Great Britain is situated at the north-west part of West Europe. It consists of two large island (Great Britain and Ireland) and about 5 000 smaller ones (such as Isle of Wight, the Hebrides, the Orkney and so on). It is bordered to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from continental Europe, to the east by the North Sea, and to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Its neighbour are Ireland to west and France to south-east. It covers the area of 250 thousand sq. km.
The main mountain regions here are the Cornish Heights, the Cambrian in Wales, the Cambrian Mountains (in Lake District) and the Pennies. The longest rivers are Severn and the Thames. In Great Britain we can found beautiful lakes in Cambria and Highlands of Scotland. Great Britain has about 60 million inhabitants . The density is one of the highest in the world - 232 people to one square kilometre. In England we can find many ethnic groups such as English, Scottish or Irish. The majority of people speaks English

Great Britain is constitutional monarchy with the Queen as the head of state. The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. British parliament system is one of the oldest in the world, it was developed after King John's signature of Magna Charta in 1215. The head of government is prime minister - now it is Tony Blair - leader of Labour party. Britain is divided into four parts - England with capitol city London, Wales with Cardiff, Scotland with Edinburgh and Northern Ireland with Belfast. Britain is member of all important international organizations - United Nations, European Community or NATO.
The main industries in Great Britain are steel, metals, vehicles, shipbuilding, shipping, chemicals or electronics. 30 percent of land is arable and the main agricultural products are grains, sugar, beet, fruit and vegetables. Britain has resources of coal, oil, gas and lead too. The main Britain's trading partners are Germany, the USA, France and the Netherlands.

So, now I describe some interesting places in Great Britain. I begin with London and its neighbour. There are university towns - Oxford and Cambridge. Near there is Stratford upon Avon - birthplace of William Shakespeare. On cost there is old health resort - Brighton. In southern part of England is situated Canterbury - old town with majestic cathedral. To this town are situated famous Canterbury Tales. Other old cathedral is in Winchester. The Geographical heart of England and second largest city is Birmingham. In Manchester we can visit The Museum of Science and Industry and The Air and Space Museum. The other big cities here are Liverpool, Leeds and York.

Wales is sometimes called the land of castles. I think, it's true, because we really find there many old castles such as Conway or Careworn. The land of Wales is full of mystery and beauty. The biggest cities of this region are Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.
Scotland is a historical and cultural separate country from England. It has its own legal and educational systems and currency. Scotland is the land of many special traditions which cannot be found elsewhere in the world. I can name playing the pipes or wearing kilts made of tartan. The biggest city is Glasgow. This old Victorian is the cultural centre and the hearts of the arts in Scotland. In Scotland we find many lakes (in Scotland called Loch), such as Loch Ness.