Glacier Bay (Alaska) (Ледниковая бухта)

Glacier Bay is a wilderness of mountains, glaciers, estuaries, beaches and lakes which was covered by ice only 200 years ago. The glaciers of Glacier Bay are still retreating, revealing new landscapes every few years. Glacier Bay is now a nature reserve and is used extensively for scientific research.

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Part 3. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northen Ireland

3.1 The country and a county

The British Isles is the name for a collection of about 4000 islands, including Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain or GB is the name for the largest of the islands in the British Isles. It includes England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. You see the abbreviation GB on driving licenses of people who live in England, Scotland and Wales.

The United Kingdom or UK is a political term which includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The abbreviation UK is used on official documents produced by Parliament.

Everybody from the UK is British, but be careful: only people from England are English. People from Wales think of themselves as Welsh, from Scotland as Scottish, from Northern Ireland as British or Irish.

Britain is split up into counties. The word county describes an area with its own local government. County councils rule such things as education and housing. They look after roads, libraries and swimming pools.

Many counties like Yorkshire or Lancashire contain the word “shire”, which is the old word for county. In writing they usually abbreviate the names of counties with the word shire, so Lancashire becomes Lancs, Yorkshire becomes Yorks, but Essex stays Essex and Kent stays Kent.

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3.2 North, South, East and West

Britain is only a small country, but every part of it is different. Scotland is a land of mountains, lakes and romantic castles. The winters are cold here, but the summers are often warm and sunny. Most farmers keep sheep here. Deer live in the hills, and the rivers are full of salmon. Glasgow and Edinburgh are large, modern cities.

In the warm, wet climate of Northern Ireland, the grass grows brilliant green, and much of the land is farming country. Belfast is a large industrial city and a big important port.

Wales is a country of high mountains and pretty valleys. But Wales has plenty of industry, too, with many factories and coal mines. The people of Wales are very musical. Every year they have a festival of Welsh music and poetry.

The centre of England (the Midlands) is also an important industrial area. But everywhere, even in the heart of a modern city there are buildings from older Britain – cathedrals, castles and houses built hundreds of years ago.

The west of England is rich farming country. It produces milk, cream, butter, cheese. In the villages people grow fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The southeast of England, too, has many towns and cities, including London. But near London, there are quiet villages and peaceful farms.

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