The Map of the British Isles

There are two independent countries on the British Isles. They are:

 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (consisting of England,

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), the capital is London;

 the Irish Republic or the Republic of Eire, the capital is Dublin.

The Names of the Country

 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Соединенное

Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии (official) or the United Kingdom - Соединенное Королевство (less official) or the UK (spoken English).

 Great Britain (geographically, an island). It is also called Britain.

 England (geographically, a part of the country).

 Britannia is the historical name of the country. It means the Land of Britons in

Latin; a Briton - бритт.

 Albion is the poetic name of the country, which is a White Land in Latin. It was

Julius Caesar who called the country Albion in 55 B.C. because of the chalky cliffs, which he first saw on a bright sunny day.

The UK National Symbols

The British National Flag is theUnion Flag,

commonly known as the Union Jack. It has the flag ofEngland (St. George‟s Cross), the flag of Scotland (St. Andrew‟s cross) andSaint Patrick‟s cross, representing Northern Ireland. Wales is not represented in the Union Jack.

The Royal Coat of Arms depicts the symbols

which represent the parts of the country.

The Statue of

Britannia in

Plymouth is the

symbol of the UK.

The national bird

of the UK is Robin

Redbreast

(красногрудая малиновка).

God Save the Queen is the national anthem of the UK. In fact, it was a patriotic song,

first performed in 1745. It became known as the national anthem at the beginning of the 19thcentury. The national anthem is played whenever the British monarch makes a public appearance. It is also played by the British Broadcasting Corporation (the BBC) every night before closedown. Besides, it is sung at the end of all important ceremonies, including football matches and other sports events.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

God save our gracious Queen,

Long live our noble Queen,

God save the Queen: Send her victorious, Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us:

God save the Queen.

O Lord, our God, arise,

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1297