The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The UK

•The United Kingdom of Great Britain consists of four parts:

•England•Scotland•Wales •Nothern IrelandThe population is about 60 mln. PeopleThe area is about 244,000 square miles.The capital of this country is London.

England

•The capital of the England is London.•The official language is English.•The nationality is British.•The symbol is The Tudor rose.• It is washed by: the Irish, the Celtic Sea and

the North Sea with the English Channel•The main river is the Thames•The cities Oxford and Cambridge are famous

for their universities (Oxbridge); Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of W. Shakespeare

•London consists of 4 main parts: Westminster, the City, the West End and the East End. Westminster is the political centre of London. The City is a business centre because there are a lot of banks and offices there. The West End abounds in shops, hotels, clubs, parks, theatres, restaurants which attract customers and tourists from different countries. The East End is an industrial district of the city

Scotland.

• Scotland is the second part of the United Kingdom to the North of England.

• The Capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.• The official languages is Scottish, English.• The nationality is the Scottish. • The symbol is a thistle• Its patron is Saint (St.) Andrew. • The principal cities in the country are:

Edinburgh and the main industrial centre Glasgow.

• It is washed by: the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the North Channel

Traditions

Greyfriars Bobby• One of the best known monuments in

Edinburgh is a monument to a dog called Bobby. The dog belonged to John Gray. When J. Gray died Bobby died too and was buried near his master for his devotion.

Wales.

• The capital of Wales is Cardiff.• nationality - the Welsh. • The symbol - a daffodil • It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea • Wales has a population about three million and is

officially bilingual; both Welsh and English have equal status and bilingual signs are the norm throughout the land.

• The capital is Cardiff. It is Wales's largest city with 317,500 people. For a period it was the biggest coal port in the world and, for a few years before World War One, handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool.

•Wales is a country of lakes and mountains. On the North of country there is the most beautiful scenery in the British islands, the Snowdon mountain. Snowdon is Britain’s second highest mountain.

Northern Ireland

• Northern Ireland is situated in the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland is washed by the North Channel, the Irish Sea

• Northern Ireland is also known as Ulster, because it comprises six of the nine counties that constituted the former province of Ulster

• The total area of Northern Ireland is 14,148 sq km

• The capital is Belfast

•Northern Ireland has two national museums: the Ulster Museum in Belfast, which houses a collection of Irish antiquities; and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Holywood, County Down.

•There is a thriving theatrical movement in Belfast, and much literary activities. Belfast is the base of Opera Northern Ireland, which presents seasons at the Grand Opera House in the city, and also tours the province.