English speaking countries

Great Britain

Great Britain is situated on the British Isles lying off the Northwest coast of Europe. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the Northwest, north and Southwest, and is separated from the European continent by the North Sea, and the English Channel. On the west, the Irish sea and North Channel separate Great Britain from Ireland. The country has a mild and rainy climate, determined by the warm current of the Gulf Stream. The prevailing winds are south-westerly. Rain is regularly distributed throughout the year. The coldest months are January and February. The population of Great Britain is more than 56 million people. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The largest cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh. Great Britain is an industrialised country. Major industries include iron and steel engineering (including motor vehicles and aircraft), textiles, plastics, cotton, chemicals, electronics, wool, shipbuilding and food products. Coal is Britain’s leading mineral resource and coal mining is the country’s most important extractive industry. Natural gas, large quantities of which have been discovered in the North sea, is another major mineral resource. The chief agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beet, milk, and meat.

Great Britain comprises England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. It includes four Nations: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish people differ sometimes in their way of life, customs, values and traditions. Both in Wales and Scotland there are some demands for more recognition of their national distinctions. England

England occupies the largest, southern part of Great Britain. The Southwest and west are largely plains, hills, and moors. The principal mountains are The Pennines, running from the N. Midlands to the Scottish border, the Cornish heights in the Southwest, The Cheviot Hills, lying on the border between England and Scotland, and the Cumbrian mountains in the Lake District. The east is mainly an open, cultivated plain. England has about 47 million inhabitants in 50 000 square miles. The country is divided into 39 counties. Lancashire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Kent, Cheshire, Durham, Essex and Sussex are the largest and the most populated.

The development of industry started during the period of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th century. The development of industry has concentrated mainly in the north, in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Manchester used to be a major industrial and commercial centre as early as in the middle of 19th century. Now it has a variety of industries, particularly engineering. England has a very rich architecture. Many of the greatest cathedrals and churches were built between 1100 and 1500. They are mostly in towns which have preserved their old character. The English countryside is remarkable for its green fields and trees because there are no extremes in climate. Small villages and old market towns look beautiful with their well kept gardens and houses. England has a long coastline. Brighton, Bournemouth and Torquay are the most famous towns of the south coast. Now they are protected against any new building or development. The most beautiful natural scenery can be seen in the north-west of England in the Lake District which inspired so much the English romantic poets.

Wales

Wales is a largely mountainous country bounded on the north and west by the Irish Sea and on the south by the Bristol Channel. In the east it has its land boundary with England. The oldest son of the monarch and the successor to the English throne is given the title “Prince of Wales”.

Wales is famous for its long rivers, big lakes and high hills in the north of the country. The whole area of Wales can be divided into three regions – the Welsh Massif, the industrial South Wales and the Welsh borderland. The Welsh Massif is mainly a plateau with much moorland, well known for its cool and rainy climate. Settlement and farmland are largely concentrated in the valleys and along the coast. The highest mountain in the north, Snowdon, is 1100 metres above the sea level. This region is called Snowdonia. The population of Wales is about 2 800 000 people. The majority of people live in the coal-mining and industrial regions of the south around Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and Swansea. There are two languages spoken in Wales – English and Welch, which is a Celtic language. Welch is the first language in most of the western parts of Wales where it is equal with English as an official language. The Welsh National Opera Company, which has both an English and Welsh sections, belong to the companies in Britain.

The University of Wales with seven constituents institutions is the most prestigious university which also supervises nine colleges of education.

Scotland

Scotland, situated to the north of England, also includes Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides and other islands. It is more than half as big as England. Scotland is a wonderful country – full of traditions, colour and romance – and it retains its own character and way of life.

Scotland has more than 5 million inhabitants. It has been a part of Great Britain since 1707 but the Scottish people remain very independent and proud of their culture and heritage. They speak English with regional accents and 1,5% also speak Gaelic, the ancient Scottish language (in the Highlands and the Western Isles). Scotland is a country of hills, lakes (called Lochs), swift rivers and deep valleys (glens). It can be divided into three parts: the Highlands, the Lowlands and the southern uplands. The most beautiful part of Scotland is the region known as the Highlands. The highest peak is Ben Nevis, 1380 meters high. The most famous lake is Loch Ness where the mystical monster lives.

There are four big cities in Scotland – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. Edinburgh, the ancient capital of Scotland, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has become the international centre of music and drama and is famous for its annual festival – the Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama. Edinburgh is also famous for the engineering, printing and electronic industries. Glasgow, situated on the river Clyde, is known all over the world for its shipbuilding, and heavy steel manufactures although these industries have many problems now. Both the cities are situated in the Lowlands, the area which contains most of the industry and also pastures.

Scotland has its own law and education system. There are also special traditions in Scotland, such as playing bagpipes and wearing kilts, which are typical pleated knee-length tartan skirts. Some eating and drinking habits are different , too. Scotland has many whisky distilleries with a long tradition and the Scottish whisky is world-famous.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland (known also as Ulster) occupies the northern fifth of Ireland. It is a part of Great Britain. Northern Ireland has a population of over 1 500 000 people. They speak English. Nearly half a million live in Belfast, the capital. There is the Queen’s University at Belfast which was founded in 1845. The city is the shopping, educational, commercial, entertainment, and service centre of Northern Ireland. It is also an important port. There are small farms producing pigs, cattle, milk and eggs.

The principal crops are potatoes, barley, and oats.
Ireland has long been connected to Britain but the Irish Republic became independent in 1922 and Northern Ireland remained a part of Great Britain. The Irish Republic is also known as Eire. It is almost totally Catholic. Approximately two-thirds of the population of Northern Ireland is Protestant and the minority Roman Catholic. The life of people and the politics of Northern Ireland are dominated by religious and economic problems. Old hatreds between Protestants and Catholics are kept alive. In 1969 British troops were sent to keep order in Northern Ireland. But the basis for peaceful relationship between Protestant majority and the Catholic minority has not yet been created. Many human lives have been lost. Bomb explosions and terrorist actions, many of them aimed targets within Britain, especially London, have not yet been stopped.

Canada

Canada occupies the whole of the northern part of North America (except Alaska) and many islands (e.g. Baffin Island, Newfoundland, Vancouver, Prince Edward Island etc.). Canada’s area is about 10 million sq. km., the second largest country in the world.
It neighbours with the USA (with Alaska and with the continental states on the 49th parallel and the Great Lakes Region is the largest area of fresh water in the world (Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario). There are famous Niagara Falls between Lake Erie and Ontario. We can find also other big and beautiful lakes in Canada, e. g. Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg, etc.

Canada has large mountain areas – the Rocky Mountains, the Mackenzie Mountains and the Melville Hills. The highest mountain is Mt. Logan in the Alaska Region (6050m). The longest river is the Mackenzie, other big rivers are the Yukon, the Frazer and the Columbia and the River St. Lawrence. The climate varies from Arctic climate in the North with winter temperatures, to moderate climate in the east and west. The north of the country near the Arctic is cold tundra with large and beautiful forests to the south.

Is about 26 million and density is one of the lowest. 89% of the land has no permanent population. More than 40% are of British origin, 30% of French origin, over 20% of continental European origin and the rest is made by Eskimos or Indians. 60% of population speak English, about 30% speak French, the rest are the languages spoken by various ethnic minorities (Italian, German, Chinese, Native Indian). Many people in Canada are Protestants. They are divided into many sects and churches.

The most powerful of the churches is, however, Roman Catholic Church.

It is an independent federal parliamentary system with Queen Elizabeth II. as the head of state. She is represented in Canada by the Governor – General. The country’s supreme body is the Federal Parliament consisting of two houses. The House of Commons is elected every five years. The Senate consists of senators appointed by Governor – General on the advice of the Prime Minister. The leading figure in political life is the Prime Minister. Canada is divided into 10 provinces and two territories. The two territories are the Yuken and N.W.T – Northwest Territories. The biggest province is Quebec with the capital Quebec City. The population is mainly French speaking and the premier of Quebec wants more powers for this province. Other provinces are Prince Edward Island, Ontario (Toronto), Alberta, British Columbia, etc. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. The biggest city is Montreal. Other large cities are Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Quebec, Halifax, Vancouver and Hamilton.

Canada is member of many international organisations such as the UN and its main special agencies (FAO, UNESCO), the Commonwealth, NATO.
Canada has its own national flag. It is red and in the centre there is a white square with a simple red maple leaf. The red stripes are symbolical of Canada’s position between the two oceans.

AUSTRALIA

Australia is smallest, youngest continent, with the lowest population density. It is a lonely country and it is often said that Australia lies at the edge of the world, divided from other continents by long distances. We also sometimes called this Australia as a country of antipodes, but this is a mistake because a country of our antipodes does not exist in reality. Australia is allocated in south-east from Asia. The Indian Ocean is west and south the Pacific (Coral and Tasmania Seas) is east. Tasmania lies 240 km south. Nearest is Indonesia, Papua New Guinea on north, Solomon, Fiji and New Zealand are on east. Its area is 7.7 million sq. k. Australia is an island continent. The Great Dividing Range along the eastern coast (The Australian Alps) has the highest Australian mountain Mt. Kosciusko. The western plateau rises to 607 m with arid areas in the Great Sandy and Great Victoria Deserts. The north-east have heavy rainfalls (it is an area often visited by destructive hurricanes) and Cape York Peninsula has jungles. Rivers that flow permanently are to by found only in the north, east, and in Tasmania.

