The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London is the capital of England, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff— of Wales and Belfast — of Northern Ireland. The UK is a small country with an area of some 244,100 square kilometres. It occupies only 0.2 per cent of the world's land surface. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north-west, north and south-west and separated from Europe by the North Sea in the east and by the English Channel in the south. The Strait of Dover or Pas de Calais is the narrowest part of the Channel. The North Sea and the English Channel are often called "the narrow seas"; they are not deep but are frequently rough.
In the west the Irish Sea and the North Channel separate the UK from Ireland. The seas around Britain provide exceptionally good fishing grounds. The country has many bays favourable for shipping. In their shelter are Britain's main ports such as London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull and others.
One will not find very high mountains or large plains in Great Britain. Everything occupies very little place. Nature, it seems, has carefully adapted things to the size of the island itself. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland, 4,406 feet high. The longest river is the Severn in England.
The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million people. Foreigners often call British people "English", but the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh do not consider themselves to be English. The English are Anglo-Saxon in origin, but the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish are Celts, descendants of the ancient people, who crossed over from Europe centuries before the Norman Invasion. It was this people, whom the Germanic Angles and Saxons conquered in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. These Germanic conquerors gave England its name — "Angle" land. They were conquered in their turn by the Norman French, when William the Conqueror of Normandy landed near Hastings in 1066. It was from the union of Norman conquerors and the defeated Anglo-Saxons that the English people and the English language were born.
The official language of the United Kingdom is English. But in western Scotland some people still speak Gaelic and in northern and central parts of Wales people often speak Welsh.
The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the worlds largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics» textile» aircraft, and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, Head of the State is Queen. In practice, the country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The big red cross is the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England. The white cross is the cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
USA. It is faraway country, on the other side of the world. It is country of contrasts and great opportunities. There are a number of time zones and two oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic, between us. And what attracts me to it?
The US is state with rich cultural heritage and fascinating history. It has passed a long way of formation and has earned respect from other countries. During the Second World War the US had been a reliable support for the Soviet Union because it had helped much in the fight against the fascism.
America gave the world a lot of great people, such as Abraham Lincoln, James Fenimore Cooper, Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King. This list is endless. We should not forget about Christopher Columbus, because he had discovered this previously unknown continent.
A lot of cultures, mentalities and nations are intertwined in America. This has formed the current face of the country. Today, the US is a prosperous country, "the first economy of the world". Many people want to go to the US to get an education, make a career, or just see this truly amazing place.
There are so many beautiful cities in America: big cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami as well as little provincial towns. I want to pick out New York City among big cities. I associate New York with lots of yellow taxis on Times Square, crowds of people, who hurry somewhere and of course with skyscrapers and Statue of Liberty. Recently, I wanted to "taste "The Big Apple"". No matter how stupidly it sounds, this ambition appeared, when I was playing video game `Grand theft Auto IV`.
That would be so nice to wake up in the morning and go for a walk on Manhattan, visit the famous Wall Street, see Columbia University, stroll along Broadway, stare at the colorful advertising signs in Times Square. Then, we can go to Central Park for a walk, encountering running people in tracksuits, mummies with prams, people walking their dogs or to sit on green grass. After this we can pop to coffee shop and then go to Liberty Island where a statue with the same name is located, which has become a national symbol of America.
New York is the capital of American fashion. Fashion Weeks are held there. New York City is not only a big beautiful city, but it is one of the world economic centers. Also there is the headquarters of UN.
California will certainly leave nobody indifferent. San Francisco with Cable Cars and Golden Gate Bridge, Silicon Valley and high technologies, San Diego and its Zoo - that`s California.
There are most picturesque beaches of the West coast. I would be glad to be on of these beaches. Lying on golden sand and the sun gently caressing your skin, ocean softly roaring, boys and girls in swimsuits playing beach volleyball and the rescuers attentively watching over what is happening. California is an excellent place for surfing. I would take a lesson from local surfing instructors.
There is also Hollywood in the Golden State, it is the well-known suburbs of Los Angeles. Hollywood had discovered the world-famous stars like Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas, Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep. It is noteworthy, that the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is actor too. By the way, I want to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It is interesting, that there are two towns, which name is Washington, in America except the capital of the US. The capital of the US, Washington D.C., deserves attention too. What can I say about this city? The government of the USA is situated there and a number of government buildings, like United States Capitol, residence of president of the United States, the White House, and Supreme Court of the United States. Washington D.C. is one of the most beautiful cities of America. Architecture of US Capitol and Supreme Court of the US is amazing. In the US capital we can also see The Lincoln Memorial, inside which the statue of sixteenth president is located. You must see this.
United States of America is a truly great country, with special lifestyle, unique people and its own traditions. My cherished dream is to go there and learn how America really is.
