1.6 New Zealand

New Zealand stretches 1600 km from north to south. It consists of two large islands, its native flora and fauna are, for the most part, not found anywhere else in the world. The most famous bird is kiwi, the country’s symbol.

New Zealand is a modern country with a high standard of living. Tourism, service industries, manufacturing, small-scale industry and agriculture are all highly important in the NZ economy. Much of the land in the country is devoted to pasture, and agricultural products such as sheep, cattle, fish and forestry products are NZ’s chief exports. Farming is a scientific business in New Zealand, where the most modern scientific farming methods are used.

New Zealand’s population of 4.5 million people is comprised of people of European origin, Maori and Asians. The capital of the country is Wellington. It is often called Windy Wellington, because it is the windiest place of the island. Its population is about 400 thousand people (as of 2009).

New Zealanders place a high value on education. The country has several universities, a number of teachers’ training and polytechnical colleges and also agricultural colleges.

The country is a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elisabeth II as the head of the state and the Prime Minister as the head of government. English and Maori are two official languages.

(1120)

Part 2. Natural Wonders of the World

1. Natural Wonders of Great Britain (part 1) Giant's Causeway («Дорога великанов»)

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Most of the columns are hexagonal (six sides), although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres high and 28 metres thick in places.

Scottish Highlands (Шотландская возвышенность)

The Scottish Highlands include the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault (Шотландское нагорье, тектонический разлом). The area is generally sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. Before the 19th century however the Highlands was home to a much larger population. The average population density in the Highlands and Islands is lower than that of Sweden or Norway.

Loch Ness (Озеро Лох-Несс)

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch (the Scottish word for “lake”) in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 km southwest. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, also known as "Nessie”. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined.

(1230)

2.2 Natural Wonders of Great Britain (part 2) White cliffs of Dover (Белые скалы Дувра)

The white cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk. Dover is an ancient and still important English port.The cliffs have great symbolic value for Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, the white line of cliffs also forms the first or last sight of the UK for travellers.