The Murray Rivers flows from New South Wales to the Indian Ocean, the second longest river is the Darling. There are three big lakes here: Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens and Lake Gairdner. The Australian climate varies from warm to subtropical. Australia has summer when we have winter and vice versa. The tropical forests in the north and north-east are displaced by savannah or grassland. The south-east is covered with forests of eucalyptus and other evergreen trees. The animals of Australia are numerous and some of them, like the kangaroo, koala bear, dingo, platypus, Tasmanian devil or barking lizards can’t be found anywhere.

The population of Australia is some 16 million. Around 85% people live in urban areas mainly along the south-east coast. Deserts and the tropical northern part are predictably uninhabited. 95%of inhabitants are of British origin, 3% are made by other European ethnic groups and 1.5% are aborigines.

The official title is The Commonwealth of Australia and it is a British dominion. It has a democratic, federal system and the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. represented by the Governor – General. The head of government is the Prime Minister. The Commonwealth of Australia consists of six states: New South Wales (capital Sydney), Victoria (Melbourne), Queensland (Brisbane), South Australia (Adelaide), Western Australia (Perth), Tasmanian (Hobart) and two territories: The Australian Capital Territory (a part of the country surrounding Australia’s capital Canberra) and Northern Territory (thinly populated).

The Federal Parliament has its seat in Canberra and is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives. Australia is a member of the important international organisations: UN, OECD and the Commonwealth.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand consists of two large islands (North and South Island) in south-west Pacific Ocean Nearest are Australia (on west), Fiji, Tonga on north. Its area is about 269 000 sq. km. Each of two main islands is mainly hilly and mountainous, the highest peak is Mount Cook (3764 m). The coast consists of fertile plains, especially the large Canterbury Plains on South Island. A volcanic plateau is in the centre of North Island. South Island has glaciers and 15% peaks over 3 000 m. The climate is quite pleasant. There is a lot of sun and it often rains there. Summers are not too hot and the winters are mild.

Population is about 3.3 million people. 83%of the whole population live in urban areas. 85% people are of European (above all British) origin and about 9% are Polynesian.

Officially English is spoken here but some people still speak Maori.

New Zealand has a parliamentary system where the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Governor – General. The head of government is the Prime Minister. Elections take place every three years. The country is divided into counties. The capital is Wellington, other big cities are Manukau, Christchurch and Auckland. New Zealand is member of UN, OECD and the Commonwealth.

The United States of America

The USA is situated in southern part of North America. Its neighbours are Canada in the north, Mexico in the south and the Confederation of Independent States in Alaska. It covers the area of abut 9 400 000 sq. km. Central plains are bounded by the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Mountains to west, the Appalachian Mountains to east and alluvialplains around the Gulf of Mexico. The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. It’s the third longest river system in the world after the Amazon and the Nile. The border with Canada is in its control part made by the Great Lakes Region. Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario share the USA with Canada. Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world (after the Caspian Sea). There are big variations of climate. Temperatures change from the arctic cold in northern Alaska to subtropical warmth of Hawaii and the Gulf Coast States. On western coast temperature change very little between summer and winter, the north central states have different climate in summer and winter. There are many national parks in the USA, especially in the Rocky Mountains Region, with beautiful and preserved nature e.g. Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Mount McKinley.

In the USA are about 243 million people. There are 106 major ethnic groups in the USA today. People living here are of all possible origins and all the races can mix here together (it is called “melting pot” “salad bowl”, “Pizza”). The main language spoken here is American English but various ethnic minorities speak their original languages (Chinese, Spanish, etc.). American English differs from British English in vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling. The religious structure of the USA is various. Practically all possible churches and sects exist there.

The USA with the president as the head of state is a federation of 50 states with 48 on the continent, Alaska and Hawaii. There is also one district, D.C. – District of Columbia – it means the land of Columbus – this territory isn’t a state, the state capital is situated here. The largest state is Alaska, the smallest is Rhode Island. The capital is Washington, D.C.

Other big cities according to the population are New York, Los Angels, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and Detroit. The USA is the member of all major international organisations: UN, OAS, NATO and OECD.