GREAT BRITAIN

The official name of the country whose language we study is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The U.K. lies on the British Isles. The two main islands are: Great Britain and Ireland. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The western coast of Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The total area of the U.K. is 244,000sq.km. Britain is relatively small and compact when compared with many European countries. The population of the U.K. is over 59 million people.

English is the official language, but it is not the only language which people speak in the country.

Geographically Britain can be divided into two main regions: Highland Britain and Lowland Britain.

There are many rivers in Britain but they are not very long. The rivers seldom freeze in winter, most of them remain ice-free. The most important rivers are the Severn, the Thames, the Tyne, the Trent, the Mersey and the Clyde.

The British climate has three dominant features: it is mild, humid and changeable.

Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron, ore, oil and gas. The biggest coal and iron mines are in the north-east of England, in Scotland near Glasgow, in Wales near Cardiff and Bristol.

Gr.Br. is a highly developed industrial country. Coal-mining is one of the most developed industries in Gr.Br. Of great importance for Britain is ship-building industry. It is concentrated in London, the capital of Gr.Br., Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Belfast. Manchester is the centre of cotton industry. Britain produces agricultural tractors, motor-cars, railway vehicles. The products of the British aerospace industry include civil and military aircraft and satellites.

Gr.Br. is a constitutional monarchy. Power in Gr.Br. is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch. The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, which consist of two chambers, or houses: the House of lords and the House of Commons. It is the oldest parliament in the world.

The executive branch is headed by the Prime minister, who is appointed by the king (queen). The most important ministers of the government form the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet make joint decisions or advice the Prime Minister.

The judicial branch interprets the laws.

The highest judicial body is represented by the Supreme Court of Judicature.

There are three main political parties in Gr.Br.: the Labour, the Conservative, and the Liberal Democratic. Britain heads the so-called British Commonwealth of nations, whose members, among others, are Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Queen is the official head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 1960