The island of Great Britain contains three “nations” which were separated at earlier stages of their history: England, Scotland and Wales. Wales had become part of the English administrative system by the 16th century. Scotland was not completely united with England until 1707. The United Kingdom is a name which was introduced in 1801 when Great Britain became united with Ireland.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It consists of four parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland occupy the territory of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the northern part of Ireland.
England is the largest and most densely populated part of the UK. The capital of England is London, which is the largest city in Britain. It is situated on the River Thames (the most important one).
The main industries in England are the wool industry, heavy industry, shipbuilding, cotton industry.
Scotland is the most northern part of the island of GB. Scotland is divided into three parts: the Highlands, the Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. There are a lot of valleys and lakes in this region; the best known lake is Loch Ness.
The capital of Scotland is Edinburg, but the biggest city is Glasgow. Shipbuilding is the leading industry here. But other industries such as steel engineering and coal mining are highly developed too.
Wales is a highland country of old, hard rocks. North Wales is a country of mountains and deep valleys. South Wales is a land of high hills. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. Such industries as coal-mining, steel production, electronics, and electrical engineering are developed in this part of the country.
The Welsh are fond of folk music, singing and poetry. Welsh literature is one of the oldest in Europe.
Northern Ireland occupies one-sixth of the territory of the United Kingdom. The main industrial center and a port is Belfast. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. The largest industry is agriculture.
Great Britain is a country with old cultural traditions and customs. The most famous educational centers are Oxford and Cambridge Universities. They are considered to be the intellectual centers of Europe. The education is not free, it is very expensive.
The United Kingdom is a monarchy and the Queen is the head of the state. But in practice it is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labor, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. The Labor party is the ruling party nowadays.
London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial center. It is one of the largest cities in the world. London is situated on the river Thames. The city is very old. It has more than 20 centuries old history. Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End.