United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom or the
UK) is a constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe.
Commonwealth consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It
occupies the whole island of Great Britain, Northern part of the island
of Ireland and most of the rest of the British Isles. Ireland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands are considered the closest neighbors of the United Kingdom. Isle
of Man and Channel Islands are a variety of "crown area" and are linked
to the United Kingdom by various mutual obligations, not being a part
of it (as well as part of the EU). Gibraltar is a British territory, outside the EU, with its own government.
Today,
Britain is a mixture of cultures of indigenous people and immigrants
with incredible history and dynamic modern culture, each of which is
highly important for the world. Although Britain is no longer a "sea mistress", UK continues to attract many tourists. The capital and largest city is London.
Britain
is a constitutional monarchy, the head of state - the Queen (or King),
the Prime Minister is appointed by democratic elections. The
Prime Minister is not directly elected by popular vote, he is the
leader of the largest parliamentary party or coalition that forms the
government. Members
of parliament are elected in constituencies across the United Kingdom,
and the members of the House of Lords (the upper chamber of the British
Parliament), or inherit their seats in parliament or appointed by them. In
response to the movement for national autonomy (local government) in
Scotland and Wales have recently been formed parliaments with some
domestic laws and tax powers, nevertheless it they still send
representatives to the British Parliament at Westminster, which
regulates all other issues, including international relations . England
does not have a national government as such, and is directly controlled
from Westminster and in recent years there has been growing concern
about this in England, especially after it has been accepted by many
unpopular laws restricting freedom of British members of parliament in
favor of the Scottish Labour Party supporting the Government . For
a long time Northern Ireland had the right to self-government, as much
as Scotland and Wales today, but growing political tensions led to the
cancellation of the provision in 1973. Self-government was returned to this part of Britain in 2007.
The use of maps
Most
cards are issued UK Ordnance Survey of Great Britain (England, Scotland
and Wales) and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland. Cards,
which are sold in bookstores, or directly printed by these
organizations or by private publishers maps, but all data are based on
information available in the map control.
The
result is that the traveler is expedient to use cards widespread scale
the map in the guide books or maps derived from other information
sources. As a rule, they are presented in the format of [xx999999] (eg [SU921206]) and allow you to quickly find any object on the map. If
you are using GPS, make sure that it is set in accordance with the
British national grid (BNG) and the reference point in the system OSGB.
Also, any e-mail address has a zip code, or an individual, or combining several subjects. Zip
code to determine the location of the recipient, up to tens of meters
for facilities located in the cities, and if you specify the house
number and street name, we find the location of each object (at the
intersection of two roads at home with the same number can have the same
zip code). Most internet mapping services enable to find any object by zip code.
Ordnance
Survey maps with a scale of 1:50,000 or 1:25,000 can even see the
details such as the contour lines of objects, places of public access
and navigable site. For
such a class, as they do walking almost indispensable, and in rural
areas they represent individual farm buildings and (on the cards with
the highest scale) stone fence.
Climate UK climate is humid and temperate, defined over the North Atlantic and its proximity to the sea. The warm, humid summers and mild winters make the weather better for active pastime outdoors all year round. However, I must say that the weather in the UK can be changeable and it is often windy and wet. British
rain - no more than a legend, in practice, the length of rain for two
or three hours - a rarity, and at times in some parts of the country may
not be a rainy week, especially in the east. Much more frequent - the sky, overcast. As
a rule, leaving the premises is likely to be prepared for weather
changes, jumper and coat is usually sufficient, unless the street is not
winter.
Since the UK from end to end was spread about a thousand miles, the temperature can vary significantly in the south and north. There are also differences in the intensity of rainfall between the drier climate east and wetter west. Weather
in Scotland and the North-West of England (particularly the Lake
District), usually rainy and cold, and in the north of Scotland and
another with heavy snowfalls. North-east of the country and the middle band is also characterized by a cold climate, although with less abundant rainfall. The southeastern part of the country tend to be more dry and warm, while the southwestern warm and mostly wet. For
Wales and Northern Ireland is characterized by a range of temperatures
from cold to moderate rain, while in the hilly regions of Wales are at
times heavy snowfall. Despite
the fact that the highest parts of the UK rarely reach 1,300 meters
above sea level, and their impact on both the temperature and the
rainfall is very significant.
Training
The UK is the center of education has been 1,000 years and has many old and famous universities. Many
former polytechnics and other colleges have become universities over
the past 25 years, and in the UK there are more than 120 certified
schools in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The
two most famous university - Oxford and Cambridge (often called the
British Oxbridge), but apart from them in England, there are several
world-class facilities, including a few in London (the most famous are:
Imperial College School of Business. Cash London School of Economics, University College and King's College, all - of the University of London).
