The full name of the country the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The
United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands,
Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 314
000 sq. km. 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. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on
the Irish Republic in the south. The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts:
England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the
West) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).
There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the Cheviots separate
England from Scotland, the Pennines stretch down North England along its middle, the
Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are
the tallest of the British mountains. There is very little flat country except in the region
known as East Anglia. Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is. the
deepest and the longest of the British rivers. Some of the British greatest ports are situated
in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Trent, T Clyde and Bristol Avon. Great Britain is not
very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits
of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.
The warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters
are not severely cold and. summers are rarely hot. The population of the United Kingdom is
over 58 million people. The main nationalities are: English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. In
Great Britain there are a lot of immigrants from former British Asian and African colonies.
Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. New industries have been developed in the
last three decades. The main industrial centres are London, Birmingham, Manchester,
Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol. The capital of the country is London. The United
Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy. 
 
Великобритания (1)
Полное название страны - Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной
Ирландии. Соединенное Королевство находится на Британских островах. Британские
острова состоят из двух больших (Великобритания, Ирландия) и большого количества
маленьких островов. Их общая площадь - более 314 тысяч кв. км. Британские острова
отделены от Европейского континента Северным морем и Ла-Маншем. Западное
побережье Великобритании омывается Атлантическим океаном и Ирландским морем.
Северная Ирландия занимает одну треть территории острова Ирландия. На юге она
граничит с Ирландской Республикой. Остров Великобритания состоит из трех
основных частей: Англия (южная и средняя часть острова), Уэльс (гористый
полуостров на западе) и Шотландия (северная часть острова).
В Великобритании нет высоких гор. На севере Чевиот-Хилс отделяют Англию от
Шотландии; Пеннинские горы тянутся от Северной Англии почти через всю ее
центральную часть; Кембрийские горы занимают большую часть Уэльса; Северо-
Шотландское нагорье - самые высокие горы в Британии. В Британии очень мало
равнинной местности, кроме как в области, известной как Восточная Англия.
Большинство рек впадают в Северное море. Темза -самая глубокая и длинная из рек
Британии. Некоторые самые большие порты Британии расположены в устьях Темзы,
Мерси, Трента, Теина, Клайда и Бристольского Эйвона. Великобритания не очень
богата полезными ископаемыми. Она имеет небольшие залежи угля и железной руды
и богатые залежи нефти, газа, которые были открыты в Северном море.
Теплые течения Атлантического океана влияют на климат Великобритании. Зима
здесь не очень суровая, а лето редко бывает жарким. Население Соединенного
Королевства составляет более 58 млн. человек. Основные национальности:
англичане, уэльсцы, шотландцы и ирландцы. В Великобритании много иммигрантов
из бывших азиатских и африканских колоний Британии. Великобритания - страна с
высокоразвитой промышленностью. За последние три десятка лет развились новые
отрасли промышленности. Главные промышленные центры -это Лондон, Бирмингем,
Манчестер, Лидс, Ливерпуль, Глазго, Бристоль. Столицей является Лондон.
Великобритания - это конституционная монархия.
The three mountains are:
 Snowdon, in Wales (1085m)
 Scafell Pike, in England (978m)
 Ben Nevis, in Scotland (1344m)

Snowdon
Wales's largest mountain, Snowdon is the third highest in Britain, with a
prominence of 1,038 metres. Snowdon has long been labelled the "busiest
mountain in Britain", thanks to its range of ascents, summit café and even railway
for those wanting to reach the top without all that pesky physical exertion getting
in their way.

Ben Nevis

Britain's highest peak, Ben Nevis, stretches up some 1,344 metres into the Scottish
sky, putting it well clear of all others in Britain. Despite occupying a rather remote
area of the Scottish Highlands, Ben Nevis welcomes more than 100,000 visitors
every

Scafell Pike Скофел-Пайк

Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England and the 13th tallest in Britain.

The Land

The UK Landscape is very varied, ranging from the Grampian Mountains of

Scotland to the lowland fens of England which are at or below sea level in places.

Scotland and Wales are the most mountainous parts of the UK. A ridge of hills, the
Pennine, runs down the centre of northern England. Many coastal areas are low-
lying, especially in the east and south of England. These include the wetlands of
the Somerset levels, that regularly flood during heavy rain.

Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hills with isolated areas of high
ground such as Dartmoor in the south-west of England or the Mourne Mountains
in Northern Ireland.
The River Thames
The River Thames is a large river in England. It goes
through London the capital city of the United Kingdom.

The Thames is 346 kilometres (215 statute miles) long. Its source is near

the village of Kemble in the Cotswolds; it flows through Oxford (where it is
called "Isis", a shortening of
its Latin name), Reading, Maidenhead, Eton and then Windsor.

Like the Celts who lived in the area, the Romans called the river Thamesis.
The Thames was an important way to go between London and
Westminster in the 16th and 17th centuries.

There are many bridges and tunnels crossing the Thames, including Tower

Bridge, London Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, and the Dartford Crossing.

The Mersey River мерсі

The River Mersey is a river in north west England. It is 70 miles (112 km)
long, it stretches from Stockport,Greater Manchester, and ends at Liverpool
Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county
divide between Lancashire and Cheshire.

Although it had a history of pollution and severe damage to its water

quality, the Mersey is now known as one of the cleanest rivers in all of
England

The Severn River

The Severn River is the longest river that flows through England and
measures 354 kilometres or 220 miles in length. Its basin has an area of
11 420 square kilometres or 4 409 square miles. This river passes
through the middle of Wales as well as the West Midlands and South
West England. 

The Severn River flows out into the Bristol Channel and then into the
Celtic Sea and Atlantic Ocean.

The River Trent is one of the major rivers of England. It is the third longest
river in the United Kingdom. It starts inStaffordshire. It flows through the
centre of England until it joins the River Ouse to form the River
Humber (estuary) which empties into the North Sea.

The name "Trent" comes from a Celtic word possibly meaning "strongly

flooding". More specifically, the name may be a contraction of two Celtic
words, tros ("over") and hynt ("way").[1]
The Tyne River (тайн)
The River Tyne is a river in North East England.[2] It is used for water sport
in the summer. More than 43,500 people come and visit it every year.
There is a famous bridge that crosses it called the "Tyne Bridge". Another
bridge that crosses it is the Millennium Bridge. The bridges
connect Gateshead to Newcastle upon Tyne.
During the 1200’s, the Tyne River was a major transport medium for
coal as it was situated right in the heart of the coalmining district in
North East England. Despite ebbs and lows in this industry, the Tyne
continues to play a crucial role in coal imports. 
Шотландія
The River Tay Тей (Scottish Gaelic: Tatha) is the longest river in Scotland
and the seventh-longest in the United Kingdom. It starts in Loch Tay, and
opens up into the North Sea at the Firth of Tay.
The River Clyde  Клайд Chluaidh, pronounced [avɪɲˈxlˠ̪uəj]) is a river
in Scotland. It has its source in South Lanarkshire and flows
through Glasgow before opening up into the Firth of Clyde.

 It is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest
in Scotland.  it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in
the British Empire

The River Spey (Scottish Gaelic: Uisge Spè) is a river in the northeast

of Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in theUnited Kingdom, as well as the
third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is important
for salmon fishing andwhisky production.
озера
Lakes in Scotland are called lochs, and in Northern
Ireland loughs (pronounced the same way). In Wales a lake is also called
a llyn. 

Lough Neagh- лох ней  is a lake in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. It

is the biggest lake in Ireland and it is also the biggest lake in the United
Kingdom.[1] It is the only lake on the islands that a person cannot see the
other side. 147.87
Lough Erne or Loch Erne[1]  лох ерн (pronounced lokh airn,
from Irish: Loch Éirne) is the name of two connected lakes inCounty
Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is the second-biggest lake system in
Northern Ireland and Ulster, and the fourth biggest in Ireland. 42.28

Loch Lomond [1] is a freshwater Scottish loch. It is the largest inland

stretch of water in Great Britain by surface area.[2] The loch contains many
islands, Of all lochs and lakes in Great Britain, it is the largest by surface
area, and the second largest (after Loch Ness) by water volume.[ 27.45

Loch Ness is a loch in the Scottish Highlands. It is also on the Great Glen

Fault and part of the Caledonian Canal. It contains more fresh water than
all the lakes in England and Wales combined, [2] and is the largest body of
water on theGreat Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north
to Fort William in the south. 21.78

Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It has been one of the
country's most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the
arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway's branch line in
1847(створення залізниці) 5.69
мінеральні ресурси

Natural resources:

England has large deposits of coal, mined for more than 300 years. For
most of the 19th and 20th centuries, coal was England's richest natural
resource, meeting most of the nation's requirement for energy. Today, coal
can be produced more cheaply in other countries and so many British
factories and mines have closed.

