The United Kingdom
Listen to the recording and write the appropriate words.
Hello, everyone! Today we will talk about Britain, or the UK. I hope you know what
this abbreviation .
Well, the full name of the state is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. As the name suggests, the country consists of a few parts. To
be , it is a union of four countries: England, Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Where is the UK located? It is located in Northwestern Europe. It
Great Britain (the biggest British isle), a part of
Ireland ─ Northern Ireland, and many smaller islands.
As mentioned earlier, the UK comprises four countries, or, in other words,
nations. The first of these is England. England is often
with the UK as a whole because it’s the largest and most populous of the nations.
Remember, England is a country, the UK is a union of four countries.
To the north of England is Scotland, to the west is Wales, and Northern Ireland is
in the north of Ireland. Note that Northern Ireland is a part of the UK but the rest
part of the is the Republic of Ireland which is a separate country
from the UK.
Speaking about the geographical position, we should mention the seas which
surround the isles. The UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the north-west
and west, by the North Sea in the east, and by the English Channel in the south.
The North Sea and the English Channel Great Britain
from continental Europe. The Celtic Sea is to its south-west. The Irish Sea lies
between Great Britain and Ireland.
Even Great Britain is an isle, it is connected to continental
Europe by the Channel Tunnel which is about 38 km underwater. So, from London
trains go through the channel to Paris in France and Brussels in Belgium.
Who lives in the UK? Over 66 million people live there. They are British. But while
you can call them all British, it’s not recommended, as the four countries
don’t like each other.

People living in England usually say, ‘We are English’, or ‘We are British’. If a
person lives in Wales he says, ‘I’m Welsh’. If he lives in Scotland, he says, ‘I’m
’. And if you travel in Northern Ireland, you will speak to the
Northern Irish.
Each country has its own system of administration, but the head of the UK is a
monarch. To date (the year of 2018), Elizabeth II is the Queen of the .
The image of the queen’s head can be found on banknotes, coins, and stamps.
The royal family is a traditional symbol of the Kingdom.
The Union Jack is another symbol of the UK. Do you know what it is? It is the
national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack includes some elements of
three flags ─ the flags of England and Scotland, and the old flag of Ireland. Each
country has its own flag the Union Jack.
Finally, at the end of the video, help me complete a sentence about London. Are
you ready?
London is … the capital of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Questions:
1) What countries does the UK consist of?

2) Where is the UK located?

3) How can you get to Paris from London?

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