The UK
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, which are separated by the Irish sea, and
about five thousand small islands. There are four main parts, which
are: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are
London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
The British Isles are separated from the continent by the North Sea
and the English Cannel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed
by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
English is not only the language which people use in the UK. English
is the official language. But some people speak Gaelic in western Scotland,
Welsh – in parts of northern and central Wales.
The flag of the United Kingdom , known as the Union Jack, is made up
of three crosses.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law , the Head of State is the
Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but doesn’t rule. The country
is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister as 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.
Shakespeare called Britain a “precious stone set in the silver sea”
because of its natural beauty. It has a varied countryside where you
can find mountains, plains, valleys and sandy beaches. Ben Nevis in
Scotland is the highest mountain, but it is only 1343 meters high. There
are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they aren’t very long. The
Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the
most importance one.
The climate in the UK is generally mild and temperate due to the influence
of the Gulf Stream. The weather is so changeable that the English often
say that they have no climate but only weather. They also say that they
have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it
rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long. Sometimes it rains
so heavily that they say “It’s raining cats and dogs”. I can say that
the British climate has three main features : it is mild, humid and
changeable. That means that it is never too hot or too cold. Winters
are mild and snow may comes but it melts quickly. In winter the cold
is a humid cold, not dry.
This humid and mild climate is good for plants. Trees and flowers begin
to blossom early in spring.
The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one
of the world’s largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics,
textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries
of the country is shipbuilding.
The population of the UK is nearly 59 million people. The population
lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. Over 49 million
people live in England, over 3 million in Wales, a little over 5 million
in Scotland and about 1.5 million in Northern Ireland. Greater London,
the south and the southeast are the most densely populated areas.
So, to sum it up, I’d like to say, that the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland is a very interesting country and I’d like
to go there, but I should know English very well.