Great Britain
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London is the capital of England, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff— of Wales and Belfast — of Northern Ireland. The UK is a small country with an area of some 244,100 square kilometres. It occupies only 0.2 per cent of the world's land surface. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north-west, north and south-west and separated from Europe by the North Sea in the east and by the English Channel in the south. The Strait of Dover or Pas de Calais is the narrowest part of the Channel. The North Sea and the English Channel are often called "the narrow seas"; they are not deep but are frequently rough.
In the west the Irish Sea and the North Channel separate the UK from Ireland. The seas around Britain provide exceptionally good fishing grounds. The country has many bays favourable for shipping. In their shelter are Britain's main ports such as London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull and others.
One will not find very high mountains or large plains in Great Britain. Everything occupies very little place. Nature, it seems, has carefully adapted things to the size of the island itself. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in Scotland, 4,406 feet high. The longest river is the Severn in England.
The population of the United Kingdom is over 57 million people. Foreigners often call British people "English", but the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh do not consider themselves to be English. The English are Anglo-Saxon in origin, but the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish are Celts, descendants of the ancient people, who crossed over from Europe centuries before the Norman Invasion. It was this people, whom the Germanic Angles and Saxons conquered in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. These Germanic conquerors gave England its name — "Angle" land. They were conquered in their turn by the Norman French, when William the Conqueror of Normandy landed near Hastings in 1066. It was from the union of Norman conquerors and the defeated Anglo-Saxons that the English people and the English language were born.
The official language of the United Kingdom is English. But in western Scotland some people still speak Gaelic and in northern and central parts of Wales people often speak Welsh.
The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the worlds largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics» textile» aircraft, and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, Head of the State is Queen. In practice, the country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The big red cross is the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England. The white cross is the cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
The US is state with rich cultural heritage and fascinating history. It has passed a long way of formation and has earned respect from other countries. During the Second World War the US had been a reliable support for the Soviet Union because it had helped much in the fight against the fascism.
America gave the world a lot of great people, such as Abraham Lincoln, James Fenimore Cooper, Ernest Hemingway and Martin Luther King. This list is endless. We should not forget about Christopher Columbus, because he had discovered this previously unknown continent.
A lot of cultures, mentalities and nations are intertwined in America. This has formed the current face of the country. Today, the US is a prosperous country, "the first economy of the world". Many people want to go to the US to get an education, make a career, or just see this truly amazing place.
There are so many beautiful cities in America: big cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Miami as well as little provincial towns. I want to pick out New York City among big cities. I associate New York with lots of yellow taxis on Times Square, crowds of people, who hurry somewhere and of course with skyscrapers and Statue of Liberty. Recently, I wanted to "taste "The Big Apple"". No matter how stupidly it sounds, this ambition appeared, when I was playing video game `Grand theft Auto IV`.
That would be so nice to wake up in the morning and go for a walk on Manhattan, visit the famous Wall Street, see Columbia University, stroll along Broadway, stare at the colorful advertising signs in Times Square. Then, we can go to Central Park for a walk, encountering running people in tracksuits, mummies with prams, people walking their dogs or to sit on green grass. After this we can pop to coffee shop and then go to Liberty Island where a statue with the same name is located, which has become a national symbol of America.
New York is the capital of American fashion. Fashion Weeks are held there. New York City is not only a big beautiful city, but it is one of the world economic centers. Also there is the headquarters of UN.
California will certainly leave nobody indifferent. San Francisco with Cable Cars and Golden Gate Bridge, Silicon Valley and high technologies, San Diego and its Zoo - that`s California.
There are most picturesque beaches of the West coast. I would be glad to be on of these beaches. Lying on golden sand and the sun gently caressing your skin, ocean softly roaring, boys and girls in swimsuits playing beach volleyball and the rescuers attentively watching over what is happening. California is an excellent place for surfing. I would take a lesson from local surfing instructors.
There is also Hollywood in the Golden State, it is the well-known suburbs of Los Angeles. Hollywood had discovered the world-famous stars like Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas, Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep. It is noteworthy, that the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is actor too. By the way, I want to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
It is interesting, that there are two towns, which name is Washington, in America except the capital of the US. The capital of the US, Washington D.C., deserves attention too. What can I say about this city? The government of the USA is situated there and a number of government buildings, like United States Capitol, residence of president of the United States, the White House, and Supreme Court of the United States. Washington D.C. is one of the most beautiful cities of America. Architecture of US Capitol and Supreme Court of the US is amazing. In the US capital we can also see The Lincoln Memorial, inside which the statue of sixteenth president is located. You must see this.
United States of America is a truly great country, with special lifestyle, unique people and its own traditions. My cherished dream is to go there and learn how America really is.