This is britain

THIS IS BRITAIN

THE WEATHER

The British isles are situated in the Northern temperate zone, so the climate is temperate; it's never very hot, nor very cold. But the British isles have a current of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico, called Gulf Stream; and this makes winters not very cold. The influence of the sea makes summers cool and winds from the west often bring rain. The moisture bring the fog in autumn and winter; but every year there are weeks of beautiful sunny weather.

RELIEFS AND PLAINS

Great Britain has no very high mountains; Scotland and Wales, instead, are mountainous. In Britain there are four major groups of mountains: the Scottish Highlands, the Pennines, the Cumbrians and the Cambrians.

The Scottish highlands are the highest mountains in Britain, and they include Ben nevis, the highest mountain in the country. The southern Uplands form the boundary (confine) between Scotland and England.

In the lake District there are the Cumbrians; while in Wales there are the Cambrians.

RIVERS AND LAKES

Rivers in Britain aren't very long but most of them are navigable and are an efficient system of transport. The best known is the Thames on which London is located. The longest is the Severn. Then there are the HUMBER, the TYNE, the MERSEY, the SHANNON, which is the most important river of Ireland. The most picturesque lakes in Britain are in the Lake District, in the northwest of England. There are 12 lakes. The lake District is famous also because of the English Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge lived there.

ENGLAND

England is the largest country in the UK. The most important cities are: London, the capital, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. The economy is based on industry, agriculture and tourism. England is also a country with a living past which we can see in its Roman ruins, medieval castles and gothic cathedrals. You can also visit places like Canterbury and Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare was born.

Tourists can visit also Windsor Castle, Oxford, Cambridge, Stonehenge and Brighton, a seaside resort.

LONDON

London is the capital of the UK and the largest city in Europe. London was founded by Romans in the first century A.D. It's the principal residence of the British monarchs, the centre of business and governments.

The metropolitan area, Greater London, contains many districts called boroughs (comuni). London stand on both sides of the river Thames. 7 million inhabitants live there. The City is the oldest part of the capital; it's the financial heart of London and there are many banks. But few inhabitants really live in the City; most of them live in suburbs outside the City.

London is also a cosmopolitan city which offers everything. There are museums, galleries, theatres and shopping centres.

BRITAIN'S CAPITAL

London has different centres.

The West End is the cultural centre and the Royal Family's home. Piccadilly Circus is in the West End, with restaurants, stores, theatres. The East end is the original workers' district. In the last years many places of London has been rebuilt as resident areas. During the celebration of the New century it has built the Millennium Village, a modern urban village with shops, pubs and schools. But London also has problems: poverty, unemployment, crime and so on.

LONDON'S LANDMARKS

London's attractions are:

Buckingham Palace: the London home of the Royal family

Westminster Abbey: is the church where British royalty has been crowned since William the conqueror (1066); many queens and kings are buried there.

Trafalgar Square: a large square. It commemorates Horatio Nelson, the hero of the battle of Trafalgar.

The British Museum: it's a very important museum which represents many civilizations.

The Palace of Westminster: is the HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT, the seat of British government, and where laws are approved.

SCOTLAND

Scotland is part of the UK but not part of England. Its inhabitants, the Scots, are British but not English. Until the 18^th century Scotland was an independent country, but in 1707 the Parliaments of the two countries were united. Since then, Scotland has been governed from London, but it has its system of laws, its church, its educational system and its traditional way of life. Scotland's importance cities are Edinburgh, the capital and Glasgow, the country's industrial centre. 

WALES

Wales is on the western side of Britain. In 1535 it became part of Britain and today it's governed from London. People of Wales have always kept their separated identity; their culture, customs and language. In fact, bilingual education in schools has been extended for official purpose. Roads signs are in Welsh and in English. In a recent referendum Wales has obtained its own Parliament. The Welsh people have a strong musical tradition. The main urban centres are Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

IRELAND

Ireland is a small island. Dublin and Belfast are its biggest cities. English is the main language but Irish Gaelic is also spoken, especially in the west. Once Ireland belonged to Great Britain, but poverty led the Irish to rise up against the British in 1916. In 1922 Ireland was divided into the catholic Irish free State, (EIRE or Irish Republic), and the protestant Northern Ireland, part of the UK. But because of the catholic minority didn't have the same rights as the protestants, they protested until violent confrontations in Londonderry and Belfast in the late 1960s, when British troops were set in, but the situation worsened. Now the IRA (Irish Republican Army), has met with the British governments by peaceful means.