1 What do you know about the United Kingdom? Write T (true) or F (false).
1 Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
2 Most of the UK population lives in Scotland.
3 England is agricultural and industrial.
4 The symbol of Wales is a red dragon.
5 Scotland has the same legal, justice, education and banking system as England.
6 Glasgow is the capital of Northern Ireland.2 Read the text and check your answers.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Wales --and
Scotland) and Northern Ireland is north-west of mainland
Europe.
51 million people live in its biggest country, England, a
fertile agricultural region, industrial centre and international
melting pot. Cornwall, in the south-west, is perfect for surfers,
walkers and art-lovers with its long coastline, futuristic
botanical gardens -the Eden Project -and great art galleries.
The Norfolk Broads, a canal network in south-east England,
offer cycling, boating or bird-watching; and London, the
capital, in the south-east, is full of history, style and
enterta i n ment.
Wales is a small, mountainous and coastal country with
frequent rain from the Irish Sea with an economy based
on tourism and agriculture. There are about 3 million
people, but 10.2 million sheep! Losing political
independence from England in 1282, Wales became semi-autonomous
through its National Assembly in 1999, thanks to a strong sense of identity
based on language and culture and represented by its symbolic red
dragon. Tourist attractions are: the cosmopolitan capital, Cardiff, with its
72,500-seat Millennium Stadium and recently developed Cardiff Bay,
with hotels, bars, restaurants, cinemas, museums, an arts centre and a
leisure village; Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons, favourite beauty
spots for hikers; and many romantic historical castles.
Scotland is the UK's northernmost country with a harsh climate, dramatic
landscapes and a population of just 5.1 million. Scotland was united l1
with England in 1707, but it's very independent due to separate legal,
justice, education and banking systems and more recently a devolved
parliament. The economy is based on oil and gas, the service sector,
and whisky exports. Places to visit include: the beautiful capital,
Edinburgh, with an annual arts festival; Glasgow with its Victorian architecture, industrial history and modern
music, cafe and art scenes; the UK's highest mountain, Ben Nevis; its deepest lake, Loch Ness, with its legendary
monster; or the wild and remote Outer Hebrides islands with rare wildlife.
Northern Ireland is also semi-autonomous with a population of 1.7 million in the nort h-eastern part of Ireland.
Separated from southern Ireland since the 1920s, it was well-known for the violence betv/een epublicans and
Loyalists, which ended in 1998. Its main exports are textiles and machinery. Places to visll rc de: the capital,
Belfast, with its political murals; the Victorian Grand Opera House and the Titanic's Doe' a- : e breathtaking
Giant's Causeway, famous for its incredible rock formation.