Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country in the north of Great Britain. It is a part of the United Kingdom. Scotland is divided into three natural regions: the Southern Uplands, the Central Lowlands and the Highlands and islands. A lot of places in Scotland are a natural paradise, still untouched by man. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, well known for its castle. Glasgow is the industrial capital of Scotland. It is the third largest city in Great Britain. The typical products of Scotland are timber, whisky, salmon. Golf is the Scottish natural sport and it seems to have originated in this country. Scotland is also the land of myths and mysteries; every castle has its ghost. Glamis Castle is said to have nine of them. And of course everyone knows about the Loch Ness, Monster. "Nessie" is said to be about six meters long, with a long, thin neck. The first report of the monster in Loch Ness was in 565 A.D. Since 1934 thousands of people claimed to they had seen the monster. Scientists have investigated the Loch and taken pictures but no scientific explanation of the mystery has been given.

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland also known as Ulster is a part of the United Kingdom. It is made up of six parts: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone. The total area is 13,843 km ². The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast. Relief of the country is quite diverse. The highest point is the draining of the country Donard in the Mourne Mountains. Its height is 848 metres. In the central part of the country is a lake Lough Neagh (392 km ²). It represents the largest lake in the British Isles. The main rivers of the country are Foyle, Bann. The population of Northern Ireland is more than a half million people. State languages in Northern Ireland are English, Irish and Gaelic.

England England England is the largest and the richest country of Great Britain. The capital of England is London but there are other large industrial cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and other famous and interesting cities such as York, ChestejvOxfordand Cambridge. Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric places in the world. This ancient circle of stones stands in Southwest England. It measures 80 metres across and made with massive blocks of stone up to four metres high.Why it was built is a mystery. Not far from Stonehenge stands Salisbury Cathedral. It is a splendid example of an English Gothic Cathedral; inside there is one of four copies of Magna Charta and the oldest clock in England. Chester is very important town in the north-west of England. In the past it used to be a Roman fort; its name comes from the Latin word casta, meaning "fortified camp". In Chester there is a famous museum which contains over 5000 ancient and modern toys. Oxford is the home of the oldest university of England. The most famous college is Christ Church. It has a great hall which was built during the reign of Henry VIII and its chapel has become the Cathedral of Oxford. Cambridge is the home of Britain's second oldest university. York was the capital of Northern England. It is one of the best preserved medieval cities of Europe. It was built by Romans, conquered by Anglo-Saxons and ruled by the Vikings. Birmingham is often called the "City of 1,500 trades" because of the great variety of its industries.

WALES WALES Wales is the country in the west of Great Britain. It is mainly a mountainous land with a hiefly agricultural economy and an industrial and coalmining area in the south. The landscape is beautiful. Many English people move to Wales when they retire. Cardiff, a large city in the south, was chosen as the capital of Wales in 1955, mainly because of its size. Since 1536, Wales has been governed by England and the heir to the throne of England has the title of Prince of Wales, but Welsh people have strong sense of identity. There is a Welsh National party which wants independence from the United Kingdom and the Welsh language is still used in certain parts of the country. Welsh is an ancient Celtic language, similar to Breton, spoken in Brittany, France. In the 60s Welsh was given equal status with English as an official language and is used in the law courts. It is taught in school and some TV program are broadcast in Welsh. However, only about 20% of the population speaks Welsh.

GREAT BRITAIN GREAT BRITAIN

The UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland occupies the territory of the British Isles. It consists of 4 main countries which are England, Scotland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff and Belfast. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as Great Britain or Britain (after it major island), England ( after its major historic part or the British Isles. The UK is an Island state it is composed of some islands, large and small. The two main islands are: Great Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea. The area of the UK is 244,100 square kms. It is situated off to the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or La Manche) and the Straits of Dover (or Pas de Calais). The population of the UK is over 57 mln people. The UK is inhabited by the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish who constitute the British nation. English is not the only language. Scottish, Welsh and Irish are also used. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It has its history. It all began in 1603 when Scotland was joined to England and Wales. The flag is made up of 3 crosses. The upright cross is the 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 is the cross of St.Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. All of them are on the blue background. The national anthem is «God Save the Queen». The national currency is pound. Geographically the island of Great Britain is subdivided into 2 main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines (or the Pennine Chain) and the Lake District. The highest mountain top is Ben Nevis in Scotland. The chief rivers of Great Britain are: the Severn, separating England and Wales, the Thames (the longest and the deepest one). The swiftest flowing river is the Spray. Also the Tweed is famous (the woolen fabric is made here). There are many lakes in Great Britain. The Lake District is the most beautiful. The largest are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff. The capitals are: London in England, Edinburgh in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales and Belfast in Northern Ireland. Every country has its own national emblem. The red rose is the national emblem of England the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland the daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales and the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland