Th e United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain consists of four parts: England Scotland Wales Nothern Ireland The population is about 60 mln. People The 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 Scotland is also famous for its kilt, the most important part of national dress and bagpipes – the national instrument.

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 Belfas t

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.