3.3 Scotland

Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom. Its area is about 79,000 square kilometers, the population is over five million people. People who live in Scotland are Scots, or the Scottish or Scotsmen. A lot of Scottish family names begin with “Mac” or “Mc” like MacDonald or MacMillan or McHale. About one third of the population live in the cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee. Scottish people speak English and Scottish Gaelic.

Scotland is a very mountainous country: three fourths of the area is occupied by mountains, where few people live. Scotland is famous for the beautiful lakes with mountains around them. Scottish lakes, called lochs, are long and narrow. The most famous of the lochs is Loch Ness, because of the mystery of its monster. “Nessie” became a great tourist attraction, bringing a lot of money to the region.

The Scotsman’s traditional clothes are a kilt and tartan. Nowadays most Scottish people wear the same clothes as the English. They put on their traditional clothes only holidays and wear them with pleasure.

Scotland is the birthplace of many famous men of literature: Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson; famous men of science: James Clerk Maxwell and Alexander Fleming.

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3.4 England

Of the four parts which make up Great Britain, England is the largest, the most industrial and most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. Over 51 million people live in England.

The greatest concentrations of population are in London, Birmingham and north-west industrial cities.

It is interesting to note that the sea has always been important in the history of England. It was a good protection against the attacks of outside peoples. Fishing has always been an important industry, especially in the east. The sea also has a great effect on England’s climate.

England is a lowland country. Numerous rivers are of great importance for communication and especially for carrying goods.

Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday resort.

The wool industry is centred in Leeds and Bradford, the cotton industry in Manchester, the iron ore goes to the steel, machinery and shipbuilding industries of Newcastle. The industries of Midlands produce metal goods, from motor cars and railway engines to pins and buttons.

The south of England is often called ‘the Garden of England’. In this part some of the oldest British settlements and traces of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge are found.

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3.5 Wales

The Welsh call their country Camry. The population of Wales is almost 3 mln people; about 75% of the people live in towns and urban districts. The living standards of people in Wales are lower than in England, the unemployment rate is higher.

Wales is a highland country. North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys, South Wales is a land of high hills and wide valleys. The pride of Wales is Snowdonia, the region of high mountains.

Mineral resources include coal, some gold, silver, and copper. South Wales is more developed. Nowadays, coal-mining, steel production, electronics, electrical engineering and chemicals can be found here.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city, situated near the mouth of the Taff River. It’s an important industrial city and port, and administrative and educational centre.

The love of song and poetry of the Welsh people is known all over the world.

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