The United Kingdom is very small comparing with the biggest countries of the world such as Russia, China or the USA. It occupies only 0.2 per cent of the world's surface and its total area is about 244,000 square kilometres. However there only 15 other countries with more people(there are about 57 million people in the UK now), and London is the world's seventh biggest city. The population has remained relatively stable over the last decade, but has aged. Britain is a relatively densely populated country. England has the highest population density and Scotland the lowest.
Many foreigners say «English» and «England» when they mean «British» and «Britain». This is very annoying for the 5 million Scotsmen, 2,8 million Welsh and 1,5 million Irishmen who are not certainly English but are all British. The country whose official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and is situated on the British Isles. This group of islands lies between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and consists of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and 550 smaller islands around them. It is separated from the continent of Europe by the English Channel, the narrowest part of which is called the Straight of Dover or Pas de Calais. In the west the UK is separated from Ireland by the Irish Sea and the North Channel. The seas around Britain are often rough and difficult to navigate during storms but they are full of fish and are extremely important for trade. Britain's main ports are London, Hull, Liverpool, Glasgow and some others.
You will not find high mountains or large plains in Britain. Everything occupies very little place. The highest mountain, Ben Nevis, is in Scotland. In the centre of England is a range of hills called the Pennine Chain which is also known as the «backbone of England». The Cambrian mountains in Wales and the Cumbrian mountains in the Lake District in the north of England are not high but amazingly beautiful. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland, and physically Scotland is divided into three regions; the Highlands, the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands.
There are very many rivers in Great Britain but they are not very long. The longest river is the Severn in England, but the most famous is the Thames because it gave rise to the capital of the country - London.
Many people say that Great Britain looks like a large well-kept park. There are beautiful gardens, fields, meadows, lakes arid woods there. The best-known wood is Sherwood Forest where Robin Hood once lived, the legendary outlaw who robbed the rich and gave their money to the poor. The most famous lake is Loch Ness in Scotland which is said to have a water monster.
Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources though mere is oil in the North Sea, coal in Wales and in the north of England, tin and other non-ferrous metals in the south.
The biggest cities of Britain are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow and some others.
True or false statements
1.The UK takes tenth place in world population.
2. «British» and «English» are not synonyms.
3. Scotland has the smallest population of the four countries of the UK.
4. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel, the North Sea and the North Channel.
5'. The waters around Great Britain are dangerous in bad weather.
6. There are not only lakes but also mountains in the Lake District.
7. The Highlands separate Scotland from England.
8. The Thames is the longest and the deepest river in the UK.
9. The most famous wood in Scotland is Sherwood Forest where Robin Hood once lived.
10. There are coal deposits in the south of England.
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