Different names of the country. The capital of the country.

The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is a highly centralized and unitary state. The formation of the United Kingdom took centuries. The union of England with Wales dates from 1301 although Wales and England were unified politically, administratively, and legally by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542. In 1707 Scotland joined England and Wales in forming a single Parliament for Great Britain. Northern Ireland came under British control during the 17th century and, along with the rest of Ireland, was formally joined to Great Britain by the Act of Union of 1801. Inthe same year a new national flag — Union Jack— was established. When the republic of Ireland gained independence in 1922, Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom.

The names United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England are often confused, even by UK inhabitants. England is just one country within the kingdom. Great Britain comprises England, Wales, and Scotland, while the United Kingdom (the UK for short) also includes Northern Ireland (although the name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole). It is sometimes also referred to by its old and romantic name — Albion.

The national capital is London, situated on the River Thames in southeastern England.

The UK national symbols (the British flag, the English flag, the Scottish flag, the Welsh flag, patron saints of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, the national anthem, floral symbols).

The British flag, known as the Union Jack, is a combination of three flags: the Saint Andrew’s cross, the Saint Patrick’s cross and the Saint George’s cross. The name, the colours and crosses symbolize the united parts of the country.

The Saint George’s Cross (the red upright cross on the white field) is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint of England. According to the legend, he was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleolinda from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon and took it back to the city of Silene on a lead like a dog. Saint George’s Day is celebrated on 23 April. Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Anglican Church. He was a Roman soldier in the Guard of Emperor Diocletian who became a Christian martyr. Saint George is also the patron saint of Germany, Portugal and Greece as well as some cities.

The Saint Andrew’s Cross (the diagonal white cross on the blue field) is a Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, who was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of Saint Andrew often show him being killed on an X-shaped cross. Saint Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30 November. He is the patron saint of both Scotland, and Russia.

The Saint Patrick’s Cross (the red diagonal cross on the white field) is the former flag of Ireland. Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born about AD 390. He converted the Irish to Christianity and is supposed to have got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March.

The Welsh flag shows a dragon. Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, started a number of monasteries and churches in the country. He became renowned as a teacher and preacher. He lived a simple life and practiced asceticism. The Monastic Rule of David prescribed that monks had to pull the plough themselves without draught animals; to drink only water; to eat only bread with salt and herbs; and to spend the evenings in prayer, reading and writing. Paintings of Saint David normally show him with a dove on his shoulder. His relics are now in Saint David’s Cathedral in Wales. Saint David’s Day is celebrated on 1 March.

The National Anthem is God Save the Queen. The British National Anthem originated in a patriotic song first performed in 1745. It became known as the National Anthem from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The beginning of it runs as follows:

God save our gracious Queen,

God save our noble Queen,

God save the Queen!

Each constituent part of the UK has got its own floral symbol. The oak is the national tree of England. The red rose is widely recognised as the national flower of England. The red rosebecame the emblem of England after the Wars of the Roses (1455—1485) which was the war of the dynasties for the English throne. All rivalry between the Roses ended by the marriage of Henry VII Tudor (the Lancastrian whose emblem was the red rose) with Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward IV (the Yorkist whose emblem was the white rose).

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle, a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The thistle was chosen as the national emblem of Scotland because many years ago it saved the country from the enemy. This is what a legend says about it. During a surprise night attack by the invaders the Scottish soldiers were awakened by the shouts of the invaders as their bare feet touched the thorns of the thistles in the field they were crossing.

The leek and the daffodil are Welshmen’s national emblems. The daffodil is closely associated with St. David’s Day due to the belief that it flowers on that very day. There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales. St. David, the patron saint of Wales, is supposed to have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. Another legend says that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from foe.

The shamrock is worn in memory of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, who when preaching the doctrine of the Trinity to the pagan Irish used the shamrock (a small white clover with three leaves on one stem) as an illustration of the mystery. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

Landscape. Highland and Lowland Britain. Mountains (the Pennines, Scafell Pike, Snowdon, the Cheviot Hills, Ben Nevis). Rivers (the Thames, the Severn, the Tweed, the Tay). Lakes (the Lake District, Loch Ness, Lough Neagh).

The landscape of Britain is very varied, ranging from the Grampian Mountains of Scotland to the lowland fens of England which are at or below sea level in places. Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hills.

Geographically the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Lowland Britain is fertile, with good arable land and pastures.

Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District. The Pennine Chain is a range of hills in a line down the middle of England from the Scottish border to central England. The Pennines are sometimes called the “backbone of England.” On the northwest side of the Pennine system lies the Lake District, confining the beautiful lakes which give it its name. The Lake District was made famous at the end of the 18^th century by the great romantic poets (Wordsworth, Coleridge) who lived and worked there. Scafell Pike (978 m), the highest mountain in England, is situated in the Lake District. The place is outstanding for walking, climbing, sailing and boating. Across the north end of the Pennines are the Cheviot Hills which separate England from Scotland.

Wales is a highland country of old high rocks. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia. It is a popular place for climbers and tourists. Snowdon (1085 m)is the highest mountain in Wales.

Scotland is a country of hills, lakes and swift rivers. The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. They reach their highest point in Ben Nevis (1343 m). 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 largest lake in the UK is Lough Neagh, a lake in Northern Ireland west of Belfast. Other major lakes include Windermere in the English Lake District and Loch Lomond in Scotland.

The rivers of Britain are very short. The longest river of Britain is the Severn which flows along the border between England and Wales. The Thames is the deepest and the most important one. Among the main rivers of Scotland are the Tay and the Tweed.

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