Welcome to  UK

      The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK), Great Britain (GB), or Britain, is a  sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state: the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west.

    England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies north west of England, whilst the Celtic Sea lies to the south west. The North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental  Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain which lies in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands.  England has a temperate maritime climate: it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0 °C in winter and not much higher than 32 °C in summer. The weather is damp and changeable. The coldest months are January and February, the latter particularly on the English coast, while July is normally the warmest month. Months with mild to warm weather are May, June, September and October. Rainfall is spread throughout the year. England mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England.  The Flag of England is the St. George's Red Cross on the white background.

      London is the capital of England.  It stands on the river Thames. London contains four districts: the Tower of London. Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. London is home to numerous museums (Madame Tussauds meseum), galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, Madame Tussauds meseum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 West End theatres. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.  London is a world cultural capital. Although England is a country with rich cultural traditions, it has no national costume. The best-known folk costumes are costumes of dancers. The emblem of England is a red  rose.

      Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the southwest. In addition to the mainland, Scotland is made up of more than 790 islands..Edinburgh, the country's capital and second-largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres.

    The Flag of Scotland is a white X-shaped cross, which represents the cross of the patron saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew on a blue field. The flag is called the Saltire or the Saint Andrew's Cross.

     Edinburgh, the country's capital and second-largest city, is one of Europe's largest financial centres. The central part is Edinburgh Castle, at the top of a steep hill. The castle has a military display every year, called a tattoo, where soldiers show their skills at marching and competitions, and there are brass bands and bands of bagpipes.

    Scotland clothing mainly features the tartan which is the traditional dress of Scotland. People of the Highland Scots mostly wear this dress. Kilt was the one of the traditional Scotland dress of the people. The modern Scotland clothing comprises of jackets, sporran, kilt hose and garters. Kilt is only worn by men because it is male garment .Very few people wear tartans and these Scotland traditional dresses are mostly found in the tourist markets. Seldom you can see a tartan trouser or tartan bonnet.

     Common throughout the highlands, islands and lowlands of Scotland, the prickly purple thistle has been Scotland's national emblem for centuries. This proud and regal plant, which grows to a height of five feet, has no natural enemies because of the vicious spines that cover and protect it like a porcupine.

   The bagpipes are a musical instrument. They are sometimes just called "pipes". They have a bag that holds air. The player keeps the bag full of air by blowing into it with a tube or pumping it with a bellows. To make music, the bag is pressed and the air comes out through a kind of flute or "chanter".

     Wales is situated on the west of  Great Britain.  It had a population in 2011 of 3 million people and has a total area of 20,779 km^{2 .}

    Wales has over 1,200 km of coastline, and is largely mountainous, with its highest peak Snowdon. The country has a changeable, maritime climate.

    The Flag of Wales is called  "The Red Dragon“.It  consists of a red dragon  on a green and white field.

      The Capital of Wales is Cardiff. 325,000 people live in Cardiff.It is the most important city in Wales for tourism, culture, government, sport, transport, and business. Almost everyone speaks English. Over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, where it is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west.

     About 78% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. Traditional dishes include laverbread (made from laver (Porphyra umbilicalis), an edible seaweed); bara brith (fruit bread); cawl (a lamb stew); cawl cennin (leek soup);Welsh cakes; and Welsh lamb. Cockles are sometimes served as a traditional breakfast with bacon and laverbread. Although Wales has its own traditional food, and has absorbed much of the cuisine of England, Welsh diets now owe more to the countries of India, China and theUnited States. Chicken tikka masala is the country's favourite dish while hamburgers and Chinese food outsell fish and chips as a takeaway.

     The daffodil and the leek are also symbols of Wales. The origins of the leek can be traced to the 16th century, while the daffodil became popular in the 19th century, encouraged by David Lloyd-George.

    Northern Ireland  is a part of theUnited Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It is described as a country, province or region of the UK.  Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. As of 2011, its population was 1,810 millions of people, about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the population of the United Kingdom.

     The Union Jack is the national flag  of Northern Ireland . The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Church of Ireland have used the Saint Patrick's Saltire or "Cross of St Patrick". This red saltire on a white field was used to represent Ireland in the flag of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland. It is still used by some British army regiments. Foreign flags are also found, such as thePalestinian flags in some Nationalist areas and Israeli flags in some Unionist areas.

    The United Kingdom national anthem of "God Save the Queen" is often played at state events in Northern Ireland.

    Belfast is the administrative capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. By population, it is the fourteenth largest city in the United Kingdom.

   Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland. Wearing of the green. Originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Over the years the colour green and its association with Saint Patrick's Day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain theHoly Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the ubiquitous wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs has become a feature of the day. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing.

QUESTIONS

1.     What`s the capital of the UK?- London

2.     The Flag of England is the St. George's Red Cross or the  St. Patrick`s one?- St. George's Red Cross

3.     Where is the Big Ben situated?-London

4.     Where will you find costumes of dancers ?- In England

5.     What is Edinburgh? - The capital of Scotland

6.     What river does London stand on?- Thames

7.     Men wear kilts (skirts) in Wales or Scotland? -Scotland

8.     Where can you find national musical instrument "bagpipes"?- Scotland

9.     What country does wear the flag "The Red Dragon“?-Wales

10. Where can eat this dish?-Wales

11. Where can you find daffodils?-Wales

12. What is the smallest part of the UK?-Nothern Ireland

13. The capital of Nothern Ireland is......- Belfast

14. Where do people celebrate St. Patrick`s day?- Nothern Ireland

15. Who wrote “Othello” ?-W.Sh.

16.  Is "Romeo and Juliet" a tragedy, poem or a short story ?- Tragedy

17. . What country does wear an emblem of red rose?- England

18.  What is the capital of Wales?- Cardiff

Poems

England, My England(William Henley)

What have I done for you,
England, my England?
What is there I would not do,
England, my own?
With your glorious (славний) eyes austere,
As the Lord were walking near,
Whispering terrible things and dear
As the Song on your bugles(стеклярус )  blown(лунати) ,
England – 
Round the world on your bugles blown!

Scotland and the Scots

by: Andrew Downing

I know not in what land thy children, O Scotland,
Remember not proudly the place of their birth;
Brave sons and fair daughters, though over the waters
They wander afar(здалеку) to the ends of the earth!

 

Thy fame and thy glory, in ballad and story,
Are sung and rehearsed, where a Scottish heart beats;
And that flower, good humor, is still a free bloomer
Whenever, wherever a Scottish clan(братія) meets.

Joyce Hemsley

United Kingdom

With hate in the heart
this country loses its glory, 
but with love to impart(ділитися)
life's a beautiful story.

Hate is a burning emotion
the most irrational kind(нерозумним видом)
whereas(в той час як) love is sweet devotion(відданість)
leaving the sword(меч) behind.

Hate we know cannot win
so let the loving begin...
then life forever will shine
in this Kingdom of roses and wine.