London. Sights of London

London, the capital of Great Britain, lies in the valley of the Thames. “Greater London” stretches for over thirty miles from the north to south and for over thirty miles from east to west. Its population is over eight million people. London is the biggest industrial and cultural centre of Great Britain. It is also a very big port, one of the greatest commercial centres in the world, a universal city, and the seat of the government of Great Britain.

The Romans, the Saxons and the Danes settled here in turn, and after them the Normans came. London survived the Plague, which killed nearly 100,000 people, and the Great Fire which followed. Little damage occurred during World War I, but World War II brought tremendous destruction. Many buildings of great historic value were laid in ruins and today the face of London is changed. Yet much was spared, including the Tower, St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey.

One of the oldest buildings in London is the Tower. William the Conqueror, the first Norman king, built it in the eleventh century. For hundreds of years the Tower was used as a fortress, a residence of kings and a prison. The most popular sights in the Tower nowadays is the Jewel House in which the Crown jewels are on display.

St. Paul’s Cathedral is not very far from the Tower. The cathedral, the most striking building in the city, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, an outstanding British architect.

The City of London is a very small part of the whole, it is only one square mile in area but it is the most important banking and commercial centre of the country.

If you walk westwards from St. Paul’s you reach Fleet Street. Here the most important newspapers and news-agencies have their offices.

Walking along the Strand you can reach the Houses of Parliament. The new building for the Houses of Parliament was built in 1840 on the site of the old Palace of Westminster. Big Ben, the most accurate clock in the world, is in the Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament.

Opposite the Houses of Parliament stands Westminster Abbey, famous for its architecture and historical associations. Nearly all kings and queens have been crowned in the Abbey, since the time of the Conquest. Chaucer, Spencer, Tennyson, Dickens and many other famous men and writers were buried there. In the Poet’s Corner there are memorials to Shakespeare, Milton, Burns, Byron and other poets and writers.

One of the most beautiful places in London is Trafalgar Square. It was named in the memory of Lord Nelson’s great naval victory. Admiral Lord Nelson is the Britain’s national hero who defeated the French fleet in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. A high column was built in his memory. It stands in the centre of Trafalgar Square. At the base of Nelson’s Column are four great lions. The square is usually full of visitors feeding pigeons or watching the traffic.

Buckingham Palace is the residence of the British monarch. When the queen is here the royal standard is flying on the roof.

One of London’s attractions is its parks, Hyde Park the most famous of them.

Geographical position of Ukraine

Ukraine is a rich farming, industrial and mining region in south-eastern Europe. It is an independent democratic state. Its population is about 49 million people. Its capital is Kyiv. Ukraine has its own armed forces and maintains its own diplomatic relations with foreign countries.

The territory of Ukraine is 603,700 square kilometers. Two such countries as Italy can be placed on this territory. Ukraine stretches for more than 1300 km from east to west and about 900 km from north to south.

Ukraine borders on Belarus in the North, Russia in the East and Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova in the West. The country is washed by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in the South. The depth of the water area near the Ukrainian coast is no more than 120 metres and only at the south coast of Crimea it is up to 2 kilometres. The geographical position of Ukraine is ideal for the development of its resources. The land of the country is rich in coal, ore, iron ore, oil, non-ferrous metals. Ukraine has for many years been known as the Breadbasket of Europe. This is mainly due to its ability to produce vast amounts of grain. Central and southern Ukraine is almost all steppe, or prairie land with very fertile black soil perfect for farming grain. In the east is the industrial capital of Ukraine, containing large reserves of mineral deposits, known as the Greater Donbas or Donetsk Basin.

Within the borders of Ukraine there are the Carpathian Mountains with the highest pick Hoverla 2061m high and the Crimean Mountains with the highest pick Roman Kosh 1545m high.

Ukraine is the country of many rivers. The Dnieper river divides Ukraine into two parts: Right-Bank and Left-Bank Ukraine. The Danube gives Ukraine access to European countries and the Siversky Donets – to the Don.

The economic potential of Ukraine is great. Ukraine is criss-crossed by railroads and highways, oil and gas pipelines.

The climate of Ukraine is different in different parts. Most of Ukraine has a moderately continental climate, though it is alpine in the Carpathians and subtropical in parts of the Crimea.