The United Kingdom and London (0)

The United Kingdom and London
United Kingdom is a political name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. These political names include the countries of England , Scotland and Wales .
Every country has its own capital and language . The capital of England is London, the people there are english and the language spoken is English. In scotland live the scots , capital is Edingburg and the languages spoken are English and Scottish . The capital of Wales is Cardiff , the people tehre are welsh and the languages spoken are welsh and English. N. Ireland is the home for the Irish , the capital is Belfast and the language is Irish.
The first inhabitants were Iberians and Celts who settled on the land and were often at war with each other . In AD 43 Britain was made a Roman province . The romans stayed there for three hundred years . After the romans left came the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Angles gave England its name. The population nowadays is about 60 million people
UK lies off the north - west coast of mainland Europe . The climate in UK is generally mild and temperate. The climate is greatly influenced by the surroundig days . It is said you can experience four seasons in one day. The longest river is The Severn which is 240 miles long. The most famous English river – The Thames is 215 miles long. Lakes can be found in the north of England, in and Area called Lake District. The most beautiful lakes are in Scotland. British mountains are low. The highest peak – Ben Nevis is 4.406 feet .
The biggest towns are London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, manchester and Liverpool .
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is expected to be politically neutral and should not make political decisions . The present sovereign is Queen Elisabeth II. The Most importatantauthority is the parlament . Britain does not have a written constitution, but a set of laws such as the Magna Carta, The Declaration of Rights and the Acts of Parlament.
Education is compusory from 5-16 years. Primary schools starts from the age of 5 and continues until they are 11. At 11 most pupils go to secondary school. 90% of the schools are co-educational. At 16 pupils take a national exam called GCSE and they can leave school if they want to. Some 16 year olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form collage. The sixth form prepares pupiils for a nation ecam called A level at 18. You need A levels to enter a university. 7% of British children go to private schools.
The United Kingdom has given us many famous people. For example Charles Dickens , William Shakespeare , Robert Burns and Oscar Wild are only some of the famous writers. Bands such as the Rolling stones, the Beatles , The Sex Pistols and Pink Floyd are one of the most famous bands in the world.
In 2006 UK was selected to be the most toleranr country in the world. It is one of the few countries where gay marriges are allowed .
There are 8 public holidays in Great britain. They are Christmas , Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday , May day, Spring bank holiday and late Summer bank holiday.
The economy is traditionally based on coal - mining , iron and steel manufacturing etc. England has a large supply if coal and the oil have gas reserves in the North Sea.
Buckingham Palace is teh offical London residence of the Queen and the Royal Family. When the Queen is at home the Royal Flag flies on the top. Houses of Parliament stands on the north bank of the river Thames. St James’s Park is the most ancient of London’s parks . Hyde Park is the people’s park.
London
As well as being the capital of England, London is aslo the capital of UK. London is a political centre , a commercial centre and a perfect place for shoppers. London is the favourite . City for those, who like to go to the theatre . London can also be very quiet because of the parks and old buildings and museums . London is also considered to be one of the most important culture centre with its museums and libraries . There are many places to go in London.
Buchingham palace is the official London residence of the the Queen and the royal family. During the summer Queen usually stays at her other residence – the Winsor Castle
Another Symbol of London is the Trafalgar square, which was named after Nelson ’s vicotry over Napoleon at Trafalgar. The statue on top is about 5m high and shows Nelson without on arm and eye. Near the Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery , where you can see paintings from Rubens to Van Gogh.
Big Ben and the houses of parliament are known to everyone. The building stands on the north bank of the river and is most known symbol of UK.
The tower of london is a fortress built by William the Conqueror. It is guarded by Beefeaters and the ravens . There is a legend which says that if one of the eight ravens left, the tower would fall . The crown yewels are held there.
Tower bridge is a bridge near the Tower of London. It is on the river Thames. It’s a draw bridge, which can be raised to let the ships pass through .
Westminister Abbery is one of the oldesr and most beautiful buildings in London. It is the religious centre of the country. There lie the graves of Newton , Shakespeare, most of the queens and kings and a lot of artists .
Downing Street is the official London residence of the Prime minister.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is the centre of the city. It was built by sir Christopher Wren after the old Cathredal had been completely destroyed by the great fire of London in 1666. It was the setting fro the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.