Oil and gas were discovered under the North Sea during the 1960s and new
supplies are still being found today. Gas has been particularly important in
replacing coal as a fuel for generating electricity.

Minerals produced in the United Kingdom in

2013[edit]
The data are from the British Geological Survey. [1][2]

Mineral Thousand tonnes

Coal 12,840

Oil 38,456

Gas (oil
36,500
equivalent)

Sand and
58,100
gravel

Clay and
6,464
shale
Cement
raw 11,410
materials

Natural
1,200
gypsum

Slate 710

Crushed
82,433
rock

Limestone
/ dolomite / 60,156
chalk

Brine /
6,601
rock salt

Gold (kg) 42

Silver (kg) 82
London is by far the largest city in England and the United Kingdom. 8.63
million people live in London,[2] which is on the River Thames. It is
the capital of the United Kingdom.

London is the biggest city in middle Europe, and the world's largest
financial centre.[3][4][5]

London was founded by the Romans in AD 43 and called Londinium.

London is also known as Lunnainn in Scottish Gaelic,
[6]
 Llundain in Welsh and Londain in Irish.

For a long time, London was a small city. All its people lived inside the
walls that were built by the Romans. This area is still called the City of
London. There were many villages around the city. Gradually, more and
more people came to live there. Then, step by step, the villages joined
together into one huge city.

The city has a huge network of transport systems.

There is also the world's first underground railway system, London
Underground, which is the main way commutersget into London.

Landmarks
Big Ben

 Buckingham Palace
 Millennium Dome
 London Eye
 Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square
 Tower Bridge
 London Underground

Manchester is a city in North West England. In 2013 there were 514,417

people living there, which makes it the fifth largest city in the United
Kingdom.
It is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England.
Manchester was given city status in 1853. The city is in the middle of the
Greater Manchester Urban Area, which has 2,240,230 people, [1] and is the
United Kingdom's third largest built-up place.
Manchester is a very important city in England, and is often called the
"Capital of the North".

Liverpool is a city in Merseyside, United Kingdom which is formed of 30

neighbourhoods.

It was most famous as a port during the late 19th and early 20th century. It
is the birthplace of the famous rock group The Beatles. It is also famous
because of its football teams, Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C.

People from Liverpool are called Liverpudlians or Scousers.

Площа: 111,8 км²
Дата заснування: 1207
Населення: 465 700 (2011)

Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann) is the capital city and second

largest city in Scotland. Edinburgh lies on the east coast, where the River
Forth flows into the sea.
The central part is Edinburgh Castle, at the top of a steep hill. The castle
has a military display every year, called a tattoo, where soldiers show their
skills at marching and competitions, and there are brass bands and bands
of bagpipes. Площа: 264 км²
Населення: 495 360 (2011)

Cardiff is the capital and biggest city of Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Its name in the Welsh language is Caerdydd. A 2011 census reports that

around 346,100 people live in Cardiff. It is the most important city in Wales
for tourism, culture, government, sport, transport, nightlife and business.

Cardiff has a big port that used to be known as Tiger Bay.

Dublin is the capital city of Ireland.[1] The Greater Dublin Area has

a population of 1,187,176 people.[2] Dublin is also the biggest city on
the island of Ireland.
Dublin was built by the Vikings and is built upon the river Liffey. The river
divides the city into two parts, North Dublinand South Dublin.

Many famous writers lived in Dublin. Oscar Wilde and George Bernard

Shaw were born in Dublin. James Joyce is probably Dublin's best known
and most international writer.

Belfast (Irish: Béal Feirste) is the capital of Northern Ireland. It is the

second largest city in Ireland, after Dublin. About 270,000 people live in the
city. It became capital of Northern Ireland when Northern Ireland was
created in 1921. A lot of famous ships were built by the
Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff. In 1911 they built the RMS Titanic.

