Great Britain

    The United Kingdom of G.B. and Northern Irelands is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consists of two large islands, G.B. and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres. The UK is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The capitals are: London in England, Edinburgh in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Every country has its own national emblem. The red rose is the national emblem of England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland, the daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales and the shamrock is the emblem of Ireland. GB consists of England, Scotland and Wales and doesn't include Northern Ireland. England is the largest of three countries which make up GB. Wales is the smallest land of the UK. GB’s largest island neighbor is Ireland. Many small islands are also linked with the UK. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of 3 crosses: the cross of St. Jorge, St. Andrew and St. Patrick.

    The British Isles are separated from European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of GB is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.    The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands.    There are a lot of rivers in GB, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The capital of the UK is London. Its economic, political and cultural centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and one of the world’s most important ports. London with its suburbs has a population of about 11 million people. London consists of three parts: the City of London, the West End and the East End. The West End is a rich man's world of shops, offices and theatres. The City of London is the district where most offices and banks are concentrated. The East End is a district where mostly working people live.

There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country. The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain.

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of iron and steel products, machinery and electronics, chemicals and textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with a Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the London, the Conservative and the Liberal (Labour) parties, The Liberal party is the ruling party nowadays.

There are six public holidays a year in G.B. Christmas day is one of favorite holidays .It's celebrated on the 25-th of December. There are some traditions connected with it. One of them is to give presents to each other. Another tradition is to send Christmas cards. Most of big cities of G.B., especially London, are decorated with colored lights and Christmas trees. Other great holidays are: Father’s day, Mother’s day, Halloween and other.