Four geographic and historical parts of Great Britain. Brief descriptions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Of the four parts which make up the UK England is the largest. It is the most industrial and most densely populated part of the country. Its population is about 51 million people (around 84% of the population of the United Kingdom). The capital of England, as well as of the whole UK, is London. Nearly half of England’s population lives in the south of England and most of the people live in London and the area around London, since that is where most of the jobs are based.

There are nine administrative regions of England: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East, South East, South West, and London. Below the regional level, all of England is divided into counties.

Since the 1970s there has been a decline in traditional heavy and manufacturing industries, and an increasing emphasis on a more service industry oriented economy. Heavy machinery, electronics and shipbuilding are developed in London and its outer ring, Nottingham, Bristol-on-Avon, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham and other cities. The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford. Food processing is developed in Liverpool. Midland plain makes farming land. Oxford and Cambridge are famous university centres, Oxford being also a car-manufacturing centre, while Cambridge includes such industries as instrument making, printing, electronics.

England is rich in sights and holiday centres.It is impossible to speak about history of England without Nottingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Hastings and Canterbury. In Southern England are found some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge.

Blackpoolin Northern England is the largest holiday town in Britain. Bath, Bournemouth and Brighton are also well-known resorts. Thus, tourism has become a significant industry, attracting millions of visitors to England each year.

Waleslies west of the English lowlands. This part of the UK is rather small. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. The population of Wales is over 3 million people. About 75 % of the people of Wales live in town and urban districts. The chief urban centres are Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

Wales produces 9 % of the British coal and 9 % of the electricity. Agriculture occupies 72 % of the land area. Sheep and cattle breeding are developed in the mountainous area and dairy farming in the lowlands. Along the coast there are many fishing ports.

Surrounded on three sides by an attractive coastline, Wales has become a popular holiday resort. Wales is famous for its castles. They were built by the Romans and the English to dominate the Welsh. These medieval castles stretch like an iron chain across Wales. Perhaps the most impressive castle in Wales is Caerphilly.

Wales has always been known as a country of music and song. Since the 12th century there are records of an annual competition (Eisteddfod), which was held to find the best poets, writers and musicians in the country. The reputation of Wales as a centre for music attracts musicians from all over the world to its various festivals.

Although Wales shares a close political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, it has retained a distinct cultural identity. The National Assembly for Wales was created in 1999. Wales is officially bilingual. The Welsh language is an important element of Welsh culture, and its use is supported by national policy.

Scotland is the most northern part of Great Britain. It is much smaller than England. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. Although Scotland takes up 1/3 of the territory of the British Isles, its population is not very big. It is a little over 5 million people. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. The Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999 after almost 300 years, having been adjourned on March 25, 1707 when members passed the Act of Union combining the Scottish and English Parliaments at Westminster in London.

Scotland may be divided into three areas:

- the sparsely populated highlands and islands (the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetland Islands);

- the central lowlands which contain the majority of the population, most of the industrial centres and cultivated farmland;

- southern uplands which contain a number of hill ranges.

Traditionally, the Scottish economy has been dominated by heavy industry. One half of Scotland’s factories are in Glasgow area. Shipbuilding is one of the most important industries, other industries are iron and steel, heavy and light engineering and coal-mining. Scotland produces practically all Britain’s jute goods (e. g. linoleum) and is famous for its textiles. Whisky is one of the fastest growing industries. The discovery of oil and gas off the coast made Scotland the centre of the offshore oil industry. De-industrialisation during the 1970s and 1980s saw a shift from a manufacturing focus towards a more service-oriented economy. The government has invested a lot of money in Scotland to develop it as an important European centre for computer production. Edinburgh is the financial services centre of Scotland and the sixth largest financial centre in Europe. The main urban centres in Scotland are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee. Tourism has also become an important industry for Scotland.

Northern Ireland is the smallest component of the United Kingdom. It occupies north-east of Ireland, only 1/6 of its territory. On the east it is separated from Scotland by the narrow North Channel, which is at one point only 21 kilometres wide.

The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. The population of Northern Ireland is over 1.7 million people. 53 % of the total population live in urban areas. Nearly half a million people live in and outside Belfast. Northern Ireland contains 6 of 9 counties of the historic province of Ulster and so the name “Ulster” is sometimes used as equivalent to Northern Ireland. Now it is composed of 26 districts.

The economy of Northern Ireland has its roots in three basic industries — agriculture, textiles and shipbuilding. Local conditions produce good grass and rich pasture. Principal crops include potatoes, barley, wheat, and oats. Tourism also plays a big role in the local economy. More recently the economy has benefited from major investment by many large multi-national corporations into high tech industry. These large organisations are attracted by the skilled workforce.

Northern Ireland is a very beautiful place full of mountains, rivers and lakes. It is famous for its unspoiled scenery: the granite Mountains of Mourne; the Giant’s Causeway, made of extraordinary volcanic rock; more than 320 km of coastline beaches and hidden coves; and Europe’s largest freshwater lake, Lough Neagh, that provide excellent fishing grounds.

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Climate. Vegetation and wildlife.	\|	Major cities of Great Britain (London, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool).

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