The Flag of the UK.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK). Geographical position.

The official name of it is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK). Sometimes people call this country as GB or B (after its major island), sometimes England (after its major historic part) or the British Isles.

The UK consists of 4 main parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The UK is an island state. It is composed of 5500 large and small islands. The 2 main islands are Great Britain (in which are E/Sc/W) to the east and Ireland (in which are N.I. and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

Great Britain is an island lying off the north-western coastline of Europe. The English Channel separates it from the mainland in the south. The Strait of Dover (18 miles wide) divides it from France. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea and from Ireland by the Irish Sea. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west. Other 2 most important islands are the Isle of Manand the Isle of Wight.

The UK is one of the world’s smaller countries: it is twice smaller than France or Spain. (area – 244 square km).

Geographically, the Island of GB is subdivided into 2 main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and east-southern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis (1343 m) in Scotland. The highest peak is Snowdon (1085 m) in Wales. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west.

The chief rivers of GB are: the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales, is the longest, the Thames is the deepest and the most important one flows eastward to the port of London and some others. The swiftest flowing river in British Isles is the Spey. Part of the border between Scotland and England is along the Tweed river, near which is made the woolen fabric that bears its name.

There are many lakes in GB. On the north-west side of the Pennine system lies the Lake District. It contains the beautiful lakes. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1859), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

Population.

The population of the UK is over 58 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. 4 out of every 5 people live in towns. The distribution of population is rather uneven. Over 51 million people live in England, about 3 million in Wales, a little over 5 million in Scotlandand1.78 million in Northern Ireland.

Greater London, the south and the south-east are the most densely populated areas. Population of London is nearly 7 mln. Most of mountainous parts of the UK including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Pennine Chain in northern England are very sparsely populated.

The UK inhabited by the English, the Scots, the Welsh, and the Irish who constitute the British nation. The British are the descendants of different people who settled in the British Isles at different times. The earliest known people of Britain were of Iberian origin. Then followed a long succession of invaders including the Celts, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes and at last in 1066 the Normans. It was the last time Britain was invaded. Now there are also many people of all colours and races in the UK. These are mostly former inhabitants of the former British colonies.

English is the official language of the UK. Besides standard literary English there are many regional and social dialects. A well-known is the cockney of East Londoners. The Scottish and Irish forms of Gaelic survive in some parts of Scotland and Ireland. Wales is officially bilingual, Welsh is spoken by about a 5-th of its population.

The Flag of the UK.

It is known as the Union Jack and is made up of 3 crosses. The upright red cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Resources.

The UK has long been rich in energy resources but deficient in food and industrial raw materials. Extensive coal deposits occur around the eastern and western edges of the Pennines, in South Wales, in the western Midlands and in the Scottish Central Lowland. There are large deposits of petroleum and gas under the North Sea. Other mineral resources are of small importance. They include tin, iron ore.

Climate.

The climate in the UK is generally mild and temperate due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The southwestern winds carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate is usually described as cool, temperate and humid. The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather. The weather is a favourite topic of conversation in the UK. The English also say that they have 3 variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, in the afternoon or all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say “It’s raining cats and dogs”.

Rainfall is more or less even throughout the year. In the mountains there is heavier rainfall than in the plains of the south and east. The driest period is from March to June. The wettest months are from October to January. The average range of temperature (from winter to summer) is from 5 to 23 degrees above zero. During a normal summer the temperature sometimes rises above 30 degrees in the south. Winter temperature below 10 degrees is rare. It seldom snows heavily, frost is rare. January and February are usually the coldest months. July and August are warmest. The wind may bring winter cold in spring or summer days, sometimes it brings whirlwinds and hurricanes. Droughts are rare. So, we may say that the British climate has 3 main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild. Snow may come but it melts quickly. This humid and mild climate is good for plants. Trees and flowers begin to blossom early in spring.