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GB. Geographical position and general information of about the country.

This country occupies the British Isles in the Atlantic Ocean; this is the largest archipelago of Europe. It is named GB after the name of the largest archipelago island. Officially GB is named The United Kingdom of GB and Northern Ireland. The Kingdom structure includes four historical areas: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is possible to say that they are 4 independent countries with particular culture and traditions. Although the official language of GB is the English language, other national languages such as Scottish, Irish and Welsh are spoken in every historical region.

GB, in spite of the fact that it takes rather a small territory, is one of the most advanced countries of the world; it is one of the first industrial countries. It is not surprising; the matter is that Englishmen were the first to build large factories and to make machine tools. GB is one of the suppliers of industrial production at the world market; also it is a big capital exporter. Mechanical engineering, production of the industrial equipment, agriculture, chemical and petrochemical production is the most advanced branches of the national economy. The cattle breeding prevail in the agricultural field. Barley, wheat, sugar-beet, potatoes are generally cultivated. Vegetable-growing and fruit-growing are advanced too.

GB is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that the state is headed with the constitutional monarchy led by the queen and the legislative body is the parliament consisting of 2 chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The government is headed by a prime-minister.

England is the largest and the most densely populated part of GB. The greater part of the population of the country lives there. Main factories and plants work round the clock in old English cities such as, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool. Automobiles, plans, ships are produced there. Fishery, an important industry, is rather developed due to the geographical position of England. There are many rivers in England; the most important is certainly, the Themes. In the south of England several ancient settlements and remain of ancient monuments were discovered. Stonehenge is one of those monuments; it consists of huge stones, which were used for astronomical observations and determination of seasons.

Scotland is a land of mountains, lakes and beautiful valleys. It is the northern part of GB and the most sparsely populated. Most people associate Scotland with such national things, as a kilt, men’s skirt, bagpipe, a national instrument of this region. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland; it is associated with names of Byron, Conan Doyle and other. This city is also famous for its International musical and theatrical festival, which is carried out here annually since 1947. But Scotland is also a country of factories and ports as well. Computers, several plastic items, precision instruments and other are manufactured there. The Scottish city Aberdeen is the “petroleum capital” of the country.

Northern Ireland is a land of GB, which has been a British colony for 7 centuries. Only in 1949 Ireland was proclaimed an independent state. 3 economic directions are widely represented in Northern Ireland: agriculture, textile industry and shipbuilding.

Wales is the most mountainous part of GB. Coal is extracted here; there are chemical and oil refining enterprises, factories of steel production, plants of non-ferrous metallurgy. Vegetables, potatoes are cultivated in village areas of Wales; sheep-breeding is advanced there too. The local inhabitants fish in coastal areas. Nevertheless, the living standards are the lowest in this part of GB, the rate of unemployment is the highest. Cardiff is the largest city of Wales; it is the capital of that country. It is an important centre and a large port. The inhabitants of Wales, especially in the country, take a great interest in folk music, singing. Te Wales literature is one of the most ancient in Europe.