The United Kingdom

My dream has always been to visit any foreign country. I think it will come true in future. That’s why I want to know about this country a lot. At our English lessons we get some information about Great Britain.

So, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. They lie to the north-west of Europe. The British Isles are separated from the continent by the English Channel. The United Kingdom consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The capital of England is London, Wales’ capital is Cardiff, Scotland has Edinburgh and the main city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

The country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. That’s why the climate is not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer. The territory of Britain is flat. There are no high mountains in this country. Scotland is the most mountainous region with the highest peak, Ben Nevis. The rivers of Great Britain are not long. The longest rivers are the Thames and the Severn. The capital of the United Kingdom, London, stands on the bank of the Thames. Scotland is a country of lakes. It has the most famous lake in the world — Loch-Ness.

It is very interesting to know about the political system of the UK. This country is a monarchy with the queen Elizabeth II on the head. But her power is limited by British Parliament which consists of two Chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Government is headed by the Prime Minister.

There are many interesting places in Britain, like Stonehenge and Loch-Ness, Oxford and Cambridge. Tourists like London’s Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower and so on.

Great Britain is a beautiful country with old traditions and good people.

Climate in Great Britain

The British Isles which are surrounded by the ocean have an insular climate.

There are 3 things that chiefly determine the climate of the United Kingdom: the position of the islands in the temperate belt; the fact that the prevailing winds blow from the west and south-west and the warm current — the Gulf Stream that flows from the Gulf of Mexico along the western shores of England. All these features make the climate more moderate, without striking difference between seasons. It is not very cold in winter and never very hot in summer.

So, the British ports are ice-free and its rivers are not frozen throughout the year. The weather on the British Isles has a bad reputation. It is very changeable and fickle. The British say that there is a climate in other countries, but we have just weather. If you don't like the weather in England, just wait a few minutes.

It rains very often in all seasons in Great Britain. Autumn and winter are the wettest. The sky is usually grey and cold winds blow. On the average, Britain has more than 200 rainy days a year. The English say that they have 3 variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon, and when it rains all day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily, that they say «It's raining cats and dogs».

Britain is known all over the world for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so thick that it's impossible to see anything within a few meters. The winter fogs of London are, indeed, awful; they surpass all imagination. In a dense fog all traffic is stopped, no vehicle can move from fear of dreadful accidents. So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is mild, humid and very changeable.