Презентация "Great Britain"

Great Britain

The geographical position of Great Britain

The full name of the country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, UK for short.

UK is divided into 4 parts – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

London. The largest city of the country as well as the capital of it is London.

  The English Channel. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the North Sea and by the English Channel.

The island is connected with continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel (it’s also called Euro Tunnel). It’s one of the longest undersea rail tunnels in the world.

  Geography UK is washed by The Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Celtic Sea and the English Channel.

Population. The population is about 60 million people, so Great Britain is one of the most populated countries in Europe.

Climate of Great Britain Great Britain is situated on the islands. It is washed by seas from all the sides. That’s why the climate and the nature of Great Britain are very specific. It is not very cold in winter and never very hot in summer. There is no ice on the lakes and rivers in winter. It seldom snows. It rains very often in all the seasons. The weather changes very often. All this is due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. Mark Twain once said about America: “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes”, but it is more likely to have been said about England.  Britain is also famous for its fogs. Sometimes fogs are so thick that it is impossible to see anything within 2 or 3 metres. The English also say that there are three variants of weather: when it rains in the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all day long. The driest period is from March to June and the wettest months are from October to January. The average temperature is from 5 to 23 degrees above zero. Sometimes the temperature rises to 30 degrees above zero in summer and falls to 10 degrees below zero in winter. So, we may say that the British climate has three main features: it is mild, humid and changeable. This humid and mild climate is good for plants. Trees and flowers begin to blossom very early in spring.

  flag Great Britain This is the popular name given it the flag of the Great Britain. Actually it is called the Union Flag and it is a mixture of several flags. It all began in 1606 when Scotland was joined to England and Wales. The Scottish flag, St. Andrew’s Cross, blue with a white cross from corner to corner, was joined to the English Flag, St. George’s Cross, with a red cross. The flag of St. George can still be seen on churches in England. Later, in 1801, when Ireland was joined to the union, as it called, the Irish Flag of St. Patrich’s Cross was added, white with a red cross from corner to corner. In this may the English people got the Union Flag which is red, white and blue. King James The Third (1566-1622) ordered that the Union Flag should be flown on the main mast of all British ships, except on ships of war. Here the flag was flown at the front of the bowsprit. The end of the bowsprit was called the Jake Star and so we get the name of Union Jack. A “jack”, by the may, is an old nord for the sailor. The Union Jack is also on the flags of Australia and New Zealand.

National Emblems in Great Britain The red rose was the emblem of Lancastrians, the white rose that of the Yorkists, the two Houses fighting for the English throne in the War of Roses. But their struggle ended by marriage of Henry VII, the Lancastrian with Princess Elizabeth, the Yorkist. The red rose has since become the emblem of England. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. It happened in very old times when Norsemen wanted to settle in this country. They came close to the Scots’ camps in the night and wanted to kill them in their sleep. That’s why they took off their shoes so as to make no noise. But one of the Norsemen stepped on a thistle and screamed. The Scots woke up and put the enemy to flight. The leek is the emblem of Wales. Welshmen all over the world celebrate their national holiday St David’s Day by wearing leeks. They do it because they believe St David have lived for several years on bread and wild leeks. Irishmen wear their national emblem on St Patrick’s Day. It’s a small white clover with three leaves on the stem. It is called a shamrock.

London, Capital of Great Britain

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic, and commercial centre. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million.

London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End, and the East End.

The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices, and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is the St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison. Now it is a museum.

Westminster is the governmental part of London.

Nearly all English kings and queens have been crowned in Westminster Abbey. Many outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers, poets, and painters are buried here: Newton, Darwin, Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling, etc.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big bell, known as "Big Ben". Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theatres are situated there.

The Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

Customs and Traditions in Britain

As any other country, Britain has a variety of different customs and traditions. People in Great Britain are proud of their traditions and try to keep them up. The best examples are their weights and measures and monetary system, which haven’t been changed for many years.

Some of the British customs are very old. The example is the Marble Championship, where the British Champion is crowned. He gets a silver cup, known as Morris Dancing. It’s an event where people in beautiful clothes dance with handkerchiefs or big sticks in their hands. The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge, which takes place on the river Thames, is another old tradition. Most often it occurs on Easter Sunday.

The Grand National horse race is one of the most exciting horse races in the world. It takes place near Liverpool every year. Amateur riders as well as professional jockeys are welcome.

The celebration of All Saints Day or Halloween is on the 31st of October. This holiday has a Celtic origin. On this day people dress up in unusual costumes and cut faces out of pumpkins.

One more tradition is the holiday called Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes’ Night. Guy Fawkes was a man who wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5, 1605. However, he was caught and hanged. On this day people burn jack-straws and light fireworks.

Among other popular celebrations are Christmas and New Year. In London, lots of people go to Trafalgar Square on New Year’s Eve. There is singing and dancing at 12 o’clock on December 31st.

A popular annual Scottish event is the Edinburgh Festival of music and drama. A truly Welsh event is the Eisteddfod, a national festival of traditional poetry and music, with a competition for the best new poem in Welsh.

Attractions in England:

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most known attractions in England, being at the same time one of the earliest prehistoric European monuments. It was built on the Salisbury plain in 3000 BC and till now there only guesses, who and how created Stonehenge.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a place where Queens and Kings are married and crowned, famous English personalities are commemorated or buried. For English people Westminster Abbey is a great symbol of their country and it is really worth visiting. The memorials and the tombs comprise the most significant collection of monumental sculpture in the UK. This important Gothic building has served the people of England for more than a thousand years.

Bath Spa

Bath is a city named after the Roman baths built over hot natural springs in the I century AD. Many baths are in ruins still the visitors can acquire an appreciation for engineering of Romans. The city of Bath is famous for its wonderful Gothic and Roman architecture; its streets are full of talented artists and talented performers. Jane Austen Center, Bath Abbey, Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge are accessible for visiting.

Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall building began in 120 AD. It reaches from the sea to the sea for 73 miles (almost 117 kilometers) across the northern England. The wall was commissioned as a boundary of the Roman Empire by Emperor Hadrian. At five-mile intervals across the entire expanse forts were built. Owner of the wall now is National Trust Hadrian’s Wall is in still good condition.

Tintagel Castle

Visiting England you can’t see the Tintagel Castle, but only its ruins. This castle was built around 1240 year by Earl Richard of Cornwall. Now its ruins overlook the ocean sitting atop a high slate cliff. At the foot of the castle a beach lies, giving entrance to Merlin’s Cave underneath the rock wall. Tintagel Castle and its ruins are surrounded by the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Thank you for attention!