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I.) The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1) basics  it consists of England (the capital city is London), W ales (Cardiff), Scotland (Edinburgh), Northern Ireland (Belfast) total area is almost 250 thousand square kilometres has a population of about 60 million inhabitants constitutional monarchy religion = mostly Church of England = Anglicans currency = British pounds flag = Union Jack consists of three crosses (English, Scottish, Irish) patrons = Saint George (England), St Andrew (Scotland), St Patric k (Ireland) national anthem = God save the Queen 2) geography  lies on islands surrounded by Atlantic ocean, North See, English Channel the climate is mild, humid and unpredictable influenced by Atlantic Ocean and warmed by Gulf Stream 3) surface  Scotland = the most hilly country , Ben Nevis = highest mountain the Loch Ness lake, Loch Ness monster England = Pennines, lowlands, flatlands, swamps rivers = Severn (the longest), the river Thames, A von England = divided into shires cities = London, Glasgow , Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, Dover, Plymouth, Brighton 4) royal family  Queen Elizabeth II is 85 years old, she has ruled for almost 60 years she is Windsor by birth her official residence is the Buckingham Palace English queen is a head of Commonwealth (= economic and political organisation, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malta, India, Jamaica, Cyprus, Pakistan) husband prince Philip sister princess Margaret four children the oldest son is prince Charles most famous grandchildren = William and Harry

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Page 1: Aj - United kingdom

8/7/2019 Aj - United kingdom

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I.) The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• 1) basics 

◦ it consists of England (the capital city is London), Wales (Cardiff), Scotland

(Edinburgh), Northern Ireland (Belfast)

◦ total area is almost 250 thousand square kilometres

◦ has a population of about 60 million inhabitants

◦ constitutional monarchy

◦ religion = mostly Church of England = Anglicans

◦ currency = British pounds

◦ flag = Union Jack consists of three crosses (English, Scottish, Irish)

◦ patrons = Saint George (England), St Andrew (Scotland), St Patrick (Ireland)

◦ national anthem = God save the Queen

• 2) geography 

◦ lies on islands

◦ surrounded by Atlantic ocean, North See, English Channel

◦ the climate is mild, humid and unpredictable

▪ influenced by Atlantic Ocean and warmed by Gulf Stream

• 3) surface 

◦ Scotland = the most hilly country, Ben Nevis = highest mountain

▪ the Loch Ness lake, Loch Ness monster 

◦ England = Pennines, lowlands, flatlands, swamps

◦ rivers = Severn (the longest), the river Thames, Avon

◦ England = divided into shires

◦ cities = London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Oxford,

Cambridge, Canterbury, Dover, Plymouth, Brighton

• 4) royal family 

◦ Queen Elizabeth II is 85 years old, she has ruled for almost 60 years

▪ she is Windsor by birth

▪ her official residence is the Buckingham Palace

▪ English queen is a head of Commonwealth (= economic and political organisation,

Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malta, India, Jamaica, Cyprus, Pakistan)

◦ husband prince Philip

◦ sister princess Margaret

◦ four children

◦ the oldest son is prince Charles

◦ most famous grandchildren = William and Harry

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II.) Government

• a constitutional monarchy (with unwritten constitution)

• her Majesty Elizabeth II is a head not only of The UK but also Australia, Canada and some

other countries of Commonwealth

• although she is for example a command-in-chief of the armed forces., she has only

representative function and must follow the advice of the government

• the seat of government is in Palace of Westminster also called The houses of Parliament• the parliament consists of the Queen and two chambers:

◦ the House of Lords

◦ the House of Commons

• the queen formally summons and dissolves Parliament and every year she opens it with a

speech from the throne

◦ but the speech is made by the parliament

• the House of Lords is consisted of hereditary and life peers and peeresses, arcibishops and

bishops of the Church of England

• there are 650 members in The House of Commons

• they are elected• general elections must be held at least every five years

• the leader of the major political party becomes a Prime Minister 

• then other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister 

• current Prime Minister is David Cameron

• the second largest party forms the official Opposition – shadow cabinet

• there are three main political parties in the UK:

◦ the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal-Democratic Party

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III.) London

• 1) location

◦ is situated in the south-east of England, along the River Thames

◦ 8 million inhabitants

• 2) the City of London

◦ centre of Roman colony in the past (50 AD)

◦ historical and financial centre

▪ a) the Tower of London

• fort made of wood to protect Londinium

• complex of towers

• William the Conqueror had the White Tower built

• lots of functions: a fort, observatory, zoo, treasury, prison, place of executions

• today there is a Jewel House with coronation jewels

• Beefeaters symbolically guard Tower, every night they lock the gate = the

Ceremony of Keys

• superstition = as long as there are 8 ravens in the Tower, England is safe

▪ b) the Tower Bridge

• a lifting bridge over the River Thames

• close to the Tower 

• it was finished in the 19th century

• it opens every time a big ship flows under it, the traffic over bridge must be

stopped at that time

▪ c) St. Paul's Cathedral

• seat of archbishop of London

• the royal family uses it for weddings and funerals

• some members of of army and some artists are buried there

• 3) The City of Westminster

◦ a) Westminster Abbey

▪ English rulers are coronated and buried here

▪ also about 400 important people (Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton) are buried here

◦ b) the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben

▪ along the River Thames

▪ Big Ben is a big bell inside the tower, it strikes every hour 

◦ c) the Buckingham palace

▪ official residence of English Queen, she accepts all state visits there

▪ tourists watch there the changing of guards

◦ d) Downing Street No. 10

▪ a residence of Prime Minister 

◦ e) Trafalgar Square

▪ a square with Nelson's Column (English admiral who defeated Napoleon in battle at

Trafalgar in 1805)

▪ it is said that statues of lions are made from cannons used in the battle

▪ above the square is a National Gallery

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• 4) the West End

◦ heart of London's shopping

◦ a) Oxford Street

▪ shops and luxury department stores

▪ theatres, cinemas, opera houses, restaurants, café’s

◦ b) Piccadilly Circus

▪ round square, full of tourists

◦ c) Soho

▪ bohemian part, multicultural part, famous for clubs, bars, pubs

▪ in the past there was a hunting park, Soho was a greeting of hunters

◦ d) Chinatown

▪ full of Chinese restaurants and shops

◦ e) Hyde Park 

▪ one of the largest parks

▪ famous for Speaker's corner, where everybody can say anything without punishment

• 5) others

◦ Tate Modern = a gallery of 21st century

◦ London Eye = the biggest wheel in the whole world, built to welcome 3 rd millennium

◦ Madame Tussaud's Museum = wax figurines of famous people

◦ Greenwich = parks with royal observatory, the zero meridian goes through it

◦ Globe theatre = W. Shakespeare acted here

◦ Stonehenge = a mystery circle of large stones