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GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain is formed from the following parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and is situated on the British Isles which lie to the west of the continent of Europe. Great Britain is separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. It is washed on the western coast by the Atlantic Ocean and by the Irish Sea, the latter separating England from Ireland»

Great Britain being an island, its climate is rather mild. Thus the weather, which is greatly influenced by the cool wind that blows from the sea, is cooler in summer and warmer in winter than in most other countries of Northern Europe. There is not a single point in Great Britain, which is more than 120 kilometers away from the sea.

There are many rivers in Britain, the Thames, the Mer­sey, the Aires and others but none of them are very long. Many of the rivers are joined by canals, so that it is quite possible to travel by water from one end of England to the other.

Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, the average density being over 200 people per square kilometers, 80 per cent of the popula­tion live in towns. The population of Great Britain is more than 56 million.

England is one of the most powerful capitalist countries In Europe. There are many big industrial cities here, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Sheffield and many others. London, its capital, which is situated on the river Thames, is one of the biggest commercial centers of the world.

One of the leading industries of Great Britain is the textile industry. Coal, iron and steel as well as various machines are also produced there. Shipbuilding and motor industries are highly developed too.

Northern and Western England is a coal, metal and textile country. The most ancient centers of English iron and steel industry are Birmingham and Sheffield. Iron smelting based on local ore deposits has been practiced here since ancient times. In the period of England's industriali­sation Birmingham and Sheffield played the leading role in the creation of England's heavy industry.

Each of the two towns became the centre of various industries. Especially great is the variety of industries in Birmingham. One can find any type of production here, from steel smelting to manufacturing the most delicate articles. Various machinery, railway cars, motorcars, electrical equipment, scientific instruments and many other things are produced in Birmingham in great quanti­ties. Alongside with the most modern big plants, a lot of old small enterprises are to be found in this town.

Sheffield is the city of steel. It has specialized in producing high-quality steel and articles of steel, heavy armaments, wheels of railway cars, weaving looms, knives, fine instruments, etc.

The main centers of the textile region are Liverpool and Manchester.

Manchester is the chief cotton-manufacturing city sur­rounded by a number of towns. Every town has specialized in producing certain kinds of yarn and fabrics. Plants pro­ducing textile machinery not only satisfy the needs of British industry but also export great quantities of machin­ery to the other countries.

Liverpool is the principal port of Western England. It stands on the river Mersey. It is first in Great Britain in exports and it comes second after London in imports. Imports passing through Liverpool consist of cotton, wool, non-ferrous metals and oil; exports consist of fabrics, yarn, textile machinery, electrical equipment and chemicals.

CLIMATE IN ENGLAND

In England it is never too hot or too cold. This is be­cause of the sea which keeps the island warm in winter and makes the air cool in summer.

The weather in England changes very often. They never have the same kind of weather for a long time.

In spring the weather is generally mild but sometimes they have really cool days. In summer it is not so hot as on the continent. In winter they have all sorts of weather. Sometimes it rains and sometimes it snows. In England it is never so cold in winter as on the continent; the rivers and lakes are seldom covered with ice.