10.The Geographical Position of Great Britain (3)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland covers an area of some 244 thousand square miles. It is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles are separated from Europe by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North Sea in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The population of Great Britain is about 60 million. The largest cities of the country are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The territory of Great Britain is divided into four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England is in the southern and central part of Great Britain. Scotland is in the north of the island. Wales is in the west. Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland.

England is the richest, the most fertile and most populated part in the country. There are mountains in the north and in the west of England, but all the rest of the territory is a vast plain. In the northwestern part of England there are many beautiful lakes. This part of the country is called Lake District.

Scotland is a land of mountains. The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. The highest mountain of Great Britain is in Scotland too. The chain of mountains in Scotland is called the Grampians. Its highest peak is Ben Nevis. It is the highest peak not only in Scotland but in the whole Great Britain as well. In England there is the Pennine Chain. In Wales there are the Cumbrian Mountains.

There are no great forests on the British Isles today. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest in the east of England, to the north of London. It was the home of Robin Hood, the famous hero of a number of legends.

The British Isles have many rivers but they are not very long. The longest of the English rivers is the Severn. It flows into the Irish Sea. The most important river of Scotland is the Clyde. Glasgow stands on it. Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it is possible to travel by water from one end of Great Britain to the other.

The Thames is over 200 miles long. It flows through the rich agricultural and industrial districts of the country. London, the capital of Great Britain, stands on it. The Thames has a wide mouth, that's why the big ocean liners can go up to the London port.

Geographical position of Great Britain is rather good as the country lies on the crossways of the see routes from Europe to other parts of the world. The sea connects Britain with most European countries such as Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway and some other countries. The main sea route from Europe to America also passes through the English Channel.

24. Famous theatres in Ukraine

The history of Kyiv dramatic art is rich and versatile and goes back to the antiquity. Nowadays Kiev has about 50 permanent theaters, and about ten of them have the «national» status. The best known of these are the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, The National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine, Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, Taras Shevchenko National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Lesia Ukrainka National Academic Theater of Russian Drama, the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine”, the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine and others.

Taras Shevchenko National Opera House of Ukraine is one of the most famous theaters in Ukraine. During its rich artistic history opera has lived through many stages: from the provincial town theater to the first stage of the country, having received not only Ukrainian, but also world-wide recognition. The music of such renowned composers as N. Lysenko, S.Gulak-Artemovsky, P.Tchaikovsky, M.Rimsky-Korsakov, B. Lyatoshinsky, M.Mussorgsky, and S.Prokofiev sounds within the walls of the theater. Here you can enjoy performances by G. Rossini, G. Donizetti, S.Gounod, A. Khachaturian, and many others.

Franco National Academic Drama Theater was founded in 1920. According to legend, the theater is situated on the location of natural ponds, and its creative magic enchants and lures people into the theatre. This theater by right takes center place in the history of Ukrainian culture. Talented actors, directors, and composers worked and are still working here. Theatre’s repertoire includes masterpieces of the Ukrainian and world classics, namely the performances by playwrights Ivan Franko, G.Skovoroda, G.B.Shaw, I.Karpenko-Karyi, G. Gorin, M. Bulgakov, W. Shakespeare, F. Schiller, F.Dostoyevsky, A. Chekhov and many others.

The National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine is situated in the Vladimirsky descent, near the European square in the centre of the city. It was founded in 1863 in the House of Merchants’ Assembly, where balls and masquerades, family holidays, charitable lotteries, musical and literary evenings were held. The history of Nikolai Lysenko Hall of Columns of the Kiev Philharmonic Society is very rich: on its stage appeared I.Arkhipova, L.Bernstein, A.Glazunov, L.Kogan, K.Kondrashin, S.Lemeshev, F.Liszt and celebrities. G. Verevka Ukrainian Choir, the Chapel bandura players of Ukraine, N. Lysenko string quartet and the Kiev Chamber Orchestra performed within the walls of the hall.

National Palace of Arts «Ukraine» plays a key role in social and artistic life of the country. Since the opening of the palace such world-famous artists as E. Miroshnichenko, S. Rotaru, Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias, Patricia Kaas, Brian Adams, Joe Cocker, Jose Carreras, Toto Cutugno, Sting, Luciano Pavarotti and many others performed on its stage. In addition, there were social and political events held there, for example the inauguration of Ukrainian Presidents, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development meeting, the commemorative events on the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ, the celebration of Independence Day of Ukraine, and much more.