THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN IRELAND

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom or UK) is the political name of the country which is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Several is-lands off the British coast are also part of the United Kingdom (for example, the Isle of Wight, the Orkneys, Hebrides and Shetlands, and the Isles of Scilly), although the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not. However, all these islands do recognize the Queen.

Formation.How was the United Kingdom formed? This took centuries, and a lot of armed struggle was involved. The United Kingdom is a name which was introduced in 1501 when Great Britain became united with Ireland. The whole of Ireland was united with Great Britain from 1801 up until 1922. In that year the independent Republic of Ireland was formed in the South, while Northern Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Union Jack.The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright Red Cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross (with the arms going into the corners) is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. David is the patron saint of Wales.

Location.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island state: it occupies the territory of the British Isles and is composed of some 5,500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are: Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland) to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Republic of Ireland) to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries (it is twice smaller than France or Spain), with an area of some 244,100 square kilometres. However, there are only nine other countries with more people, and London is the world's seventh biggest city. The UK is situated off the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north and northwest and the North Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or la Manche) and the Strait of Dover (or Pas de Calais).

Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions – Lowland Britain and Highland Britain. Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District.

The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis is 1,343 metres and Snowdon is 1.085 metres. Of course, these are very small compared with other mountains in the world – Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is 8,839 metres. In fact everything in the United Kingdom is rather small – the longest rivers are the Severn (354 kiiometres). There are many lakes in Great Britain. On the north-west side of the Pennine system lies the Lake District, containing the beautiful lakes which give it its name. This district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770–1850), the founder of the Lake School of poets.

Climate.Britain is as far north as Siberia. For example Edinburgh is 56 degrees north of the equator, the same latitude as Moscow, yet its climate is generally mild and temperate because of the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water and air across the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico. The climate in the UK is usually described as cool, temperate and humid.

The weather is so changeable that the English often say that they have no climate but only weather. Therefore it is natural for them to use the comparison "as changeable as the weather" of a person who often changes his mood or opinion about something. The weather is the favourite topic of conversation in the UK. As the weather changes with the wind, and Britain is visited by winds from different parts of the world, the most characteristic feature of Britain's weather is its variability.

The English also say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon, or when it rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say "It's raining cats and dogs".

So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. That means that it is never too hot or cold, too wet or dry. This humid and mild climate is good for plants. The trees and flowers begin to blossom early in spring.

Vegetation and Wildlife.The humid and mild climate of Great Britain is good for plants and flowers. Some of them have become symbols in the UK. Probably you know that the poppy is the symbol of peace, the red rose is the national emblem of England, the thistle is the national emblem of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival. The daffodils and the leek are the emblems of Wales, the shamrock (a kind of clover) is the emblem of Ireland.

The UK was originally a land of vast forests, mainly oak and beech in the Lowlands and pine and birch, in the Highlands, with great stretches of marshland and smaller areas of moors.

Extensive forests remain in eastern and northern Scotland and in southeastern and western England. Oak, elm, ash, and beech are the commonest trees in England, while Scotland has much pine and birch. The Highlands with their thin soil are largely moorland with heather and grasses. In the cultivated areas that make up most of Britain there are many wild flowers, flowering plants and grasses.

The fauna, or animal life of the UK is much like that of northwestern Europe.

Some 230 kinds of birds live in the UK, and another 200 are regular visitors, many are songbirds. The most numerous are blackbirds, sparrows and starlings Robin Redbreast is the national bird of the UK. The number of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished during recent years. Partridges, pheasants and other large and rare birds are protected by law. Gulls, geese and other sea birds nest near the coast.

Population.The population of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is over 57 million people. The population lives mostly in towns and cities and their suburbs. Four out of every five people live in towns.

The distribution of the population is rather uneven. Over 46 million people live in England, a little over 5 million live in Scotland, over 3 million in Wales and about 1,5 million in Northern Ireland.

The UK is inhabited by the English, the Scottish, the Welsh, and the Northern Irish, who constitute the British nation. What makes them different from each other? The British are the descendants of different peoples who settled in the British Isles at different times.

About 2,000 years ago the British Isles were inhabited by the Celts who originally came from continental Europe. The Romans came from Italy in 43 A.D. and, in calling the country "Britania", gave Britain its name. The Angles and Saxons came from Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, and England gets its name from this Invasion (Angle-land). The vikings arrived from Denmаrк and Norway, the Normans invaded from France. These invasions drove the Celts into what is now Wales and Scotland, and they remained, of course, in Ireland. The English, on the other hand, are the descendants of all the invaders, but are more Anglo-Saxon than anything else. These various origins explain many of the differences to be found between England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland – differences in education, religion аnd the legal systems, but most obviously, in language.

The Celts spoke Celtic which survives today in the form of Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic. Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are still spoken, although they have suffered more than Welsh from the spread of English. However, all the three languages are now officially encouraged and taught in schools.

English developed from Anglo-Saxon and is a Germanic language. However, all the invading peoples, particularly the Norman French, influenced the English language and you can find many words in English which are French in origin. Nowadays all Welsh; Scottish and Irish people speak English (even if they speak their own language as well), but all the countries have their own special accents and dialects, and their people are easily recognizable as soon as they speak.

There have been many waves of immigration into Britain. Now there are many people of all colours and races in the UK. These are mostly former inhabitants of the former British colonies. These people, called "the coloureds", came to the UK in search of better living standards.

The latest wave of immigrants from the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Hong Kong has of course caused problems. There is certainly racial tension and racial prejudice in Britain today.