Vladimír Kincl 2.A
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located off the northwestern coast of
continental Europe. The United Kingdom lies on the island of Great Britain and the north part of the
island of Ireland. The Royal Greenwich Observatory near London is on the Prime Median.
The United Kingdom lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the North See. The English Channel is
located between the southeast coast of England and northwest coast of France. There is the Channel
Tunnel in the English Channel. This 50km long tunnel links the United Kingdoms with France. The
south of the UK is warmer and drier than the north.
The highest mountain of the UK is Ben Nevis (1 334 meters), it's located at Grampain Mountines in
Scotland.
The longest river of the United Kingdom is the River Seven (354km), this river flows through
Wales and England.
The largest lake is Lought Neagh in Northern Ireland, with an area of 392 square kilo meters. The
deepest lake is Loch Morar in Scotland. Its maximum depth is 309 metes.
England is the largest country of the United Kingdoms, the second one is Scotland. The smaller
ones are Wales and Northern Ireland.
All individual countries of the UK have their own capital: Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales),
Belfast (Northern Ireland) and London (England). London is also the capital city of the whole
country.
London, the capital city of the United Kingdom is the largest city and also it's the city with the
highest population there. London is the seat of the Government of the United Kingdoms, which is
located around the Palace of Westminster.
The government system of the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is
Queen Elizabeth II. The UK has a parliamentary government, the Parliament of the United
Kingdom has two houses. The first one is an elected House of Commons and the second one is an
appointed House of Lords.
The Pound sterling, commonly called the pound is the official currency of the United Kingdom and
its dependencies and territories. It is subdivided into 100 pence (1 penny). The origins of sterling
comes from the eighth century. The decimal system in the currency has been used since 1971.
Before that the system was really complicated. The pound was divided into the 20 shillings and
each shilling into 12 pence, that means 240 pence to the pound.