Seas surrounding the UK

The UK is made up of several islands. The only land
border connecting the UK to another country is between Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The UK is bordered by four seas:

 to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from

continental Europe
 to the east by the North Sea
 to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean
Our main industries today are banking and finance, steel, transport equipment, oil
and gas, and tourism.

Other industries

Machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad

equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and
communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper
products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods.

Labour force:
29.7 million (2001)
Labour force - by occupation:
agriculture 1.4%,
industry 18.2%,
services 80.4%
(2006 est)
Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2003 est.)
source: www.cia.gov (August 2007)
Farming (Agriculture)

Products (0.5 % of GDP):

cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, poultry, fish.

Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,

producing about 60% of food needs with only 1.4 % of the labour force.

It contributes around 0.5% of GDP. Around two thirds of production is devoted to

livestock, one third to arable crops.

The lowlands support some farming such as wheat, potatoes and vegetables.
Dairy and sheep farming are common in the hilly pastures.
(Read more about farming)

Energy
The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production
accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation.

Services

Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for
the largest proportion of GDP

Climate in Great Britain 

The British Isles which are surrounded by the ocean have an insular climate.
There are 3 things that chiefly determine the climate of the United Kingdom: the position
of the islands in the temperate belt; the fact that the prevailing winds blow from the west and
south-west and the warm current — the Gulf Stream that flows from the Gulf of Mexico
along the western shores of England. All these features make the climate more moderate,
without striking difference between seasons. It is not very cold in winter and never very hot
in summer.
So, the British ports are ice-free and its rivers are not frozen throughout the year. The
weather on the British Isles has a bad reputation. It is very changeable and fickle. The
British say that there is a climate in other countries, but we have just weather. If you don't
like the weather in England, just wait a few minutes.
It rains very often in all seasons in Great Britain. Autumn and winter are the wettest.
The sky is usually grey and cold winds blow. On the average, Britain has more than 200
rainy days a year. The English say that they have 3 variants of weather: when it rains in the
morning, when it rains in the afternoon, and when it rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so
heavily, that they say «It's raining cats and dogs».
Britain is known all over the world for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so thick that it's
impossible to see anything within a few meters. The winter fogs of London are, indeed,
awful; they surpass all imagination. In a dense fog all traffic is stopped, no vehicle can move
from fear of dreadful accidents. So, we may say that the British climate has three main
features: it is mild, humid and very changeable.
 
Климат в Великобритании
Британские острова, окруженные океаном, имеют островной климат.
В основном климат Великобритании определяют три фактора: расположение
островов в умеренном поясе; факт того, что господствующие ветры дуют с запада и
юго-запада; теплое течение Гольфстрим, которое течет из Мексиканского залива
вдоль западного побережья Англии. Все это в совокупности, делает климат более
умеренным, без большой разницы температур между сезонами. Здесь не очень
холодно зимой и никогда не бывает жарко летом.
Так что Британские порты не сковываются льдом зимой, а реки не замерзают в
течение года. Погода на Британских островах имеет плохую репутацию. Она очень
изменчива и непостоянна. Британцы говорят, что в других странах есть климат, а у
нас — погода. Если вам не нравится погода в Англии, подождите несколько минут.
В Великобритании дождь идет очень часто и в любое время года. Самые влажные
сезоны — осень и 'зима. Небо обычно серого цвета, дуют холодные ветры. В среднем
по Англии более 200 дождливых дней в году. Англичане говорят, что у них три погоды:
когда идет дождь утром, когда идет дождь днем и когда идет дождь целый день.
Иногда идет настолько сильный дождь, что они говорят «дождь льет как из ведра».
Англия известна во всем мире своими туманами. Иногда туманы настолько густы,
что невозможно что-либо рассмотреть в нескольких метрах от себя. Зимние туманы
Лондона, действительно, ужасны; они превосходят любое воображение. В очень
сильном тумане останавливается весь транспорт, из-за страха попасть в ужасную
аварию, любая машина вынуждена стоять. Так что мы можем сказать, что британский
климат имеет три основных особенности: он умеренный, влажный и очень
непостоянный.