Great Britain

1. General

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland. The territory of the United Kingdom is about 244 square kilometres. Its  population is over 55 million. About 80% of the population is urban.  

London is the capital of the country. It is its economic, political and cultural center. It is situated on the River Thames. It is the largest city in Europe with a population of 9 million people.
      English is the official language.

2. Geographical position and physical features:

The surface of Great Britain varies greatly. The northern and western part of the country is mountains and is called the Highlands. All the rest (south, east and centre) is a vast plain which is called the Lowlands. The mountains are not very high. The rivers are not long. The most important of them are the Severn and the Thames. There are many beautiful lakes in the mountainous parts of the country.

3. Climate

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of the Gulf Stream influence the climate of Great Britain.

The weather in GB is very changeable. A fine morning can change into a wet afternoon and evening and the wrong side out. The English people say: "Other countries have a climate; in England we have weather." The English 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.

The best time of the year in GB is spring(of course, it rains in spring too). The two worst months in Britain are January and February. They are cold, damp and unpleasant. Summer months are rather cold and there can be a lot of rainy days. So most people who look forward to summer holidays, plan to go abroad for the summer.

The U. K. is a parliamentary monarchy. The Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the Parliament. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.

4. The British people
The 4 parts of the UK represent 4 nations, which are distinct from each other in almost every aspect of life. They are different racially. The people of Ireland, Wales and Scotland belonged to the Celtic race. Those in England and Scotland were mainly of Germanic origin.
This difference was reflected in the languages they spoke, in their different economic, social and legal systems. England has always played the most important role in the history of the British Isles. That is why foreigners usually call all British people English. The English are mainly Anglo-Saxon in origin.
Traditionally the English are thought to be reserved, shy of strangers, conservative, honest, responsible and believing that they are superior to any other people on Earth.

The Scots have a strong sense of national identity, values and traditions. Scotland is a country with its dancers, its own songs, its poetry, national food and drink. To many foreigners, the image of Scotland is associated with kilts, tartans, bagpipes.
The Welsh are proud of their culture, traditions and their language. They are gifted in the art of self-expression in words, they are not afraid of being poetic in speech. There is much literary, musical and dramatic activity in Wales. Special festivals are held to encourage Welsh literature and music. Wales is called “the land of song”.

The Irish have a rich literary heritage, their own culture and traditions.