British industry as a element of economy

People in countries outside the British Isles often call the inhabitants ' of the United Kingdom English. This is incorrect, for there are at least four main nationalities, the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. These four nationalities each have their own language and culture.
The population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is almost fifty-six million. A little more than seven million people live in the London area. Britain is mainly an industrial country, and most of the people live in large towns. The lands which produce nothing, especially the hilly country in Northern Scotland, have almost no population.
Great Britain is highly industrialized, this was the country in which the earliest developments of modern industry took place.
London, the capital, is one of many important industrial centers. Lots of things such as clothes, food, planes and cars are made in and around London.
Birmingham is the biggest town in an important industrial area near the centre of England. Machines, cars and lorries are made in this area. TV sets and radios are also produced there.
Manchester in the north-west of England is the centre of the cotton textile industry, one of Britain's most important producers of computers and electronic equipment.
Coal-mining is important in South Wales, but many of the mines5 there have been closed. There is much unemployment in South Wales today. A smaller industrial area is situated in North Wales, where steel6 and chemicals are produced.
Ship-building is an important industry in the United Kingdom. The main ship-building centers are London, Glasgow in Scotland, Belfast in Northern Ireland and some others.
Sheep can be seen in many parts of England and Scotland, and there are a lot of cattle-farms and farms where milk, butter and cheese are produced. But only half of the food the country needs is produced by British agriculture.
Wheat is grown in the east of England. Vegetables are grown in all parts of England, especially in the south. Potatoes are grown everywhere on the British Isles.
Some kinds of fruit, especially apples, can grow in the south where the temperature is higher and there are more hours of sunshine than in the northern regions.

Date: 2015-01-11; view: 756