In
addition to the main London universities in England are located in
Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, York,
Nottingham, Bath, Loughborough, Newcastle, Southampton, Warwick and
Durham.
Scotland
has its own partially separate system of education with universities
Aberidine, Dundee, Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Neypirsky universities, the
University of Queen Margaret and Heriot-Watt), Glasgow (University of
Glasgow, University of Strathclyde and Caledonian University), Stirling
and St Andrews.
In
Northern Ireland, there are only two universities: Queen's University
Belfast and the University of Ulster (with campuses in Belfast,
Jordanstown, Coleraine and Londonderry). Although
Queen's University is older and well-known, both deserve a high degree
of respect in the UK for their excellent quality of education.
Traditionally, the University of Wales comprised four large universities in the city: Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea.
Foreign
students make up a significant proportion of pupils in British
universities, as of 2004, the number was more than 300,000. All
applications go through the Control Service of admission to
universities and colleges (UCAS), which acts as a focal point, sending
applications to universities for consideration, and then transferring
them to a decision applicants. The tuition fee for foreign students differ significantly, making much more money into prestigious universities.
UK - London, Manchester and Edinburgh in particular - is an extremely popular place for people who want to learn English. A
huge number of organizations and companies willing to satisfy their
desire (among them there are the more worthy of respect, and not
particularly attractive options).
What to see Parks and scenic spots
In
the UK, there is a weight of national parks and recognized places of
outstanding natural beauty, the main purpose is to preserve the natural
heritage of the country. There
are 14 national parks in England, Scotland and Wales (9 in England, two
in Scotland and three in Wales) and 49 places of outstanding natural
beauty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (35 in England, 4 in
Wales, 9 in North Ireland and on the 1 st of England and Wales). In
Scotland there are no places of outstanding natural beauty, but there
exists an equivalent - national scenic spots, of which there are 35 in
the country. Attractions
Stonehenge - the ancient stone circles that are located near the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire; Georgian architecture and Roman baths in Bath; York monastery in the center of York; Canterbury Cathedral - the residence of the head of the Church of England. Located in Canterbury, Kent; Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company; The ancient and world renowned universities of Oxford and Cambridge; Eden Project near St Austell - extensive botanical gardens, which include an indoor rainforest and Mediterranean biocenosis; Giants
Road - located 100 kilometers from Belfast on the north coast of
Northern Ireland, is a world heritage site and a natural wonder; Portsmouth
historic dockyard - the birthplace of three of the most famous ships,
the monument to the 800th anniversary of maritime history.
Clubs
Night clubs are popular in medium and large cities. Bournemouth,
Brighton, Manchester, London, Leeds and Sheffield has world famous
clubs, along with many of their alternative venues. Prices
in clubs tend to be much higher than in the pubs, and the work may not
be as attractive as before, because the pubs are now open as late.
Most clubs are not allowed visitors under 18. ID may be required at the entrance, but check at the bar less common. Clubs
are generally cheaper on weekdays (Mon-Thu), as most of the visitors to
these institutions, students, but usually have to pay an entrance fee.
For
clubs in small towns fee is usually 1-2 pounds per night on weekdays
and 2-3 pounds at the weekend, and more than 5 pounds during the rare
special occasions. Conventional clubs in big cities and alternative clubs in the major cities will charge 5.10 pounds. Big
clubs, especially in big cities with large dance floor, typically
charge an entrance fee of more than 10 pounds, and sometimes more than
15 pounds. For
towns with a large number of students are often going to the club
during the week (Monday-Thursday) is much cheaper than the weekend, and
many clubs attract students on such nights, offering discounted drinks
and a lower entrance fee. Movement in the country Moving on a plane
To
overcome the short distances within the country is more practical and
cheaper to use other ways to move, rather than domestic flights. The main domestic airports are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The
emergence of low cost airlines Ryanair and easyJet at London Gatwick
Airport, as well as Luton and Stansted airports has led to this boom in
domestic air travel and a significant reduction in the cost of airline
tickets. In
Scotland, under license from British Airways company operates Loganair,
intended for domestic flights in the area between the Scottish
Highlands and islands, as well as flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh
(tickets must be ordered through the web site of British Airways).
In order to get the best price for a ticket, it is recommended to book tickets as soon as possible before the scheduled flight. It
is important to bear in mind that the majority of British regional
airports are not connected to the railway network of the country, the
message with the surrounding cities is through expensive bus
transportation.
