GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND G1sr02

 2. GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

The two largest islands of the British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland. There are three regions in Great Britain. They are England, Scotland and Wales. Scotland lies to the north of England, and Wales to the southwest. Ireland lies to the west of Great Britain. It is a smaller island than Great Britain.

The Atlantic Ocean lies between the British Isles and America, and the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. The North Sea is on the east side of Great Britain. To the south is the English Channel. Every day large ships cross the Atlantic Ocean to America, and smaller ones cross the North Sea and the Channel to Europe.

The mountains in Great Britain are almost all in the north and the west. They are not very high; the highest ones are in Scotland. There are many low hills in some parts of the country, but not in the south and east, where there are almost no hills. In summer there is no snow on any of the mountains or hills in Great Britain or Ireland.

There are many rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The rivers which run to the east are longer than the ones which run to the west.

The Thames is one of the longest rivers in England. It is a very beautiful river. It is in the south of the country and runs to the east, into the North Sea. London, the capital of Great Britain, is on the Thames.

London is a very old city. Today it is one of the largest cities in Europe. More than nine million people live there.

The port of London is one of the greatest ports in the world. Ships from all countries go up and down the Thames. They bring food to the people of Britain.

Then they take British machines and other things back to the ports from which they came.

There are many scenic spots in the West of England. The lakes here are the most beautiful in England. There are trees, and flowers and green grass round them.

The water is almost always very still, and you can see the green hills, the brown mountains and everything else round the lake upside down in the water. There are boats on all the larger lakes, which take people from one side to the other. There are always a lot of boats on the lakes in summer.

Travellers from many countries of the world go to the West of England in summer. There are boat races on the largest lakes, and people from many places in Great Britain and Europe come to see them. Young people travel from one place to another on their bicycles, or walk from one lake to another.

There are large lakes in Scotland too with mountains round them. They are not like the English ones; there are not so many trees and flowers, and green hills round them, but they are beautiful too. The mountains here are higher, and they are grey and dark.

Some people think that this part of Scotland with its lakes and mountains is more beautiful than the West of England. Other people say it is not more lovely, but it is more interesting.

Ireland is a very beautiful country. It is not far from England, and some people like to go there for their holidays. Ireland is even greener than the West of England. It rains very often there, but it is never very cold, and snow almost never falls. The west wind brings rain from the Atlantic Ocean, and much of it falls on Ireland and on the west of England and Scotland.