Download THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND NORTHERN IRELAND
England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) together with Northern Ireland from the country
officially known as “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” simply the United
Kingdom.
Its area is of about 245,000 square miles. The island of Great Britain can be divided into two
main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain covers infantile rocks of the
midland, southern and eastern England, while Highland Britain comprises Scotland, Wales, the
Pennines and the Lake District.
The smaller islands include the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the Shetlands and
the Channels.
The highest peak Ben Nevis is a part of the Scottish Highlands. The highest mountain in Wales
is Snowdon.
Scotland is also noted for its lochs. Much of the west coast of the country is intersected by Sea
Lochs, the longest of which, Loch Fyne, penetrates more than 40 miles inland. Loch Ness is located in
the North of Scotland. The biggest lake in the in the British Isles is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland.
One of the best kept secrets in Great Britain are the Welsh beaches known as Welsh Riviera.
Important ports in Great Britain are situated on not very long British rivers: London on Thames,
Liverpool on the Mersey
Weather
Climate in the UK is mild but always unpredictable and largely determined by that of the east
Atlantic, although during the winter months easterly winds may bring cold, dry weather. For tourists,
the summer is the best season, not too hot for traveling. March, April, June are considered to be the
driest months of year.
Counties
United Kingdom is divided into areas called counties. There are 46 of them in England, 8 in
Wales and 6 counties in Northern Ireland.
Capitals
London is the capital of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the largest city in the
Commonwealth. Also the other countries of The UK have their own capitals: Wales(Cardiff)
Scotland(Edinburgh) Northern Ireland(Belfast).
Brief history
In AD43 an army of 50,000, led by Aulus Plautius, stepped ashore and established Britain as a
province of the Roman Empire.
One of the most important kings was William, the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. His victory
and his coronation in Westminster Abbey didn’t give him complete control of England.
The other famous sovereign is Henry VIII, who was 17 when he became king.
Mary was the first Queen Regnant.
Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, returned England to
Protestantism.
Queen Victoria was another sovereign who gave her name to an era. With the growth of the
two-party system, which increasingly limited the Queen’s power to choose her Prime Minister, her
influence was directed more towards matters of government policy, particularly foreign affairs, and
she was occasionally able to mediate in political crisis.