4. Great Britain

4.1 Geographical Position. Natural Resources.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast [kəust] of continental Europe. The UK comes within 35 km of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated ['sep(ə)reɪt] by the English Channel [ˈtʃænl].

The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately [əˈprɔksɪmɪtlɪ] 245,000 square kilometers. England is the largest country of the United Kingdom, Scotland is second largest.

The UK has a variety of natural resources including coal, petroleum, natural gas [ɡæs], limestone [ˈlaɪmstəun], chalk [tʃɔ:k], gypsum [ˈdʒɪpsəm], silica [ˈsɪlɪkə], rock salt, china clay [kleɪ], iron ore, tin, silver, gold, lead [li:d].

The UK has a small coal reserve [rɪ'zɜːv] along with significant, yet continuously declining [dɪˈklaɪnɪŋ] natural gas and oil reserves.

Due to the island location of the UK, the country has great potential for generating electricity from wave power and tidal [ˈtaɪdl] power.

4.2 State and Government Structure and the main Bodies

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy [ˈmɔnəkɪ]. The Queen rules symbolically [sɪmˈbɔlɪkəly]; in reality, power belongs to Parliament [ˈpɑ:ləmənt].

The UK has a parliamentary [ˌpɑ:ləˈmentərɪ] government based on the Westminster system. The Parliament of the United Kingdom has two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed House of Lords

The House of Lords is made up of people who have inherited [ɪnˈherɪt] family titles [ˈtaɪtl] and those who have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another. There are 675 members of the Lords. The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws to make sure they are fair and will work.

The House of Commons is made up of 650 people, one from 650 constituencies [kənˈstɪtjuənsɪ].

The position of Prime Minister, the UK's head of government, belongs to the Member of Parliament who obtains the confidence of a majority in the House of Commons.

The UK's three major political parties are the Labour Party, the Conservative [kənˈsə:vətɪv] Party, and the Liberal Democrats [ˈdeməkræt].

The Labour Party is the current ruling party of the United Kingdom; Its current leader is Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

It emphasizes [ˈemfəsaɪz] social justice [ˈdʒʌstɪs], equality of opportunity, economic planning [æ] and the state ownership of industries [ˈɪndəstrɪ] and services.

The Conservatives are the largest opposition party in the United Kingdom. The current party leader is David Cameron.

The Conservatives emphasizes personal [ˈpə:snl], social and economic freedom, individual ownership of property.

The Liberal Democrats are the third-largest party in the UK Parliament. Promoting social liberalism [ˈlɪbərəlɪzm], Lib Dems seek to minimise state intervention in personal affairs: they oppose [əˈpəuz] what they call the 'nanny state'.

4.3 The uk economy: past and present. The main sectors and industries, current trends in the economy.

The UK was the first country in the world to industrialize in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, by the late 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution in the United States meant the US had begun to challenge Britain's role as the leader of the global economy.

The economy of Great Britain has survived many recessions and booms, but today the United Kingdom is one of the world's most globalised countries. The capital, London, is a major financial centre for international business and commerce [ˈkɔmə:s] and is one of three "command centres" for the global economy.

The United Kingdom is also a member of the G8, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade Organisation, and the European Union.

The United Kingdom is a major developed capitalist [ˈkæpɪtəlɪst] economy. It is the world's sixth largest by nominal GDP.

Sectors of economy.

Heavy industry employs many thousands of people and producing large volumes both of low-value goods (such as steelmaking) and high-value goods (such as the aerospace and electronics industries).

The British motor [ˈməutə] industry is a significant part of this sector.

Another important component of manufacturing is electronics, audio [ˈɔ:dɪəu ] and optical equipment; it has many domestic firms, alongside a number of foreign firms manufacturing a wide range of TV, radio and communications products and computers.

The UK service sector is the prevalent sector of the UK economy, and makes up about 73% of GDP. Banking and insurance are the main branches. London is the world's largest financial centre with the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange.

Tourism is very important to the British economy. The United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world.

Transport. Great Britain has a well developed network of motor roads and railways.

(Across the UK, there is a radial road network of main roads. The Highways Agency is the executive agency responsible for trunk roads and motorways in England. London Heathrow Airport is the UK's busiest [ˈbɪzɪ] airport and has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the world.)

Historically, much of the United Kingdom was forested. Since prehistoric times, man has deforested much of the United Kingdom.

Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards [ˈstændəd], producing about 60% of food needs. It contributes about 2% of GDP. The main crops that are grown are wheat, barley [ˈbɑ:lɪ], oats [əut], maize [meɪz] for animal feeds, potatoes and sugar beet.