Geographical position of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state ,which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain after its major isle), England (after its major historic parts) or the British Isles.

The UK occupies the territory of the British Isles. It is an island state consisting more than 5,500 large and small islands. There are several islands along the coasts, the most important of which are the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. The two main islands are: Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Irish Republic in the north.

Great Britain is an island lying off the north-western coastline of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and north-west and the North Sea on the east. The English Channel (or La Manche), which is 32 km wide, separates it from the mainland in the south. The Strait of Dover, 18 miles wide, (or Pas de Calais) divides it from France. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea and from Ireland by the Irish Sea.

Western Scotland is fringed by the large archipelago known as the Hebrides and to the northeast of the Scottish mainland are the Orkney and the Shetland. All these have administrative ties with the mainland, but the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, and the Channel Islands, between Great Britain and France, are largely self-governing and are not part of the UK.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries (it is twice smaller than France or Spain), with an area of some 244,100 square kilometres. It is just less than 1000 km from the south coast to the extreme north of Scotland, and just less than 500 km across in the widest part. The UK consists of four main countries which are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The capital of the UK is London, in England. The Scottish capital is at Edinburgh, and the capital of Wales is Cardiff, the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

No part of Great Britain lies more than one hundred miles from the coast. The coastline is broken and has a few bays and excellent natural harbors. Internationally famous ports include London, Bristol, Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and others. Geographically the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. The highest mountain Ben Nevis (1343) is in Scotland; the highest peak in Wales is Snowdon (1085).

The greater part of the land is flat. There are plenty of short rivers in Great Britain; the Severn is the longest one, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

Government of GB

The House of Parliament

Great Britain is a monarchy, but the powers of the Queen, are limited by the Parliament, which consists of two Chambers, the House of Lords and the House of

Commons. Everything in the country officially is done in the name of the Queen (or King), but, in reality, the Prime Minister is responsible for the policy conducted by the Parliament. Peers sit in the House of Lords, in the House of Commons representatives of the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland take their seats.

The focal point in the chamber of the House of Lords is the gilded Throne. The Queen enters the Palace of Westminster only on the day of the State Opening of Parliament at the beginning of a session. Crowned and wearing many of the finest Crown Jewels, she makes her speech from the Throne in the House of Lords.

Before the Throne in the House of Lords, and dividing the benches, is the Woolsack upon which the Lord Chancellor presides over the lords. By tradition the Woolsack is stuffed with wool from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and from Commonwealth countries. The Peers' benches, covered in red leather, are arranged in five rows on either side of the House. Members of the Government and their supporters are to the right of Throne, and those of the Opposition to the left. The galleries are reserved for diplomats and distinguished strangers or guests, and reporters.

Before every sitting of the House of Commons, the Speaker wearing wig and gown walks in procession to the Chamber from his residence within the Royal Palace. The benches in the House of Commons are covered in green leather. The floor of the House is covered by a green carpet bearing on either side a red stripe, over which no Member may cross when addressing the House. The front bench on the Speaker's right is for the Prime Minister and the leading members of the Government. The Leader of Opposition and his supporters are on the Speaker's left.

The Party which obtains the majority of seats in the House is called the Government and the others the Opposition. The Opposition criticize the bills introduced by the Government.

The two leading parties in Great Britain are the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.

A GEOGRAPHIC position of USA. The main land mass of the United States lies in the North America, with Canada to the

north. Mexico to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It

stretches 1.600 miles (2,560 kilometers) from north to south arid 2,800 miles (4.480 km) from

east to west. To cross the country in a modern train going a mile a minute, a passenger must ride

all day. all night, all day again, and then all night again.

The two newest states. Alaska and Hawaii (they were admitted in 1959), stand apart -

with Alaska bordering on north-western Canada and Hawaii lying in the centra! Pacific.

The United States began as a nation of 13 states. These were the colonies, which had broken

away from Great Britain in 1776, and had fought a six-year War of Independence. The original