"2. THE UNITED KINGDOM – GEOGRAPHY, PLACES OF INTERESTS

• Explain the terms: England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, the British Isles, the Commonwealth of Nations
• Read the map of the UK (geographical features)
• Talk about British industry and agriculture
• Talk about places of interest

The United Kingdom is situated to the northwest of the European continent, between the Atlantic Ocean
and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 243,600 km2. Total population of the United Kingdom is about 63 million inhabitants. It is the third largest number of population in the European Union. The capital city of the United Kingdom is London. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland /Ulster/. The official language is English, other regional languages are Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Welsh. The form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The head of the state is Queen Elisabeth II. and the prime minister is David Cameron. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946. It has been a member of the European Union since 1973; it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G8, the G20 and NATO. One of the symbols of the United Kingdom is the flag, called Union Jack. This flag is made up of three crosses, it symbolises England /red/, Scotland /white/ and Ireland /blue/.

Terms
 England – the largest part of the Great Britain
 Great Britain – the biggest island of the UK /England, Wales, Scotland/
 British Isles – all the islands that belong to the UK
 The United Kingdom – a country consisting England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- A shortcut of official name
 The Commonwealth – a free association of the UK and its former colonies and dominions"