Great Britain

If you don�t mind I�d like to speak on the topic �Great Britain.� First of all I�d like to tell you a few words about the history of this country.
In prehistoric times Britain was a part of the continent. The first people came there over the continent. The separation took place thousands of years ago, after the last Ice Age, when the ice melted, the level of the ocean rose and drowned the low-lying coastlands.
The first inhabitants of the island came from the Iberian Peninsula where Spain is located after 3000BC. After 2000BC people from the east of Europe entered the country. So, they intermixed.
After 800BC the Celts arrived from Central Europe. The name �Britain� comes from the name of a Celtic tribe known as the Britons.
In 54BC Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler, invaded the country. The Celts were defeated. By the end of the 5th century Germanic tribes occupied the greater part of the country. In 829 the greater part of the country was united the name England. The Northern part was called Scotland. In the 11th century a united Scottish Kingdom was formed.
In 1603 the son of Mary Queen of Scots James Stuart became James I of England. The unification of Scotland and England took place in 1707. They formed a single parliament in London. The country became known as Great Britain. And now I want to tell you about the country across the Channel.
The British Isles, which include Great Britain, Ireland and a lot of smaller islands, are situated on the north western coast of Europe and once formed part of that continent.
Politically the British Isles are divided into two countries � the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Irish Republic or Eire. All in all there are over 5000 islands in the system of the British Isles.
The British Isles lie between longitudes 2E and 11W and latitudes 50 and 61N. Yet, the country has a relatively mild climate throughout the year due to maritime influences. The warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift, or the Gulf Stream, move from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea across the Atlantic and so reach the shores of Northern Europe. That is why in winter the coasts are free of ice and the warm air passes over the British Isles throughout the year.
From the European continent the British Isles are separated by the English Channel and the North Sea. The English Channel, in its widest part in the west is 220 km wide, and in the narrowest, what is called the Strait of Dover, only 32 km. So, the islands have had an easy and mainly profitable contact with mainland Europe.
The most important sea routes pass through the English Channel and the North Sea linking Europe with the Americas and other continents. The advantageous geographical position of Great Britain created favourable conditions for the development of shipping, trade and the economy as a whole.
However, the true value of Britain�s geographical position has not always been obvious. Indeed, it clearly emerged in the late 15th and 16th centuries, before this time European civilization had been centred in the Mediterranean lands.
The British Isles developing slowly, but with the discovery of the Americas the British Isles became an intermediary between Europe and the New World.
From the 16th century onwards, the wealth and influence of Great Britain increased rapidly. With the acquisition of overseas colonies and the establishment of an empire she attained the status of a world power.
During the 20th century Britain has lost this position and her economy has faced increasing problems, especially with the collapse of the empire. The problem of supporting her population, about 57 million, on such a small land area, about 244,100 sq km, are also obvious. At the same time it is important to remember that Britain with the benefits of North Sea oil production, is still one of the leading industrial and trading countries in the world.
The British Isles apart from Great Britain and Ireland the two Largest islands include several other important island and group of islands. Off the northwestern coast of Great Britain there is a group of islands known as the Hebrides. They are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Off the northern coast of Scotland separated from the mainland by the stormy Pent land. Firth are the Orkney Islands, comprising about a hundred islands. Most of the people, about 20,000, are engaged in dairy and poultry farming. Bacon, cheese and eggs are exported to Central Scotland.
The Shetland Islands are situated about 70 miles north of the Orkneys. They provide thin poor soils suitable only for rough pasture. The population, about 18,000, is actively engaged in herring fishing. Apart from fish, the only exports from the islands are Shetland ponies and lace knitted from the wool of local sheep.
In the middle of the Irish Sea there is the Isle of Man, about 571 sq km. The island is administered by its own Manx Parliament and has a population of about 50,000 chiefly engaged in farming, fishing and tourist trade. The largest settlement is the holiday resort of Douglas. Another important island in the Irish Sea is Anglesey, situated off the north coast of Wales.
The British Isles are known for their greatly indented coastline. Therefore there are many bays and harbours, peninsulas and capes on the coast, which were formed as a result of the raising and submerging of the land surface in the process of the geological development of the islands.
The east coast is less lofty and more regular than the west coast, and the coastal lowlands are flooded frequently.
The capital of the country, London, is an enormous city. Its name is probably derided from the Celtic Llyn, a pool of lake, and din or dun, a hill, fort, or place of strength. The �hill� may have been that on which St Paul�s now stands, or Cornhill.
When the Romans conquered Llyndun they Latinised the name as Londinium. Great military roads radiated from the city to various parts of Britain, and distances were measured from the lapis milliaris in the Forum of Agricola, in the heart of the town. The stone, now known as the London Stone, may still be seen in the wall of St Swithin�s Church, Cannon Street.
Under the Saxons London became the metropolis of the Kingdom of Essex. The city was constituted by Alfred the Great the capital of England, York and Winchester.
About 7 million people live in Greater London. The oldest part of London is the �City�. Centuries ago, there was a high wall all around the City of London. Places like, Soho and Chelsea were small villages outside the City. Now they are parts of Central London. There are always crowds of tourists in London.
The UK is one of the world�s smaller countries, but it is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world�s largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.
The UK is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. The Queen is the Head of State, but she has no power. The queen is a symbol of the country�s history and its traditions. The real power in the country belongs to the British parliament and to the British Government.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain. They are the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.
The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses: the cross of St George, the cross of St Andrew and the cross of St Patrick.