The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland

covers an area of 244,805 sq km.

- 4 countries:
England - London
Scotland - Edinburgh
Wales - Cardiff
Nothern Ireland - Belfast
-Surface:
Islands:there are many smaller islands
- The Isle of Wight [wait]
- The Isles of Scilly [sili]
- The Isle of Man
- Anglesey
- The Hebrides [hebridi:z]
- The Orkneys
- The Shetlands [šetlands]
- The Channel Islands

Rivers:there are not many rivers (not
long, but deep) :
in England - the Severn (the longest)
- the Thames (the biggest)
- the Trent

in Scotland – the Clyde
- the Tweed

Lakes : - are situated in Lake District (Jezerní oblast)
- Windermere
- in Scotland – Loch Lomond
- Loch Ness

High mountains:
- The Scottish Highlands
- The Pennines
- The Cambrians in Wales
- The Cheviot Hills
- The Cumbrian Mountains
The highest mountain is Ben Nevis (1,342 m in Scotland)
Snowdon (1,085 m in Wales)

- People:
- population is about 57 million people
- ethnic groups: the English, the Scottish, the Irish, the Welsh

- Languages:
- English – the main language
- Welsh
- Gaelic – in Northern Scotland (80,000 people)

- Climate:
- a temperate
- a humid
- mild winters, not very hot summer
- grass is constantly green
- English weather – changes very often

- Political System:
- constitutional monarchy
- the head of the state is Queen Elizabeth II. (the second) from 1952

- Economy:
- GB was the workshop of the world
- GB´s industry is highly developed : very rich in coal, oil, gas
- England´s most important industries are:
o chemical industry
o textile industry
o iron and steel industry
o mining idustry
o shipbuilding

Industrial towns : Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham

- Agriculture:
- 30% of land suitable for the main agriculture
- the main agricultural products are: grains, fruits, vegetables, sugar beet, hay, potatoes

Other places of interest in Great Britain:
Birmingham – the centre of the engineering industry
Brighton – the largest seaside resort in England
Cambridge – has had a university since the
early 13th century, it is the
second oldest university in
Britain
Canterbury – an old town, with a majestic
cathedral
Coventry – an old town, in the sguare stands
a statue of Lady Godiva whose
legend is very popular there
(11th century), car and bicycle industry Cambridge
Edinburgh – is the capital of Scotland and an industrial and a cultural
centre. The oldest building in Edinburgh is the Castle. It was
made of stone during 11th century.
Glasgow – an industrial city, it is the
biggest city, the city has also
some of the finest mseums and
galleries in Europe.
Liverpool – an important port and the city
of the Beatles, steeplechase
Loch Lomond – the largest freshwater
Scottish lake (39 km long
with the area of 70 sqkm
Edinburgh
Loch Ness – is the most famous lake in the Highland region. The lake is 36
km long and 229 m deep. It is famous for „Loch Ness
Monster“
Manchester and Leeds – the centres of the textile industry
Oxford – the oldest English university
from 12th century
Sheffield – is famous for its steel
industry
Stonehenge – a monument dating from
About 2,800 B.C. in

Salisbury, a large circle of standing stones built by early inhabitants
Stratford – upon – Avon – is probably the second most visited town in
England. There is a house where Shakespeare
was born and the school he attended.
Winchester – is an old cathedral town. Once it was the capital of England
Windsor – the summer residence of the Queen´s family

- Questions:
1. What is Great Britain´s geographical position ? (area, population)
2. When we speak about GB, which countries do we mean?
3. Are there many rivers in GB?
4. What is the climate like?
5. Which is the highest mountain?
6. What languages are spoken in GB?
7. What kind of political system does England have?
8. What do you know about industry and agriculture?
9. Some interesting places, big towns.
10. What would you like to visit in GB and why?

- Dictionary:
agriculture [ae grikalč] – zemědělství
coal [ keul] – uhlí
canstantly [konstentli] – stále, pořád
deep [di:p] – hluboký
economy [ikonami] – hospodářství
gas [gaes] – plyn
grain [grein] – obilí, zrno
humid [hju:mid] – vlhký
industry [indastri] – průmysl
inhabitants [inhaebitent] – obyvatelstvo
island [ailend] – ostrov
main [mein] – hlavní
mild [maild] – mírný
monarchy [moneki] – monarchie
oil [oil] - olej
political [pelitikl] – politický, státní
suitable [su:tabl] - vhodný
sugar beet [šugebi:t] – cukrová řepa
surface [se:fis] - povrch
system [sistim] - systém
temperate [temperet] - mírný
workshop [we:kfop] - dílna