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Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK (the United Kingdom) is the
official name of the country, occasionally referred to as Great Britain, which
is, strictly speaking, only a geographic name.
Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea from the
west, by the North Sea from the north and west. It is separated from the
European continent by the English Channel. The narrowest part of the
English Channel is called the Strait of Dover. The UK is not a very large
country. Its territory is about 244,000 square kilometers, and no point of the
country is more than 120 kilometers away from the sea.
At the same time, the population of the UK is the third largest in Europe,
comprising about 60 million people. It is incorrect to call everybody who
lives in the United Kingdom “English”, as this is the name only for those
who live in England. The residents of Wales are named Welsh, while the
people of Scotland are called Scottish. The correct common name for
English, Scottish and Welsh is British. Those who live in Northern Ireland
are called Irish.
The climate of the British Isles is generally mild; it is seldom cold in
winter and never too hot in summer. This is due to the warm current of the
Atlantic Ocean, Gulf Stream. Britain was always known as the country of
fogs, but now it is not quite so because of the climatic changes: there is
maybe less fog than in any other European country.
There are no high mountains and long rivers in the UK. The highest
mountain is Ben Nevis in the Highlands of Scotland, and the longest rivers
are the Severn and the Thames.
Geographically, the UK has a very convenient position, being located on
the crossroads from Europe to America. This is one of the reasons why
Britain was (and is up to the present time) one of the leading world powers.
The capital of the country is London. It is situated on the river Thames.
Britain has an ancient and glorious history. It used to be the great empire
“where the sun never sets”. It gave the world many famous scientists,
writers, political leaders and explorers, such as Newton, Darwin, Drake,
Shakespeare, Churchill and others.
For centuries monarchs ruled Britain. The constitutional monarchy is
still preserved in the country, though it is practically no more than a tradition
and a tribute to the past. Queen Elisabeth II is Head of State. Her power is
limited by the parliament, which is elected every four years. The leader of
the party that has won the majority during the elections becomes the Prime
Minister. In fact, he becomes the head of state and forms the Cabinet. The
second largest party forms the official Opposition.
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