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
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
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
- 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 3rd 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
