1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland

2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
The British Isles are a
group
of islands on the northwest coast of the
continent
of Europe.
The largest islands are
Great Britain and
Ireland

3. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
England, Wales and
Scotland are in
the Great Britain.
Northern Ireland is
in the north-eastern
part of Ireland.
The larger part
of Ireland is
the Irish Republic.

4. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
The British Isles
have many rivers,
but
they are not very long:
- the Severn
- the Thames
- and so on.

5. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
There are many beautiful
lakes
in Scotland and north-west
England.
As a rule, there is no ice
on the lakes
and
rivers in winter.

6. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
There are no
high mountains on
these islands.
The highest mountain in
Scotland – Ben Nevis
(1,343 meters high)
The highest mountain in
Wales – Snowdon
(1,085 meters high)

7. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
The climate of
the British Isles is
not very cold in winter
and never
very hot in summer.
All parts of
the British Isles
get a lot of rain
in all seasons.

8. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
There are four nationalities which
have their own
language and culture:
the English, the Irish, the
Welsh, the Scottish.
The population of the
the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
is almost 56 mln.

9. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
London, the capital, is one of
many important industrial centers.
Clothes, food, planes, cars are
made in and around London. It is
2000 years old.
Many years ago
London was a small
town on the
Thames. Now
London is
a beautiful city.

10. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
The oldest part of the capital is the “City of London”,
it makes about 1 square mile.
Many monuments of London’s history are in the City.
London has many theatres and concert halls,
galleries and museums.

11. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
In London there are many historical places
which are the most interesting and popular
among the Londoners and
foreign tourists from different countries.

12. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
Before railways were
built in Britain, canals
had been made to
join one river to
another, and canal
boat carried goods
between the industrial
centers and the
seaports.

13. Stonehenge
Stonehenge is the most
mysterious structure in the
world. It is situated in the
South of England. The
largest of its stones weigh
50 tons, and the smallest –
5 tons. It had been
building during 6 hundred
years. The sun and the
stones at Stonehenge let
Druids know when the
months and seasons start.

14. The Tower of London
The Tower of London is the
most famous of all the
historical buildings in London.
It stands today almost
unchanged since it was built
in the 11th century. It was a
fortress, a royal palace and
later a prison. But today it is
a museum. There are a lot of
interesting collections in the
Tower of London.

15. The Tower of London
The black ravens that live in the
gardens of the Tower now are
another famous sight. The
legend says that without them
the Tower will fall. The Raven
Master is the person who gives
them food.
Many people from other countries
come to see the Tower. They
see the dark stone halls with
small windows and thick doors.
The walls of the Tower are five
metres thick. In the museum
they can see many old guns.

16. St. Paul’s Cathedral
It is the second famous
church. St. Paul’s Cathedral
is the greatest work of
England’s greatest
architect, Christopher
Wren. The Cathedral was
begun in 1675.
It was opened in 1697 but
was finished only in 1710, when Wren
was almost 80 years old. There are memorials
to many famous men of England in the Cathedral.

17. Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is in
the centre of the West End of
London. In the centre there is
Nelson’s Column with the
figure of the great seaman
who defeated the French at
the Battle of Trafalgar in
1805. Trafalgar Square is the
place where mass meetings
and demonstrations take
place.

18. Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a
square in the central
part of London. It is
the meeting point of
six streets. London’s
best-known theatres
and cinemas
and most famous restaurants are on Piccadilly
Circus. In the square you can see people of
many nationalities and hear a lot of different
languages.

19. The Houses of Parliament
The Houses of Parliament in
London, known also as
the Palace of Westminster, is
the place where
members of
Parliament gather
to make laws.
The Houses of Parliament is
a very large building which
stands near the Thames.

20. Big Ben
There are two tall towers
at the corners of the
building and one of
them is the Clock
Tower. It was built in
1858 by the English
people.
The bell weights 13 tons. The
man in charge of the building
was Sir Benjamin Hall. He
was very tall, so the workers
called him Big Ben. It strikes
every hour.

21. Westminster Abbey
It is a royal church. Westminster
Abbey is the historic building in
London to which every visitor
sooner or later goes.
The Abbey was founded in
the 11th century. Many of
Great Britain’s famous men
are buried in Westminster
Abbey.