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GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land or simply Great Britain consists of England, Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. It is situated on two large islands (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) which lie to the west of the Continent of Europe. The total land area of the United Kingdom is 224.100 square kilometers. The population of Great Britain is more than 56 million people.

The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the At­lantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The eastern coast is washed by the waters of the North Sea. The English Channel which is 32 km wide at its narrowest point separates the south-east of Great Britain from France. Great Britain has a rather varied landscape. The island of Great Britain is distinctly divided into two parts: mountainous (north and west) and lowland (south, and east). There are many rivers in Great Britain, but they are not large. The Severn in Wales and the Shannon in Ireland are the largest. The British Isles have a mild and temperate climate. Average temperatures in winter range from 4°C in the north to 5°C in the south, in summer - from 12°C to 16°C. The national resources of Great Britain are coal, oil, iron, tin ore, shale etc.

There are many large cities in Great Britain. Oxford and Cambridge are university towns. The largest city is London, the capital of the country. It is a great port and is situated on the river Thames.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that there is the Queen (or the King) and the Parliament, The Queen has almost no power in the country. Laws are made by the Parliament. The Bri­tish Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The main political parties are the Tory Party (conservative), the Labour Party, the Liberal Party and others. The Government is headed by the Prime Minister. As a rule, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the election.

Britain is the birthplace of many famous men. Among them are William Shakespeare, a great poet and playwright, the author of many famous tragedies and comedies; Robert Burns, a famous Scottish national poet; Walter Scott, a great master of histo­rical novel; Charles Dickens, one of the best writers of the 19th century; George Byron, Thomas Hardy. Many other great poets and writers were born here too. Great Britain is the birthplace of many popular kinds of sports such as football, rugby, cricket, golf, boxing and others.

ПРИМЕЧАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ: Isles (Islands) - острова

the Thames - р.Темза

all over the world - во всем мире W.Shakespare - В.Шекспир

R.Burns - P.Бернc

monarchy - монархия

the Labour Party - Лейбористская партия the English Channel- Ла Манш the Severn - р.Северн

the Shannon - р.Шенон

shale - глинистый сланец

the Tory Party - Тори (партия консерваторов)

the Liberal party - партия либералов playwright - драматург