The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is a country to the north-west of Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is divided into four constituent parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Most of England consists of lowlands. The main rivers are the Thames and the Severn. Scotland has lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Wales is mostly mountainous. Northern Ireland is mainly hilly. The capital of the UK is London. The United Kingdom's population is 60.5 ml. The language of the state is English. The flag of the UK is known as the Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses that symbolise patron saints of England, Scotland, and Ireland. As for the national emblems, they are a red rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Ireland, and a yellow daffodil and leek for Wales.
The UK is a major centre for international business and commerce. London is the world's largest financial centre. It is the leader of three “command centres” for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). The principles of liberalisation, the free market, low taxation and regulation make the UK economy the fifth largest in the world. The UK service sector (73% of GDP) is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 mln tourists a year, the United Kingdom is the sixth majortourist destination in the world.
The British manufacturing sector is still an important part of the economy. But it only accounts for one-sixth of national output. This includes British motor industry, civil and defense aircraft production, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The UK agriculture is only 0.9% of the country's GDP. The UK has a small coal reserve and large natural gas and oil reserves.
Officially Great Britain is a state of the constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch is the head of state. But the Crown is only sovereign by the will of parliament. The Queen acts on the advice of her ministers. That's why we say that the monarch reigns but does not rule. Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom.
The main functions of Parliament are to legislate bills and debate or discuss important political issues. British Parliament is bicameral with an upper house, the House of Lords and a lower house, the House of Commons. The Queen is the third component of Parliament. The public do not elect the Lords, they are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. The House of Commons is a democratically elected chamber with elections held at least every 5 years. The House of Commons is an elected House.
The party that has won the General election makes up the majority in the House of Commons. It also forms the Government. The party with the next largest number of members in the House forms the official Opposition. The main political parties of the country are the Conservative, the Labour, and the Liberal parties.
The executive power belongs to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Crown. Automatically it is the leader of the party which wins the majority. The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers. They are personally chosen by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet of Ministers introduces legislation, controls finance, conducts foreign affairs, and supervises every department of administration.
The judicial system of the UK is represented by criminal and civil courts. This includes magistrates, crown and county courts, as well as the High Court of Justice.
The UK is a leading member of various international organisations, for example, the EU, the G8, and NATO. It has close relationship with the countries of the Commonwealth and other English-speaking countries.
2. ответьте на вопросы, дополните ответы информацией из гиперссылок.
1. Where is the UK situated?
2. What are the constituent parts of the UK?
3. What is the capital of the UK?
4. What services dominate in the UK service sector?
5. What industries are mostly developed in the UK?
6. Who is the head of the country?
7. What chambers does Parliament consist of?
8. What are the main political parties of the UK?
9. What does the judicial system include?
10. What countries does the UK have close relationship with?

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