Introduction of geographic location, climatic conditions of Great Britain, its political and economic systems. History of the British Kingdom: decision Magna Carta, Industrial Revolution, the first census, the introduction of a democratic regime.
Аннотация к работе
The United Kingdom of Great Britain THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and a lot of smaller islands. British Isles are a group of islands lying off the north-west of Europe. England, Wales and Scotland are in Great Britain. Northern Ireland is situated in the north-eastern part of Ireland. The larger part of Ireland is the Irish Republic. Britania is the ancient name of Britain. The United Kingdom is washed by the North Sea in the east, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the north. In the west the United Kingdom is separated from the Irish Republic by the Irish Sea and the North Channel. The total area of the country is 94,249 square miles, and its population is 57 million people. The UK is an island state: it is composed of 5,500 islands, large and small. The two main islands are Great Britain (in which are England, Wales and Scotland )to the east and Ireland (in which are Northern Ireland and the independent Irish Republic) to the west. English is the official language of the United Kingdom. The inhabitants of the country are the English, the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish; these four nationalities have their own language and culture. The capital of the whole country is London (7 mln); the capital of Wales is Cardiff (284 th); the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh (470 th); the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast (440 th). The light in the Clock Tower also indicates that Parliament is in session. The Queens power is limited by Parliament, which consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The Queen enters the Palace of Westminster only on the day of the opening of Parliament at the beginning of a session. She makes her speech from the Throne in the House of Lords. The members of the House of Commons, are elected by the population for a period of five years. There are 651 members of the House of Commons, most of them are professional politicians, lawyer*;. The members of the House of Commons belong to different political parties. The Speaker is the chairman of all the debates in the House of Commons. His duty is to keep order. He sits on a beautiful chair, a gift from Australia and Canada to Mother Country. The Speaker is elected by the Members of the House of Commons. He never votes with other members. The government of the country is formed by the party which has the majority of members elected to Parliament. The Queen appoints its leader the Prime Minister. As the head of the Government the Prime Minister appoints about 100 ministers, of whom about 20 are in the Cabinet. The British Government is in the Whitehall. The Prime Minister of the country is responsible for the policy conducted by Parliament. As for the House of Lords many people consider this system undemocratic because the number of Lords is 1000-1200 but they are not elected by the population. The House of Lords consists of princes, marquises, viscounts, barons, peers, Bishops of the Church. The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor, he sits on the wool sack, a large bag of wool, covered with a red cloth. This shows that wool made England rich. The House of Lords has no real power but acts rather as advisory council for the House of Commons. The session in Parliament begins at the end of October and lasts for about 160 days.There are three main political parties in the United Kingdom: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. One of the oldest flags in the world is the British one. Its crosses stand for the patron saints of England (St. Georges flag which has a red cross with extended horizontals on a white field), Scotland (St. Andrews flag which has a white cross on a blue field), and Ireland (St. Patricks flag which has a red cross on a white field).The arms of the crosses do not meet at the center. Some historians say that the British flag got the name of Union Jack from James 1 under whom Scotland and England were united in the 17th century. The national anthem of the country is God Save the Queen. Questions 1 .What is the official name of Great Britain? 2. Where is it situated? 3. What parts does it consist of? 4. What territory does the United Kingdom occupy? 5. Why is the climate of the British Isles milder than that one of the Continent?, 6. The United Kingdom is a highly developed industrial country isnt it? Prove bit. 7.Are there any famous educational establishments in Great Britain? 8.What can you say about the political system of the country 9.What city is the capital of Great Britain? 10. Who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain? WHO ARE -THE BRITISH? Are they one people? How did they evolve? How many are there? What are their rights? What jobs do they do? How do they live? What-do they believe? What do they enjoy? The answers to these questions provide a broad profile of ordinary citizens living in Britain today - their