Great Britain

Great Britain is formed of the following parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and is situated on the British Isles which lie to the west of the continent of Europe. Great Britain is separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It is washed on the western coast by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Irish Sea, the latter separating England from Ireland.

Great Britain being an island, its climate is rather mild.

There are many rivers in Britain: the Thames, the Mersey, the Aire and others but none of them is very long. Many of the rivers are joined by canals, so that it is quite possible to travel by water from one end of England to the other.

Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the average density being over 2000 people per square kilometre, 80 per cent of the population live in towns. The population of Great Britain is about 56 million.

England is one of the most powerful capitalist countries in Europe. There are many big industrial cities here, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool,

Cardiff, Sheffield and many others. London, its capital, which is situated on the river Thames, is one of the biggest commercial centres of the world.

One of the leading industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Coal, iron and steel as well as various machines are also produced there. Shipbuilding and motor industry are highly developed too.

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Officially the head of the state is the queen (or king) but it is the Prime Minister and his cabinet who run the state. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the Party that has the majority in the House of Commons.