1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Николаенко Галина Петровна
МАОУ СОШ № 12 г. Томска, 2014г.

2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of 4 parts:
1. England
2. Wales
3. Scotland
4. Nothern Ireland (Ulster) [`ᴧlstə]
The Republik of Ireland (Eire) [ˈeːrjə] is a politically independent country.

3. The capitals The capitals of Great Britain and England is London
The capital of Wales is Cardiff
The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh
The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast

4. London

5. Cardiff

6. Edinburgh

7. Belfast

8. Manchester

9. Liverpool

10. Glasgow

12. The Union Jack
It consists of 3 crosses: the national flags of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Red Dragon isn`t on the Union flag because England and Wales were united earlier than the Union Jack was created.

13. England

14. The national symbol of England is the red rose and the flag is called the St. George`s Cross

15. Meaning of the symbols
St. George saved the princess from the dragon. St. George is a patron of many cities and countries: England, Moscow, Georgia, Germany, Greece etc. The day of St. George is celebrated on the 23rd of April.
In the 15th century there was war between two main families in Britain: York family and Lancaster family. The war began in 1455 and finished in Lancaster family won this war. The red rose is a symbol of victory of this family.

16. Wales

17. The national symbol of Wales is the daffodil [`dæfədil] (нарцисс) and the flag is called the Red Dragon. The patron is St. David.

18. Meaning of symbols
St. David brought Christianity in Great Britain. The day of St. David is celebrated on the 1st of March. It is a national holiday in Wales.
The beginning of March is time of daffodils` flowering.
According to the legend there was a battle between the white and the red dragon (symbols of Angles and Saxons). The red dragon (symbol of Angles) won. Dragon is also a symbol of bravery and savagery. It is used on many flags of different countries (China, Vietnam, Korea)

19. Scotland

20. The national symbol of Scotland is the thistle [`θisl] (чертополох) and the flag is called the St. Andrew`s Cross

21. Meaning of symbols
St. Andrew liked fishing. He was one of 12 followers of Jesus Christ. He was crucified on a diagonal cross. The day of St. Andrew is celebrated on the 30th of November.
In the 15th century Scotch military people were waked up with shouts of enemies, who went shoeless in bushes of thistles. The Scottish people could prepare for the battle and won.

22. Northern Ireland

23. The national symbol of Northern Ireland is the clover [kləuvə] (клевер) and the flag is called the St. Patrick`s Cross

24. Meaning of symbols
According to legend, when St. Patrick converted to Christianity to Ireland, he used as a symbol of the Trinity the leaf of clover. The day of St. Patrick is celebrated on the 17th of March.
Several thousand years ago , two leaders of the Vikings started the dispute - which of them is more worthy of the throne of the king of Ireland. Because they couldn`t agree , it was decided to arrange a contest : who touches first hand the Irish coast , and will govern the country. Their forces were equal, and when the coast was only a few meters, one of the leaders cut off his right hand and threw it on the shore. Since then hand is a symbol of Northern Ireland as a sign of bravery and cleverness.

26. Geography
The UK consists of more than islands of different size. The common surface is km2. The UK is washed with the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The English Channel separates the British Isles from the continent. The narrowest place is the Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais) (it`s length is 32 km.)

27. Geography

28. Strait of Dover

29. Climate
Gulf Stream makes the climate of the UK. It is rather cool and changeable. It rains very often. Therefore there are many expressions in English:
«It rains cats and dogs»
«It never rains, but it pours»
«It is a great weather for ducks»
«We have no climate, only the weather»
«We have 3 types of weather: rain in the morning, rain in the afternoon and rain in the evening»

30. The biggest river is the Thames

31. Golden Globe. London.

32. The longest river is the Severn (354 km)

33. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis (1343m), Scotland

34. Modern population is divided into 4 groups:
The English
The Welsh
The Scots
The Irish

35. Population in Europe

36. Languages The English language is the state language.
Together with the English language there are also several accents: people in London speak Cockney, in Wales – Cymry, in Scotland – Scottish Gaelic, in Ireland – Erse, on the Isle of Man – Manx, on the Isle of Cornwall – Cornish.
E.g. Is le Ann leather (Ann has a book) – Scottish Gaelic.

37. Isle of Man

38. Isle of Cornwall

39. London

40. Stratford – upon – Avon. It is the house where William Shakespeare was born.