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The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 sq km.
The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Nothern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Irish Republic in the south.
The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the west) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).
There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the Cheviots (the Cheviot Hills) separate England from Scotland, the Pennines stretch down North England almost along its middle, the Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the Highlands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. Ben Nevis, the tallest peak of the Highlands, is only 1,343 m high.
There is very little flat country except in the region known as East Anglia.
Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest and the longest of the British rivers, it is over 300 km long. Some of British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon.
Great Britain is very rich in mineral resources, it has some deposit of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.
The warm currents in the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot.
The population of the United Kingdom is over 55 mln people. The main nationalities are: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. In Great Britain there are a of immigrants (black and coloured) from former British Asian and African colonies.
Great Britain is highly industrialized counry. New industries have been developed in the last three decades. The main industrial centres are London (Greater London), Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and Bristol. The capital of the country is London.
During the twentieth century the position of Great Britain among the countries of the world has changed beyond recognition. It is no longer the leading imperialist state.
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy.
Exercise 2. Study the text and these questions.
1. What islands do the British Isles consist of? 2. What oceans are the British Isles washed by? 3. How many parts does the island of Great Britain consist of and what are they called? 4. What country does Northern Ireland border on? 5. Where are the main mountain ranges situated in Great Britain? 6. What sea do most of the rivers flow into? 7. What mineral resouces is Great Britain rich in? 8. What is the climate like in Great Britain? 9. What is the population of Great Britain? 10. What nationalities live in Great Britain? 11. What are the names of the main industrial centres? 12. What kind of state is Great Britain?
Exercise 3. Find in the text English equivalents for these word combinations.
1. и большого числа небольших островов. 2. южные две трети острова Ирландия. 3. Пеннинские горы тянутся. 4. самая высокая вершина. 5. длиной более 300 км. 6. которые были обнаружены. 7. новые отрасли промышленности. 8. изменилась до неузнаваемости.
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