The UK

The United Kingdom = UK = Britain

  • = The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  • capital: London

  • national flag: Union Jack (Wales isn't part of it)

  • british currency: pound sterling

  • the highest mountain: Ben Nevis (in Scotland)

  • the longest river: the Severn - flows through England and Wales

  • Prime Minister: Keir Starmer - lives at 10 Downing Street

  • monarch: King Charles III. - his predecessor was Queen Elizabeth II. (she had four children (Charles III., Edward, Andrew and Anne) with her husband Prince Philip)

  • royal family: Peoples's Princess Diana, Prince William (Prince of Wales) and Princess Catherine (Princess of Wales), Prince George of Wales, Prince Harry (Duke of Sussex) and Meghan (Duchess of Sussex

  • popular sports: rugby, golf, football, tennis, cricket

  • popular foods and drinks: fish and chips, Cornish pasty, Sunday roast, Christmas pudding, scone, Eton mess, Chelsea bun, Cadbury chocolate, English tea, whisky, cider, London dry gin

  • famous personalities:
    Winston Churchill = Prime Minister of The UK (1940-1945), writer, politician, holder of
    Nobel Prize in Literature; Sadia Khan = current Mayor of London

  • The Beatles: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul Mccartney.
    Freddie Mercury.= singer, Stephen Hawking.= scientist; William Shakespeare. =
    playwright; Agatha Christie = writer; David Hockney = painter (from England); David
    Beckham = footballer, Tom Holland = actor; Jude Law = actor

England

  • capital: London

  • patron: Saint George

  • symbol: the rose (Tudor rose)

  • language: English

  • geography: temperate climate with rainfall all year round; generally lower and flatter than the rest of the UK; the Thames; the English Channel; islands - e.g. the Isle of Wight

  • famous organisations: the BBC, strong tradition of pop music

  • facts: traditional and nostalgic; it is often seen as less culturally distinctive; small houses with small gardens; English culture is generally quite anti-establishment

Scotland

  • capital: Edinburgh

  • patron: Saint Andrew

  • symbol: the thistle

  • languages: English, Scottish Gaelic, Scots

  • national animal: the unicorn

  • geography: changeable temperate oceanic climate; 790 islands (130 of them are inhabited); stunning landscapes and beaches; lochs (=fresh water lakes) - e.g. Loch Ness

  • famous peoples: Sean Connery; J. K. Rowling

  • facts: strong computer games industry; Scottish culture includes bagpipes and kilts; the
    Edinburgh Festival = one of the biggest arts festivals in the world

Wales

  • capital: Cardiff

  • patron: Saint David

  • symbol: red dragon, daffodil, leek

  • languages: English, Welsh (=one of Europe's oldest languages)

  • national sport: rugby (national team is the Dragons)

  • geography: north temperate zone, changeable maritime climate, windy; largely mountainous, Snowdon (=the highest summit); three national parks - e.g. Snowdonia famous peoples: Roald Dahl; Luke Evans; Sir Anthony Hopkins; Deep Purple

  • facts: bilingual road signs; more sheep than people; world's longest place name

Northern Ireland

  • capital: Belfast

  • patron: Saint Patrick

  • symbol: the shamrock

  • languages: English, Irish, Ulster Scots

  • geography: temperate maritime climate; significant volcanic activity; Lough Neagh (= the largest freshwater lake in the UK); the Giant's Causeway

  • famous peoples: Jamie Dornan; C. S. Lewis; Snow Patrol

  • facts: the Titanic was built here; the biggest museum of Titanic in the world (in Belfast);
    religious divide (Protestants and Catholics)


• 1666 - great fire in London


Places in the London

  • The Tower of London = citadel, former palace, prison and royal fortress

  • Buckingham Palace = King's official London residence and a working royal palace

  • St Paul's Cathedral

  • = the second largest cathedral in the world

  • architect: Sir Christopher Wren = architect of many buildings in London

  • Trafalgar Square

  • = public square in the City of Westminster

  • National Gallery
    Nelson's Column
    commemorates Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar

  • Horation Nelson = British Royal Navy officer

  • The London Eye = Millennium Wheel = a ferris wheel

  • The Shard = supertall pyramid-shaped skyscraper; the tallest building in the UK and the seventh tallest building in Europe

  • Tower Bridge = unique bascule and suspension bridge (architect Horace Jones)

  • The Palace of Westminster = House of Parliament

  • =one of the centres of political life in the UK

  • Elizabeth Tower = clock tower with Big Ben = Great Bell of the Great Clock of
    Westminster

  • Westminster Abbey = a royal church