The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has an overall area of 244,110 square кm. It consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a total population of 60 million. A few small islands are also included in the territory--the Hebrides west of Scotland, the Scilly Islands in the Channel, and the Shetland Islands in the North Sea.

Great Britain has a mild seacoast climate with four distinct seasons. Winters are mild and humid and summers, cool and humid.

England is famous for its green hills and fertile lowlands; the landscape of Wales and Scotland is mountainous and rugged while Northern Ireland is mainly a flat country, with numerous marshlands. Ben Nevis, the highest peak at 1343 m, is in Scotland. The Severn is the longest river at 354 km. It is also the natural border between England and Wales.

All countries of the UK have their own culture. Scotland and Wales have their own parliaments. Scotland also has an independent church, its own money, and independent legal and educational systems. At the head of the monarchy is Queen Elisabeth II of the Windsors.

Between 1750 and 1900 England emerged as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Factory manufacturing replaced handicrafts and brought about profound social changes. New cities arose to support the new mode of production. Today these industrial cities still exist; their factories, however, are empty, because manufacturing in other parts of the world has become more profitable.

The capital city of London, with a population of about 8 mln,  is a major world commercial and financial center. Starting in the 1960's, large numbers of immigrants from the former British colonies and Asia have settled in London.

Tourist attractions in London include famous historical buildings such as Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and the Houses of Parliament.

The fertile lowlands in the Southeast supply the largest share of the agricultural production in the United Kingdom. The most important industrial centers are situated in Central England, around the coalfields of the Penninisch Mountains. The North and West are hilly and fertile with livestock grazing in the fields. Red deer and sheep dot the hills of the rugged and scarcely populated Scottish Highlands where one can catch a glimpse of the magestic eagle. 

Great Britain boasts the richest oil and gas deposits in the European Union.

The traditional English breakfast includes tea, toast, eggs, bacon, and links. Other famous British recipes include roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, shepherd's pie and scones served with whipped cream and jam at tea time, "kippers" (salted smoked herring or salmon) and kidney pie. Fish and chips is also a typical English dish. English tea and beer and Scotch whisky are world-famous.