TEXT A: GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain (official name – the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and many small islands. The total area of Great Britain is 240,000 square kilometres, its population is 56,000,000 people.

In the north-west the country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, in the east – by the North Sea. The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from France.

The island of Great Britain is divided into two parts: mountainous (in the north and west of the island) and lowland (in the south and east). There are many rivers in Great Britain but they are not very long. The rivers are deep and do not freeze in winter. The most important rivers are the Thames (the deepest) and the Severn (the longest). The Lake District is known for its beauty. There are 16 lakes there. People say: “The beauty of the Lake District is as hard to define as it is easy to enjoy”.

Great Britain is known for its mild climate with frequent rains and fogs. On the average Britain has 204 rainy days a year. The weather changes very often.

The United Kingdom consists of four main parts: England (it occupies over 50 % of the territory with a population of 83% of the total population of Great Britain), Scotland (it occupies over 32 % of the territory with a population of 9% of the total population), Wales (it occupies about 9 % of the territory with a population of 4.8 % of the total population; the Welsh speak their own language) and Northern Ireland (it occupies 5.2 % of the total territory).

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. Shipbuilding is one of the principal industries in Britain. For centuries Britain has been the leading shipbuilder in the world. Coal-mining, metallurgy, textile, shipbuilding are the oldest branches of industry. The new industries are chemical, electrotechnical, automobile, aviation and electronics. The new industries have developed hand in hand with science and technology and are equipped to meet present technical demands.

The largest cities of Great Britain are: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cardiff. London, Liverpool and Glasgow are the biggest English ports. The most important centre of cotton and woollen industry is Manchester.

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is at the head of the state. In practice she reigns but does not rule. In fact, the country is governed in her name by the government. Parliament is the supreme legislative body. It has existed since 1265 and is the oldest parliament in the world. It consists of two Houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

There are two main political parties in Great Britain: the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. As a rule the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the election.

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