The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The full name of the country which we usually call Great Britain or England is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The total area of the UK is about 244 thousand square kilometers.

The population of the country is 61 million people.

The official language is English.

The capital of the UK is London. The city was founded in the 1^st century A.D. by Romans. Now London is one of the largest cities of the world.

The United Kingdom consists of two parts – Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain is a big island. It has three parts. They are England, Scotland and Wales.

Great Britain is washed by seas on all sides and is separated from Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel.

There are many mountains in the north of Great Britain but they are not high. The rivers in Great Britain are not long but deep. There are many lakes in Scotland.

The climate of Great Britain is mild and typically maritime.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of the state is the Queen. The British Parliament consists of two Houses – the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

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London was founded in the 1-st century A.D. by Romans. They called it Londinium. In the 11-th century it became the capital of England.

Now, London is the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the river Thames. It is the main port and the most important city. It is one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is about 9 million people.

Today London has 33 districts, but the main are the City, the West End and the East End.

The City is the heart of London. It is the financial centre of the UK with many banks and offices.

All the historical places and famous parks are located in the West End. There are Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Tower, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square. It’s the place of many museums and galleries. There are the best hotels, theatres and shopping centres here. Rich people like spending their free time and money here.

The East End was an area of docks and enterprises. The port of London was here. The East End played an important role in the economy of the UK.

Sometimes the English people call the City” the money of London”, the West End –“ the goods of London”, and the East End – “the hands of London”.

A.D. – наша эра

main – главный

districts – районы

enterprises – предприятия

goods - товары