Great Britain.

   The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometers.

   The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland,   Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain consists of  England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel.

The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highlands. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343m). While the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands.

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Thames is the deepest and the most important one .

The UK is one of the world's smallest countries. Its population is over 57 million.

The UK is a hardly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of electronics, textile, aircraft, navigation equipment and shipbuilding.

Great Britain has a very good position as it lies on the cross ways of the sea routs from Europe to the other parts of the world. There are many countries which are connected with Great Britain by sea. 

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consist of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. 

There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties. The Conservative party is the ruling party nowadays.