Britain in Brief.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with anarea of 244 000 square miles is situated on the British Isles, which areseparated from the European continent by the North Sea, the Strait of Doverand the English Channel. Britain's population is over 56 million. Four outof every five people live in towns. The largest cities of the country are
London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The UK is a monarchy: the head of the state is a king or a queen.
In practice, the Sovereign reigns, but does not rule: the UK is governed bythe Government. The present Sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II.

The territory of Great Britain is small. Yet the country has awide variety of scenery.

The heart of Britain is England. It is the richest, the mostfertile and most populated in the country. The north and the west of
England are mountainous, but all the rest of territory is a vast plain. In
Northwest England, there are many beautiful lakes with green, wooded orgrassy shores and grey mountains all around.

The smallest of Britain's countries is Wales. The largest part of
Wales is covered with rocky mountains, which are difficult to climb. Mostpeople in Wales live in the coastal plains.

Scotland is a land of mountains, wild moorlands, narrow valleysand plains, famous lakes and no end of large and small islands. The
Highlands of Scotland are among the oldest mountains in the world. One -third of the people in Scotland live in or near its capital, Edinburgh, and its great industrialcenter, Glasgow.

The capital of Great Britain, London, stands on the Thames. The
Thames is the busiest and the most important river in Great Britain, but itis not very long. The climate of Great Britain is mild.