Презентация - What is great Britain?

What is Great Britain?
Андреева О.Л., МАОУ «Школа «Диалог».

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
-commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain or GB is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. Southern Ireland is a completely independent state: the Republic of Ireland. It took centuries and a lot of armed struggle to form the United Kingdom. The UK consists of 4 parts-England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The capital is London.

Do you know the capitals?
Edinburgh
Belfast
Cardiff

GREAT BRITAIN on the map

Geography
The UK consists of the island of Great Britain and smaller surrounding islands. It is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The physical geography of the UK varies greatly. The ten tallest mountains in the UK are all found in Scotland. The highest peaks in each part of the UK are: Scotland: Ben Nevis (1,344 metres) Wales: Snowdon (1,085 metres) England: Scafell Pike ( 977 metres) Northern Ireland: Slieve Donard (852 metres)

The ranges of mountains and hills in the UK include: 1.Scotland: Scottish Highlands… 2.Wales: Snowdonia (national park)… 3.England: Lake District, Pennines…
3b
3a

The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (220 mi, 354 km) which flows through both Wales and England. The longest rivers in the UK by country are: England: River Thames ( 346 km) Scotland: River Tay (188 km) N. Ireland: River Bann (122 km) Wales: River Tywi (103 km)
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England.
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands. It is famous for it’s legendary monster Nessie.

The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometres undersea rail tunnel linking the United Kingdom with France, the longest undersea tunnels in the world. The tunnel carries high-speed Eurostar passenger trains. In 1996 the tunnel was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The United Kingdom has a mild climate, with rainfall all year round. The mild and wet weather goes from the Atlantic Ocean. So the country rarely sees extremely high or low temperatures. Warm weather can usually be expected from May to September. Summer is the hottest season, but rainfall happen often. Autumn is often the stormiest time of the year. Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring. Winters rarely below freezing,it is generally cool, wet and windy. Spring is generally a calm, cool and dry season.
Climate

The Official Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
On the right it is supported by the Unicorn of Scotland. (The unicorn is chained because in mediaeval times a free unicorn was considered a very dangerous animal.
On the left, the shield is supported by the English Lion.
The coat features both the motto of British Monarchs: Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)
and the motto of the Order of the Garter: Honi soit qui mal y pense ('Evil to him who evil thinks')

The National flag – The Union flag (the Union Jack)
The flag consists of 3 heraldic crosses. The cross of St George, patron saint of England, is a red cross on a white ground. The cross of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground. The cross of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground.
The Union Flag is flown on Government and public buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the Royal Family, the wedding anniversary of the monarch, Accession Day, Commonwealth Day, Coronation Day, The Queen's official birthday, Remembrance Day and on the days of the State Opening of Parliament.

The Saint George’s cross is the English flag. Saint George is the patron saint of England. He was a soldier famous for saving the Princess Cleondinda from being eaten by a dragon. He wounded the dragon. England's National Day is St. George’s day and it is held annually on 23 April.
The Tudor rose, the nation's floral emblem.
the Tudor rose, the nation's floral emblem

The Saint Andrew’s cross is the Scottish flag. Saint Andrew, a fisherman, was one of the 12 apostles who followed Jesus Christ. Paintings of Saint Andrew often show him being killed on an X-shaped cross. St. Andrew’s Day, 30 November, is the natoinal day.
The thistle, Scotland's floral emblem.

The Saint Patrick’s cross is the former flag of Ireland. Saint Patrick is patron saint of Ireland. He is supposed to have got rid of all the snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March.The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland. It is a three-leafed old white clover.

The English language
Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language. English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Chinese and Spanish.

The English-speaking world.
Pie chart shows the relative numbers of native English speakers in the major English-speaking countries of the world
15.5 million
61 million
18.2 million
215 million

The English-speaking world.
Countries in dark blue have a majority of native speakers. Countries in light blue have English as an official language. English is also one of the official languages of the European Union.

London is the capital of the United Kingdom.
It is the world's largest financial centre. It is the most visited city in the world. London's five international airports make its airspace the busiest of any urban centre worldwide. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutions in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the Summer Olympics three times.