THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN
IRELAND
The United Kingdom is situated in the north-west coast of
Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the north-west and the North Sea on
the east.
The U. K. includes Great Britain and Northern
Ireland.
Great Britain, the largest island in Europe, contains
England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom has an area of
244,000 square kilometres (94,249 square miles). The capital of the
country is London. English is the official language.
The population
of the U. K. is nearly 60 million people. The population lives mostly in
towns and cities and their suburbs. Four out of every five people live
in towns. Over 46 million people live in England. Over 3 million - in
Wales. A little over 5 million - in Scotland. About 1.5 million- in
Northern Ireland. London's population is over 7 million people. The
British nation consists of the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the
Irish. There are many people of all colours and races in the United
Kingdom.
The climate of Great Britain is mild. It is not too hot in
summer or too cold in winter. It often rains in England. Rain falls in
summer and in winter, in autumn and in spring. Snow falls only in the
north and west of the country. The surface of England and Ireland is
flat, but Scotland and Wales are mountainous. Many parts of the country
have beautiful villages. There are many rivers in Great Britain. The
main river is the Thames. Many ships and barges go up and down the
river. The longest river is Severn. It is 350 kilometres long.
There
are many universities, colleges, libraries, museums and theatres in the
country. The most famous universities are Cambridge University, Oxford
University, Glasgow University.
The U. K. is a parliamentary
monarchy. The British Parliament consists of two Houses: the House of
Lords and the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the head of the
government.
The United Kingdom has some mineral resources. Coal and
oil are the most important of them. The United Kingdom is one of the
world's most industrialized countries. The main industrial centres are
Sheffield, Birmingham and Manchester. The largest cities of the country
are London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast,
Dublin.
Agriculture takes an important sector in economy of the
country. The British people grow wheat, fruit, vegetables,
oats.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The USA is one of
the largest countries in the world. It is situated in the central part
of the North American continent. The area of the USA is over nine
million square kilometres. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean and by the
Atlantic Ocean. The most northern part of the USA is Alaska, the largest
state, separated from the rest of the country by Canada.
The
population of the United States is nearly 250 million people, most of
the people live in towns.
People of different nationalities live in
the USA,
The official language of the country is English. The capital
of the country is Washington. It was named in honour of the first
President, George Washington.
As the USA is a large country, the
climate is different in different regions. For example, the Pacific
coast is a region of mild winters and warm, dry summers, but the eastern
continental region is watered with rainfall. The region around the Great
Lakes has changeable weather.
There are many mountains in the USA.
For example, the highest peaks of the Cordillera in the USA are 6,193
and 4,418 metres.
The main river of the country is the -Mississippi.
But there are many other great rivers in the USA: the Colorado in the
south and the Columbia in the north west. There are five Great Lakes
between the USA and Canada.
The USA produces more than 52 per cent of
the world's corn, wheat, cotton tobacco.
There are many big cities in
the country. They are Washington (the capital of the country), New York
(the city of contrasts, financial and business centre of the USA),
Boston (there are many colleges and universities in it), Chicago (one of
the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Philadelphia, Detroit (one of the biggest centres of the automobile
industry).
The USA has an Academy of Sciences. There are many
scientific institutions, museums, libraries, theatres and other
interesting places in the country.
The USA is a highly developed
industrial country. The USA is rich in mineral resources, such as
aluminium, salt, zinc, coppers, and others. The country is rich in coal,
natural gas, gold and silver, too. It holds one of the first places in
the world for the production of coal, iron, oil, natural gas.
Such
industries as machine-building, ship-building are highly developed in
the country.
American agriculture produces a lot of food products:
grain, fruit, vegetables.
The USA is a federal republic, consisting
of fifty states. Each of these states has its own government. Congress
is the American Parliament which consists of two Chambers.
The
president is the head of the state and the government. He is elected for
four years.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand is a very
interesting country. It has got total area of 269,000 square kilometres.
It is situated to south-east of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. It
consists of two main islands (North Island and South Island) and some
smaller ones. Nearly 3.5 million people live in the country. The capital
of New Zealand is Wellington. It is a financial centre too. The city was
founded in 1840 and has been the capital since 1865. The official
language is English.
The climate of New Zealand is moist. New Zealand
is rich in minerals. There are some main industries in the country, for
example, iron and steel industry. The country has gas and petroleum.
There are many mountains in New Zealand. The highest is Mount Cook
(3,764 metres or 12,349 feet).
There are many rivers and lakes in the
country. The chief rivers are the Waikato and the Wairu. You have heard
about the native animals in the country. One of them is the kiwi. This
interesting bird lives in the wet parts of the thick bushes. In the
day-time the bird does not go out. It comes out only at night to find
food. Kiwis cannot fly. Many years ago kiwis were hunted for food. Now
the government does not permit the hunting the kiwis. The kiwi is now
the symbol of New Zealand people. Small children are often called
kiwis.
New Zealand is independent state, but formerly it is a part of
the British Empire. The head of the state is the Queen. New Zealand is
self-governing state. The Parliament consists of one House only, the
House of Representatives. The Prime Minister is the head of the
government.
New Zealand has got heavy industry. There are many plants
in the country. Paper and rubber industries are developed too. New
Zealand exports wool, meat, butter.
There are some big cities such as
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dune-din, Nelson. Auckland and
Wellington are the main ports of the country.
There are some
educational and cultural institutions in Wellington. They are the
University of New Zealand, Victoria University College and others.
Victoria University was established in 1897.
New Zealand is a very
interesting and beautiful country.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF
AUSTRALIA
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal state. It
has got six states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South
Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and two internal territories. The
official language is English.
Australia is situated in the south-west
of the Pacific Ocean.
The area of this country has got 7,687,000
square kilometres. Australia is the largest island in the world and it
is the smallest continent. The Dutch were the first Europeans to visit
Australia. In 1770 the English captain James Cook discovered the east
coast of Australia.
Nearly 20 million people live in
Australia.
Australia's climate is dry and warm. Australia is situated
in the southern hemisphere and that's why there is summer, when we have
winter and there is winter, when we have summer. It is interesting to
know that January is the hottest month in Australia.
Australia is
separated from many countries. The animals in Australia have a lot of
original, and they are interesting, for example, dingoes (wild dogs),
koala bears, kangaroos.
The kangaroo and koala have got the pouch in
which they carry their cubs. There are many birds in the country, too.
One can see parrots and cockatoos. The emu is the most interesting bird
in Australia. It is big and can't fly.
There are many rivers and
lakes in the country.
Australia is an industrial country. It has
coal, nickel, zinc, gold. Several factories and plants work in the
country. Australia is one of the most important producers of metals and
minerals. It exports wool production, meat, fruit, sugar.
The capital
of the country is Canberra. The city became the capital in 1927. Federal
Government works in Canberra in the government buildings. It is
interesting to know that there are no industrial plants in
Canberra.
The population of Canberra is about 300,000
people.
There are many sights in the city. They are the Building of
the Australian Academy of Sciences, the Australian National University
and others. There are two big industrial cities in Australia: Sydney and
Melbourne.
The habited part of the country is situated near ocean.
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and others are the ports of the
country.
Australia is a part of the British Empire. Formerly the head
of the state is the Queen, but in fact Australia is independent,
self-governing state. The Parliament consists of two Houses.
There
are many universities, theatres and museums in
Australia.
