Unit 9. Great Britain

(Geographic and economic survey)

1. Read the text:

Great Britain is the largest island of Europe. England, Scotland and Wales are situated on this island. They constitute one country, which is called Great Britain. Great Britain and Northern Ireland form the United Kingdom.

The area of the United Kingdom is about 224,000 sq. kilometers with a population of about 52.5 million. Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

Great Britain is surrounded by sea on all sides and is separated from the continent of Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel.

Owing to the Gulf Stream, which washes the western and northern coasts of the country, the climate of Great Britain is rather mild but very damp. There is much rain and fog in winter. The cool wind from the sea makes the summer in England cooler than on the continent. Spring is the best season in Britain.

There are many harbours and ports on the British coast. The most important cities and ports in Great Britain are London, Liverpool, Hull, Manchester, Southampton and Glasgow.

Thousands of British ships transport to Britain wheat, butter, meat, fruits, sugar, tea and various raw materials from different countries and ports of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and from Australia.

Water transport is highly developed in Britain. There are many rivers in the country but none of them are very long. The rivers in Great Britain are much shorter than those in Europe. The longest river is the Severn. It flows south-west into the Irish Sea.

Many rivers are joined by means of canals through which ships can carry passengers and goods from one end of the island to the other. The rivers in England never freeze.

The largest city and port of Great Britain is London, the capital of the United Kingdom. It is situated on the river Thames, which runs in an easterly direction and flows into the North Sea. London is a large industrial and commercial city.

Britain is an industrial country. Shipbuilding and motor-building are highly developed here. Most of the industrial and shipbuilding regions are around Glasgow and Newcastle.

Glasgow is situated on the river Clyde along whose banks there stretch the largest shipbuilding yards in the country.

The chief cotton-manufacturing town is Manchester, which is connected by a canal with the port of Liverpool.

One of the large mining districts in Britain is Wales, where the towns and villages are populated by thousands of miners.

2. Answer the questions:

1. What can you say about geographical position of Great Britain? 2.What are the most important ports on the British coast? 3.What cargoes do British ships transport to Britain? 4. What can you say about British rivers? 5. What are shipbuilding regions in Britain?

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