Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated
on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands,
Great Britain and Ireland, and above five thousand small islands. Their
total area is over 315 000 square kilometers. The United Kingdom is made
up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively.
The British isles are separated from the European continent by the
North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain 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 Highlands, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and
plains, is called Lowlands. The north and west of England are
mountainous, but all the rest - east, center and southeast - is a vast
plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain.
(1343 m.)
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 UK is one of the world’s smallest countries. The population of
the country is over 87 million and about 80% of it is urban. The UK is
highly developed industrial country. It’s known as one of world’s
largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile,
aircraft and navigation equipment. The UK is constitutional monarchy. In
law, the Head of State is the Queen, but in practice, the Queen reigns,
but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with
the 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 Labour,
the Conservative and the Liberal parties. The Liberal party is the
ruling party nowadays.