The British Isles

England is the most important component of Britain and is a part of the British Isles. When the British themselves speak of England, they mean only England. When they say Great Britain, they mean England, Wales and Scotland. For the United Kingdom they add Northern Ireland. The British Isles is Great Britain, with the addition of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and other small islands.

The northern and western parts of Britain are highlands, poor inhabited; the eastern and southern parts are lowlands, rich and densely populated. Lowland Britain, essentially Anglo-Saxon, has had an entirely different history from Highland Britain, mainly Celtic. To this day, the Highland peoples – the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish – are distinct in traditions, language, outlook, from the Lowland English.

All over the British Isles, there reigns a maritime climate, temperate and rainy. Winter may be damp and foggy.

England

England is the largest, the industrial and the most densely populated part of the United Kingdom. England with its 45 million people has varieties of scenery and humanity. The North of England is its industrial area, and the South is agricultural.

The coasts of England are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The Channel Tunnel, railway network, is now linked directly to Europe. Eurostar trains run several times a day from the centre of London to Paris and Brussels.

There are many rivers in England. The longest and the most important one is the Thames.

Northern England, Midlands and Southern England – each part of England is different. The Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favourite holiday area.

Scotland

Highland Britain includes Scotland, where over five million people live. Scotland takes up one third of the territory of the British Isles. The largest section is taken up by the Scottish Highlands, a beautiful region of blue peaks, freshwater lakes, called lochs (the best-known is Loch Ness), thinly populated by small farmers and fishermen, some of whom still speak the Gaelic. The Cheviot Hills mark the boundary between England and Scotland. The highest mountain of the Highlands of Scotland is Ben Nevis (1343 metres).

Edinburgh is the capital and cultural centre of Scotland. Scotland was joined into the UK in 1707, after a long struggle for its independence.

The Scotsman of comic papers is supposed to have red hair, and to be addicted to golf, whisky, to wear the kilt and to play the bagpipes. The Scots have a passion for learning, and a magnificent sense of hospitality. They are proud of their great poets Robert Burns, George Byron.

Wales

Wales, where 3 million people now live, was long protected from invasion by its mountains, which accounts for the survival of the Welsh language and culture. Wales is a highland country of old rocks. North Wales is known for its feudal castles, and impressive scenery including mountains and valleys. South Wales is a land of high hills. The pride of Wales in scenery is Snowdonia, a region of high mountains. Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

The capital of Wales is Cardiff, the largest city of Wales. Wales became part of England in 1536.

The Welsh are fond of folk music, singing, poetry and drama.

Wales has its own flag called the Welsh dragon. A red dragon is the official symbol of Wales.