THE UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom, is composed by England, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland and
borders north with the Atlantic Ocean, East with the North Sea, at West with the Irish Sea, and
South with the English Channel. Its capital is London.

The Est of England is the lowest and flattest region of

England and is an important agricoltural area. There are
important fishing ports and Felixstowe is the largest
container port in the country. The most important town is
Cambridge for its world-renowned university.

The Midlands is the most intensely industrialized area of Britain, but also a peaceful
countryside with century-old villages immersed in rich farmland.
Birmingham is the biggest city, together with other industrial cities such as Coventry, Derby
and Leicester.

The North of England is a region with mountains like the

Pennines and the Cumbrian mountains. This area is also
famous for its factories, coalmines and industrial cities such as
Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester.

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 The South of England is characterised by hills, fertile
farmland, quaint villages and historical cities. The biggest
city is London which is crossed by the river Thames. The
south coast is a popular tourist destination and there are
important ports such as Southampton and Portsmouth.

Scotland forms the Northen part of Great Britain. The

main population live in the Central Lowlands area.
Glasgow is the biggest city while Edinburgh is an
important financial centre. The Highlands in the north
of Scotland offer incredible mountain scenery with
many lakes, including the famous Loch Ness, and Ben
Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles.

Wales is a small country. The north of the country is mountainous and tourism in this area is
very important. The south coast is the main inhabited and idustrialised area.

Northern Ireland shares a border with the Republic

of Ireland and is separated from Great Britain by the Irish
Sea. It has a varied terrain with the Mourne Mountains,
fertile agricutural land and beautiful coasts and beaches.
The River Lagan valley and the area around Belfast are the
main industrial areas.

The official religion is the Anglican Church, its currency is the pound and the language is
English. It is a Costitutional Monarchy, where the Queen is the Head of State; she is the symbol
of the country . The actual Queen is Elisabeth II, whose official residence in London is
Buckingam Palace. The United Kingdom is a Parlamentary Democracy. It consists of two
branches: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Eduation in the UK
There are two categories of schools:state schools and private ones.
About 93% of children attend State Schools whic are administered
by local governments. The stages of the education system are three:
• Primary Education (age 5-11);
• Secondary Education (age 11-16);
• Tertiary Education (age 16-18 not required).