The Geographical Position of Great Britain (3)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland covers an area of some 244 thousand square miles. It is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles are separated from Europe by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North Sea in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The population of Great Britain is about 60 million. The largest cities of the country are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The territory of Great Britain is divided into four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England is in the southern and central part of Great Britain. Scotland is in the north of the island. Wales is in the west. Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland.

England is the richest, the most fertile and most populated part in the country. There are mountains in the north and in the west of England, but all the rest of the territory is a vast plain. In the northwestern part of England there are many beautiful lakes. This part of the country is called Lake District.

Scotland is a land of mountains. The Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. The highest mountain of Great Britain is in Scotland too. The chain of mountains in Scotland is called the Grampians. Its highest peak is Ben Nevis. It is the highest peak not only in Scotland but in the whole Great Britain as well. In England there is the Pennine Chain. In Wales there are the Cumbrian Mountains.

There are no great forests on the British Isles today. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest in the east of England, to the north of London. It was the home of Robin Hood, the famous hero of a number of legends.

The British Isles have many rivers but they are not very long. The longest of the English rivers is the Severn. It flows into the Irish Sea. The most important river of Scotland is the Clyde. Glasgow stands on it. Many of the English and Scottish rivers are joined by canals, so that it is possible to travel by water from one end of Great Britain to the other.

The Thames is over 200 miles long. It flows through the rich agricultural and industrial districts of the country. London, the capital of Great Britain, stands on it. The Thames has a wide mouth, that's why the big ocean liners can go up to the London port.

Geographical position of Great Britain is rather good as the country lies on the crossways of the see routes from Europe to other parts of the world. The sea connects Britain with most European countries such as Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway and some other countries. The main sea route from Europe to America also passes through the English Channel.

28/ Ukraine is situated in the eastern part of Europe. It borders on Russia
in the east, Belorussia in the north, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania
and Moldova in the west. Ukraine is washed by the Sea of Azov and the
Black Sea in the south. The area of Ukraine is more than 603 thousand
square kilometers. The most part of its area is flat. There are the
Crimean Mountains in the south and the Carpathians in the west.

The territory of our country lies in three main zones: mixed forests,
forest-steppes and steppes. The flora and fauna of our country are
extremely rich. The nature of Ukraine is especially beautiful. There are
131 rivers in Ukraine. The longest rivers are the Dniester, the Donets,
the Bug. The rivers of Ukraine are navigable. There are more than three
hundred cities and towns in Ukraine. The biggest of them are Kharkiv,
Donetsk, Dniepropetrovsk, Lviv. Odessa, Mikolayiv, Kherson, Kerch are
the most important ports of Ukraine. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. It
is an administrative, industrial, scientific and cultutal centre.
Ukraine is rich in mineral resources: coal, oil, gas. different ores.
Some of them are of industrial importance. Ukraine is a developed
industrial country. Ukraine produces up-to-date instruments, electronic
microscopes, synthetic diamonds. Ukraine is an agricultural country. Its
soil is fertile. The geographical position of Ukraine is favourable for
maintaining close economic relations with many European countries.

London When we think of Paris, Rome. Madrid, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as "cities'. When we think of the whole of modern London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, that great area covering several hundred square kilometres, we do not think of it as 'a city. not even as a city and its suburbs. Modem London is not one city that has steadily become larger through the centuries; it is a number of cities. towns, and villages that have, during the past centuries, grown together to make one vast urban area.

London is situated upon both banks of the River Thames, it is the largest city in Britain and one of the largest in the world. Its population is about 7 million people.

London dominates the life of Britain. It is the chief port of the country and the most important commercial, manufacturing and cultural centre. There is little heavy industry in London, but there is a wide range of light industry in Greater London.

London consists of three parts: the City of London, the West End and the East End.

The City extends over an area of about 2.6 square kilometres in the heart of London. About half a million people work in the City but only less than 6000 live here. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks, offices and Stock Exchange. But the City is also a market for goods of almost every kind, from all parts of the world.

The West End can be called the centre of Tendon. Here are the historical palaces as well as the famous parks. Hyde Park with its Speaker's Corner is also here. Among other parks are Kensington Gardens, St.James's Park. In the West End is Buckingham Palace. Which is the Queen's residence, and the Palace of Westminster which is the seat of Parliament.

The best-known streets here are Whitehall with important Government offices. Downing Street, the London residence of Prime Minister and the place where the Cabinet meets. Fleet Street where most newspapers have their offices, Harley Street where the highest paid doctors live, and some others.

Trafalgar Square is named so in commemoration of Nelson's great victory. In the middle stands the famous Nelson Column with the statue of Nelson 170 feet high so as to allow him a view of the sea. The column stands in the geographical centre of the city. It is one of the best open air platforms for public meetings and demonstrations.

One of the "musts" for the sightseer are the Houses of Parliament, facing the Thames, on one side, and Parliament Square and Westminster Abbey, on the other. The House of Commons sits to the side of the Clock Tower (Big Ben), the House of Lords - to the Victoria Tower side.

Westminster Abbey is the crowning and burial place of British monarchs. It has its world famed Poet's Corner with memorials to Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, the Bronte's sisters. Tennyson. Longfellow, Wordsworth, Burns, Dickens, Thackeray, Hardy, Kipling and other leading writers. Only a few however, are actually buried there.

Here too is that touching symbol of a nation's grief. The Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

The name "West End" came to be associated with wealth, luxury, and goods of high quality. It is the area of the largest department stores, cinemas and hotels. There are about 40 theatres, several concert halls, many museums including the British Museum, and the best art galleries.

It is in the West End where the University of London is centred with Bloomsbury as London's student quarter.

The Port of London is to the east of the City. Here. today are kilometres and kilometres of docks, and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce.

In recent times London has grown so large. that the Government has decided that it must spread no farther. It is now surrounded by a "green belt" - a belt of agricultural and wooded land on which new buildings may be put up only with the permission of the planning authorities.

KyivKiev is the capital of our country. It is the largest city in Ukraine. More than three million people live there.

Kiev was founded more than 1500 years ago. It is the political, economic, industrial and cultural centre of our country.

There are many factories in Kiev. They make different products.

In Kiev there are many museums, monuments, theatres, cinemas, libraries and palaces. Thousand of students study at Kiev-Mohila academy, at Kiev University, many institutes and colleges.

Kiev is a large transport centre. Kiev metro is very beautiful.

Kiev is on the banks of the river Dnieper. The city is very green. It is one of the most beautiful cities of Ukraine.

Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, president and government are in Kiev. Ambassadors of many countries live in the capital of Ukraine too.

We are proud that our capital is one of the best and oldest cities in the world.

Khreschatyk is the main street in Kiev. It is not very long, but it is wide and straight. You can see many cars and trolley buses in Khreschatyk. There are many big green trees in it. A lot of people go to Khreschatyk every day. Some of them go shopping because there are many good shops and big market there. Other people go to the cinema, look at the fountains or sit on the benches.

In the evening many people walk in Khreschatyk. There you can see many bright lights.

People like the main street of Kiev because it is nice and green.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1948