The Palaces of Interest in London

1. London is the capital of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. It is one of the largest European cities in with the population of about 11 million people. It stands upon both banks of the River Thames.

2. London is an ancient city. It is more than two thousand years old. London’s most famous sights are Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral.

3. The Houses of Parliamentis a beautiful building in late Gothic style built in 1850. It is called "Houses" because the Parliament consists of the two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. On the right of the building rises the Clock Tower with famous Big Ben.

4. Big Ben is the name of the huge clock in one of the tall towers of the Houses of parliament. The Clock Tower, overlooking Westminster Bridge is 316 ft high and 40 ft square. There is no lift and there are 340 steps up to Big Ben. The faces of the clock are very large. The minute hand is 14 ft long, the hour hand is 9 ft long; the figures are 2 ft long.

5. Westminster Abbeyis opposite the Houses of Parliament. First it was a monastery, then a royal church. This ancient building was founded in the XI century. For nearly 1000 years all the kings and queens of England - 37 in all - have been crowned here. Many of the English monarchs and famous people lie here buried, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling.

6. The Buckingham Palace is the winter residence of Queen Elizabeth II, and her family. When the flag is flying on the top the queen is at home. It has been the residence of the English kings for two centuries. In front of the palace you can see a traditional ceremony "Changing of the Guard".

7. The Tower of London is a very old building. It is more than 900 years old. It was a fortress, a royal palace and later a prison. It is a museum now. There are a lot of interesting collections in the Tower of London. The ravens are another famous sight. The legend says that without them the Tower will fall.

8. There are many interesting and picturesque places and sights in London. You can find here a lot of museums such as the British Museums, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, the National History Museum and many others.

Russia

1. Russia, or the Russian Federation, the largest state of the new Commonwealth of Independent States. It is one of the largest countries in the world. It occupies about one-seventh part of dry land. It is situated in Europe and Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square kilometres.

2. The population of Russia is about 150 million people. There are 1030 towns and cities in this country. St. Petersburg, Krasnoyarsk, Ufa, Rostov-on-Don, Vladivostok are the main cities in Russia. Moscow, with 9 million people, is its capital. Russian is the state language of country.

3. Russia borders on 14 countries including the former republics of the USSR, which are now independent states. It is washed by the Arctic Ocean in the North and Pacific Ocean in the East, the Black and the Caspian Seas in the South and the Baltic Sea in the West.

4. There are different types of climate on the territory of the country. It is very cold in the North even in summer. The central part of the country has mild climate: winters are cold, springs and autumns are warm or cool, summers are hot and warm. In the South the temperature is usually above zero all year round. The climate of Siberia is continental: summers are hot and dry, winters are very cold.

5. Russia is very rich in mineral resources, such as oil, gas and coal. It has many rivers and lakes. The Volga is the longest river in Europe and the Yenisei and Ob in Asia. The lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. The most famous mountains are the Urals and the Caucuses.

6. Russia is a Presidential Republic. The President is elected for 4 years and is the head of the state. The Federal Government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. All of them are checked by the President.

7. The legislative power is represented by the Federal Assembly. It consists of 2 chambers: the Council of Federation and the State Duma. The executive power belongs to the Government. The judicial branch is represented by the Constitutional, Supreme and regional Courts.

8. The national symbol of Russia is two-head eagle watching the West and the East, Europe and Asia. The flag of Russia has three horizontal stripes: white, blue and red. The white stripe symbolizes the earth, the blue one – the sky, and the red one symbolizes liberty