Great Britain Physical Background
Great Britain occupies a group of large islands, that lie north-west off the coast of Europe. Great Britain comprises 4 parts. They are: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The official name of Great Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its total land area is 93,018 square miles (240,940 km²).
The seas surrounding the British Islands are very shallow. These shallow waters provide excellent fishing grounds. The west coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, the east coast is washed by the North Sea and the south coast – by the English Channel. The population of Great Britain is some 56 mln. people.
The greater part of England and Northern Ireland is flat. Scotland and Wales are mountainous. They are rich in minerals. The highest mountains are Ben Nevis in Scotland, Snowdon in Wales. England and Northern Ireland are rich plain with good soil and valuable pastures. Great Britain has many rivers, but they are short and not good for transport. The longest rivers are the Severn (210 miles) and the Thames (200 miles) in England. Great Britain has many harbours.
The seas enter deeply into the land and have a great influence on the climate. The climate of Great Britain is maritime. It is mild and damp. The main disadvantage in British climate is speedy changes in Weather. All over the world Britain is known for its rains and fogs. The winter in Britain is warm because of the Atlantic winds. The smoke-fog, the so-called smog, in winter is very unpleasant. Smog is often caused by the burning of coal in fire-places in private houses.
Government in Great Britain
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. At the head of the state is the queen. Though she is only a formal ruler, she pervades legislation and administration of Great Britain. She summons and dissolves Parliament. The queen is the biggest landowner in Great Britain.
The legislative power is vested in Parliament. The British Parliament consists of 2 houses: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons has 653 members. It is elected every 5 years. Any British citizen at the age of 21 may take part in parliamentary elections.
The House of Lords is not elected. It has 900 members. About 800 of them are hereditary Peers.
There are 4 main political parties in Great Britain: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, and Communist. The Conservative and Labour parties are the ruling parties. The ruling party which gets the majority of seats in Parliament makes up the Government. The other ruling party is in opposition then. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and his ministers.
The executive power is vested in the cabinet of Ministers. It is composed of Ministers personally selected by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet of Ministers meets at Downing Street 10, the official residence of the Prime Minister.
Economy
Great Britain is a highly industrialized country. It lives by industry and trade. There are gigantic steel plants, coal mines, chemical works and factories. In the center of England there is the Birmingham district where much coal is mined. Many things are made of iron there. The district is called the Black Country. One can see many furnaces, mills, and factories there.
Britain’s basic industries are shipbuilding, coal-mining, iron and steel-making, electronics and electrical engineering, aircraft, textiles, and food processing.
The well-known industrial centres in Great Britain are London, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. They have over 40% of the whole population in Great Britain.
The largest ports in Great Britain are London, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, and others.
Great Britain is a country of extensive farming as well. Everywhere there are signs of good sheep and cattle-breeding, crop and grass cultivation.