Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies a territory of the British Isles. It consists of 2 large islands (Great Britain, Ireland) and a great number of smaller islands. Their total area is 120,000 square miles. Great Britain consists of three parts: England, Scotland and Wales. Ireland consists of two parts: Northern Ireland which belongs to Great Britain and fights for its independence, and the Republic of Ireland, which is independent. The UK is situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It is also washed by the Irish Sea, the St. George’s Channel and the North Channel, the English Channel.

The climate of the British Isles is strictly influenced by the warm current of the Gulf Stream flowing across the broad and deep Atlantic Ocean and is very mild and changeable. The temperature seldom reaches extremes of hot and cold. The summer is not very hot and winter temperature seldom falls below zero. It is often foggy and rainy.

In Britain the higher lands are found in the north and west. There are no high mountains in Britain. The chief rivers are the Severn and the Thames. The largest lake is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.

From the earliest known times up to about 900 years ago a long succession of invaders and colonizers moved westwards towards the British Isles which were thought of as the edge of the world. By about 450 B.C. (before Christ) the Britons had occupied the British Isles. They belonged to the Celtic tribes. Then came the Romans. Next came the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. The last invaders were the Normans, they gradually became anglicized. The marriage between the Norman-French and Anglo-Saxon languages became the language of most of England.

The strategic position of the country facing both the Old world and the New one was a very important factor in the early development of Britain with an economy based on world trade. The English developed the navy and by the 18^th century England had become a great Sea Power and the British Empire that achieved its maximum between 1921 and 1939 and collapsed in some twenty years after the Second World War. Now it is a highly developed industrial country. One of the leading industries is the textile industry. Coal, iron and steel as well as various machines are produced there. Shipbuilding and motor industry are highly developed too. 7% of the population is engaged in farming. Most farms are small in size, but supply the whole population with food.

The population of Great Britain is over 60 million people. It is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces and so on. She appoints all the ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process. The Queen doesn’t rule. The main functions of the British Parliament are to pass the lows, to debate the major issues of the day and so on. It consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It is the biggest manufacturing centre and the country’s main banking and financial centre. It is also a leader in culture, communications, politics, entertainment and the arts and has considerable influence worldwide. London is the most populous city in the European Union with the population of above 7 million people, and several million more living in the wider metropolitan area. It is one of the four major global cities along with New York, Tokyo and Paris.

London’s population includes a very diverse range of people. Over 300 languages are spoken in London, making the capital one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world.

There are four parts in London: the West End, the East End, the City and the Westminster. The City of London is the banking centre of the world and Europe’s main business centre. The London foreign exchange market is the largest in the world, more than the New York and

Tokyo exchanges combined. The City is non-residential area.

Westminster (with the famous Big Ben) is the centre of the UK’s national government. The British Parliament sits in the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

The West End is the main cultural, entertainment and shopping district. People come here to the shops in the day time. The West End hosts museums, galleries, theaters, cinemas. Londoners, and visitors, can go there too. At they can eat in one of the restaurants, they can get food from twenty different countries.

The East End is one of those areas of London where working class people live. It is especially famous as the centre of the clothing industry in London and as a market place. The East End markets are famous throughout the world for all kinds of goods.

London attracts very large number of visitors and tourists. There are many places of interest in London, such as: Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, the British Museum, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, the National Gallery, the Tower, and the Westminster Abbey, where the kings and queens of England are usually married and crowned und later buried. There are many others museums and places of interest in London.

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B). Ask questions.	\|	XIV. Decide which of the following statements are true and which are false. Correct the false ones.

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