THE GREAT BRITAINYou've been studying English for a long time. But what do you know about the countries where it is spoken? English has been introduced in the South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries.
To the North-West of the continent of Europe there lie two big islands, called The British Isles. One of these islands consists of England, Scotland and Walls. The smaller one is Ireland. The Northern Sea separates England from Germany and Scandinavian countries, while The English Channel separates England from France and Belgium.
The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales. They are not higher that those in the Crimea. In North-West there are many beautiful lakes with green grassy shores all around. There are many rivers in Britain, but none of them are very long.
The Thames in which London is situated and the Severn which flows into the Irish Sea are the longest rivers. Many rivers have been joint by the channels. So, it is possible to travel to any part of the country by water.
The British Isles lie the same distance from the Equator as the central part of the ex-USSR between Moscow and Kiev but the climate is different from that part of our country. It is much milder, snow never lies very long on the ground in winter. There's much rain and fog in winter and few sunny days.
The population is over 52 mln people. London is the capital of the Great Britain. After the World War II London became the greatest business town-market. Now it is the biggest industrial city. London is one of the widest cities of the world. It lies on both sides of river Themes. You can get there from the continent by air or by sea.
The London Bridge is 600 years old . The importance parts of London are: the City, the West-End, the East-End and the Westminster. The City is often called the commercial heart of the city. The West-End is the richest part of London. It is in the west of the city and it's streets and parks are the finest in the capital. You can find many museums, theatres and big shops in the West-End. Trafalgar Square is there too. It is one of the finest with Nelson Column on it. Four big lions are placed in the foot.