Соединенное Королевство Великобритании и Северной Ирландии

AND NORTHERN IRELAND

coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean in the north

and the North Sea in the east. The U.K is an island state. The two main islands are Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain, the largest island in Europe. It consists of England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland borders on the Irish Republic in the south.

and most popular country of Great Britain. The capital of

England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester. There are more than 8 million people live in London. London is the chief port of the country and the most important commercial and cultural centre. The most important building is Buckingham Palace which is
the official residence of Queen
Elizabeth II. The national
symbol of England is the red
rose and its patron saint is
St George.

of England. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. Its symbol

is a thistle, its patron saint is St. Andrew. The country is divided into Highlands and Lowlands. Most of the industry is concentrated in Lowlands. Glasgow is its largest and busiest town. Glasgow is the heart of industry. It’s very prosperous town with large port and busy streets. Edinburgh is rather cold but attractive town. It consists of the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town lies between the Castle and Holyrood Palace.

known monuments in Edinburgh is a monument to a dog

called Bobby. The dog belonged to John Gray. When he died Bobby lived near his grave for 26 years. Later Bobby was buried near his master and his statue has become a symbol of devotion.

3 million people live in Wales. Cardiff, a large city

in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Cardiff is an industrial city, which also has a cathedral and a university. The national symbol of Wales is a leek or daffodil. Its patron saint is St. David. On the 1-st of March, St. David’s Day and Welsh people wear a leek or a daffodil. There are two national languages in Wales - the Welsh language, which is spoken widely, especially in the North of the country and English.

international festival called Eisteddfod is held in the town of

Llangollen. People come from all over the world to recite poetry, sing and dance in this beautiful competition. Rugby is the national game of Wales. The flag of Wales, with its red dragon, is one of the oldest in the world. It was brought to Britain by the Romans.

situated in the north-east
of Ireland. The country is washed by

the North Chanel and by the Irish Sea. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. There are two national languages in Northern Ireland Irish and English. The national symbol of Northern Ireland is the shamrock and its patron saint is St. Patrick. Northern Ireland has always had an industrial economy with shipbuilding and textiles being the main industries. Tourism also plays an important role in the local economy.

lots of theatres and cinemas in the country. There are

two national museums: the Ulster Museum in Belfast, which houses a collection of Irish antiquities and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. The Ulster Symphony Orchestra is among the leading orchestras of Britain.

is not too hot in summer or too cold in

winter. It often rains in England. Snow falls only in the north and west of the country. The main river is the Thames. Many ships go up and down the river. The longest river is Severn. It is 350 km. long. There are many universities, colleges libraries, museums and theatres in the country. The most famous universities are Cambridge University, Oxford University, Glasgow University.