The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated in the north-west of Europe. It's washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and north-west, by the North Sea in the east, by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the South and south-west.

 The UK consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain includes England, Scotland and Wales.

 The UK has an area of more than 94,000 square miles. The capital of the country is London. English is the official language there. The population of the UK is about 60 million.

 The climate of Great Britain is rather mild. It is not very cold in winter, and it is not too hot in summer.

 It often rains in Great Britain. It rains in all seasons of the year. It doesn't often snow in the UK. It usually snows in the north and the west of the country.

 The landscape of England and Ireland is flat. The landscape of Scotland and Wales is mountainous.

 The main river if the Thames. The longest river is the Severn. It's about 350 kilometers long.

 The UK is a parliamentary monarchy. The Queen or the King is the head of the state. The Prime Minister is the head of the government.

 The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The political parties, which play an important role in the country, are the Labour Party, the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.

 There are a lot of universities, colleges, schools, theatres, art galleries and museums in the country. Oxford and Cambridge Universities are the most famous universities not only in Great Britain, but in the world.

 The UK has a well-developed industry. The most important mineral resources are coal and oil.

 The main industrial centres are Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield. The largest cities of the UK are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff and Glasgow.

Agriculture is also well-developed and plays an important part in the economy of the country. The widely spread agricultural products are wheat, fruit, vegetables and oats.

Words:

the Strait of Dover — Дуврский пролив

an area - площадь

rather mild — довольно мягкий

landscape - ландшафт

flat - равнинный

the House of Lords — палата лордов

the House of Commons — палата общин

parliamentary monarchy — парламентская монархия

the Labour Party — лейбористская партия

the Liberal Party — либеральная партия

the Conservative Party — консервативная партия

Well-developed — хорошо развитый

coal - уголь

oil - нефть

widely spread — широко распространенный

wheat - пшеница

oats - овёс