburbs. The main districts were formed during the long life of the city. For example, the City is the centre of business life with many banks, offices and different enterprises except for industrial ones. In the Westminster historic buildings and other places of interest are concentrated, and this is also the district where the Queen lives. There also such districts as West-End, East-End, Cheap-Side, and their names are well-known in the world due to English literature.

There are many historic buildings, various museums, galleries, and other places of interest in London.

The Tower is a world-famous symbol of London, it is more than 900 years

old. During long centuries it was a fortress, a royal palace, a prison...

But now it is one of the most popular museums. The Tower is guarded by

Yeomen Warders who wear splendid scarlet and gold uniforms. The Tower

is famous for the ravens, too - a legend has it that without them the Tower

will fall. This is why all the employees of the museum as well as the tourists take care of these birds.

Almost all English Kings and Queens had been crowned in Westminster

Abbey. It is one of the most beautiful buildings of London. Inside one can

see memorials to great English poets and writers, as well as to scientists and

other outstanding English people. For example, William Shakespeare,

Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton are buried here.

The beautiful Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. It was

built in the 18th century and rebuilt in the 19th century by architect John

Nash.

Every day the traditional ceremony of Changing the Guards takes place there.

The Houses of Parliament is, in fact, the seat of the British Parliament. It was

first built in the 12^th century and then it changed its appearance many times.

The last rebuilding was made in 1857. The Houses of Parliament has two

towers. One of them is the Clock Tower, or Big Ben - a famous London

landmark.

England's great architect Sir Christopher Wren is the author of St. Paul's

Cathedral, which was built instead of the old cathedral that was

destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. There is a golden ball and cross on the

top of the Cathedral that can be seen from far away.

The world-famous Natural History Museum is known for its beautiful

galleries and expositions, for example "Human biology", "History of the

Earth", "Discovering mammals", and so on. The Museum was opened in

April 1881.

Western European paintings created in the period from about 1250 to 1900

are represented in the National Gallery's permanent collection. There are

paintings by Italian masters such as Raphael and Veronese, as well as

Rembrandt, Rubens and El Greco.

The British Museum was founded in 1753 due to the efforts of three rich

men - Sir Robert Cotton, Sir Hans Sloane and King George II. They donated

their private collections and libraries to the museum. Now one can see items

from ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China and Japan in the British Museum.

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