Otázka: Over the map of Great Britain
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Jirka Adam
GEOGRAPHY
British Isles are group of islands located in the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two large islands- Great Britain and Ireland. Other parts of the British Islands are the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands or the Aran Islands.
British Isles are surrounded by the North Sea in the east, by English Channel in the south and by the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Between Great Britain and Ireland there is the Irish Sea.
MOUNTAINS
There are many mountain ranges in the British Isles. Great Britain can be divided into two main regions: Lowland Britain (in the south-east of England) and Highland Britain.
Highland Britain can be divided into Scottish Highlands (which consist of Grampians and the Northwest Highlands)
- The Cheviot Hills- border between England and Scotland
- The Pennines – the longest chain of mountains in England
- The Cambrian Mountains
The highest peaks:
- Scotland: Ben Nevis, (Grampian Mountains) 1,344 metres
- Wales: Snowdon (Cambrian Mountains), 1,085 metres
- England: Scafell Pike (Cumbrian Mountains), 978 metres
- Northern Ireland: Slieve Donard (Mourne Mountains), 852 metres
RIVERS
The longest river of the British Isles is the river Shannon located in Ireland. (360 km) The longest river of
The UK is the Severn. (350 km)
The longest rivers:
- England: River Severn (350km)
- Scotland: River Tay (188 km)
- Northern Ireland: River Bann (122 km)
- Wales: River Usk (136km)
LAKES
In England there is extensive area of lakes called the Lake District. It’s also the biggest National Park in
England. The biggest lake in this area is Lake Windermere. Lakes in Scotland are called Lochs. The most
Famous lake in Scotland is Loch Ness.
The largest lakes:
- Northern Ireland: Lough Neagh (381.7 km2)
- Scotland: Loch Lomond (71.1 km2)
- England: Windermere (14.7 km2)
- Wales: Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) (4.8 km2)
CLIMATE
The climate of the British Isles is temperate which means they have mild winters and not very hot summers with a lot of precipitation. British climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream which leads to frequent changes in weather. So if you want to visit England you should be prepared for everything.
POLITICAL SYSTEM
The British Isles are divided into two independent states: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as United Kingdom) and the Republic of Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland is an independent state with its own government. The capital is Dublin. The national currency is Euro. National anthem is „The Soldiers‘ Song.
The UK consists of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The UK covers the area of 243,610 km2 and it has 64, 1 million inhabitants. The capital city of the UK is London, the official language is English and the national currency is Pound sterling. National anthem is God Save the Queen.
National flag is the Union Jack. It contents parts of each flag except of wales. England has red cross on white fields, Scotland has white diagonal on blue field and Ireland has red diagonal on white field.
England: the capital city is London, national flower is red rose, patron is St. George
Wales: the capital is Cardiff, national flower is daffodil, patron is St. David
Scotland: capital Edinburg (the biggest is Glasgow), flower is thistle, St. Andrew
Northern Ireland: capital is Belfast, flower is shamrock, St. Patrick
The UK is a constitutional monarchy with the queen as the head of the state. Currently the head is Queen Elizabeth II. British parliament system is one of the oldest in the world. (It has been there since 1215). The parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The head of the government is a Prime Minister- currently David Cameron.
ECONOMY
The UK has the 6th largest national economy in the world. The GDP (Gross domestic product) in UK is 39 350$.
The most important products in agriculture are wool, beef cattle, potatoes, sugar beet, wheat, fishing
(Mostly in the North Sea)
In manufacturing we can name food&beverages, chemical&pharmaceuticals, electronics goods, motor vehicles.
There are many famous British companies for example British Airways, Rolls Royce, Shell, and Tesco.
INTERESTING PLACES
Canterbury– this place is known for Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales.
Stonehenge– prehistoric monument, circle of huge stones
Plymouth– historic seaport, the departure point of the Mayflower, which carried the Pilgrims to Massachusetts in 1620
Bath- a health spa
Stratford upon Avon– place where Shakespeare was born
Oxford- the UK’s oldest university
Cambridge- second oldest university
Liverpool- the home of Beatles
Edinburgh- there is one of the oldest castles
Loch Ness-legendary monster Nessie lives in the lake
Glasgow- biggest city in Scotland
Giant’s Causeway– a natural wonder of the northern coast
