Great Britain
Great Britain, formally known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is situated on the British Iisles, beautifully decorated by nature. The British Isles consist of Great Britain, Ireland and more than 5,500 smaller islands.
The surface of England and Ireland is rather flat. The highest mountain in the United Kingdom is Ben Nevsi in Scotland. There are many rivers in Great Britain but they are not very long. The rivers are deep and do not freeze in winter. The main river is the Thames.
The population of Great Britain is 56 million people. England has more people than the other parts of the British Isles.
Many people say that Great Britain looks like a large well-kept park. There are beautiful gardens, fields, meadows, lakes and woods there. The best-known wood is Sherwood Forest, where robin Hood once lived. The most famous lake is Lochness which is said to have water monster.
Great Britain is a higly developed industrial country. Shipbuilding is one of the main industries of Great Britain. For centuries Great Britain has been the leading shipbuilder in the world.
Coal-mining, metallurgy, textile are oldest branches of industry. The new industries are the chemical, electrotechnical, aviation and electronics. The new industries have developed hand in hand with science and technology and are equipped to meet present technical demands.
Big cities such as London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham have enterprises of nearly all branches of industry, old and new. London, Liverpool and Glasgow are the biggest English ports.
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that it has a monarch as its Head of State but the monarch has very little power. The Queen (or the King) reigns but she (he) doesn't govern. Parliament has the power.