Англо-говорящие страны

ENGLISH – SPEAKING COUNTRIES

and

THEIR

SYMBOLS.

Разработана учителем английского языка МБОУ «Лицей г. Уварово им. А. И. Данилова»

Спицыной Светланой Александровной

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

• The UK consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
• The national flag of the UK is called the Union Jack . It combines three flags representing England, Scotland and Ireland.
• The capital of the UK is London.

Under the British Constitution the Monarch remains the head of the state but the power of Her Majesty the queen of the UK is limited by the British Parliament.

Queen Elizabeth II

The National Symbol of England.

• The flag of the Patron Saint of England is St. George’s Cross – red cross on a white ground.
• The red rose is the symbol of England.
• The capital of England is London.

Scotland

• Its national flag is the flag of the Patron Saint of Scotland (St. Andrew’s Cross – white diagonal cross on a blue ground.
• For many centuries the purple thistle has been Scotland’s national emblem.
• The capital is Edinburgh.

Northern Ireland

• Its national flag is the flag of the Patron Saint of Northern Ireland (St. Patrick’s Cross – red diagonal on a white ground.
• The shamrock is the symbol of Northern Ireland.
• The red hand is also a symbol of Northern Ireland.
• The capital is Belfast.

Wales

• Wales has 2 national symbols – the daffodil and the leek ( лук – порей)
• The proud and ancient battle banner of the Welsh is called the Red Dragon and consists of a red dragon on a green and white background.
• St. David of Wales is not represented in the Union Jack probably because Wales is a principality, not a kingdom.
• Cardiff is its capital.

The United States of America.

• The United States of America is also referred to as the United States, the USA, the U.S., America and the States (in colloquial speech)
• Its capital is Washington, D. C

The American Flag.

• The flag of the USA is called Stars and Stripes.
• It has 13 horizontal stripes and 50 stars in the left top corner. The stripes represent original 13 colonies. 50 stars represent current 50 states of the USA.
• The colours have symbolic meaning too: red – hardiness ( смелость) and valour ( отвага)

The National Symbol of the USA, the bald eagle ( белоголовый орлан) , is the only eagle unique to North America.

Canada. It is the second largest country in area after Russia. Ottawa is the capital of Canada, situated on the banks of the Ottawa River.

The National Flag of Canada, well-known as “Maple Leaf ”, is a red 11 – pointed maple leaf in the centre on a white field.

The beaver is the official animal symbol of Canada.

Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia is formed of Australia, Tasmania and several smaller islands. Canberra is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Australia.

The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven – pointed star represents States and Territories, and the small stars from the “Southern Cross” are an outstanding feature of night sky in the Southern Hemisphere.

The national symbol is the kangaroo .

New Zealand.

• New Zealand is an island country with a total area of 268, 680 sq km.
• Its capital is Wellington.

The Symbols of New Zealand.

• The stars of the Southern Cross on the flag show countries location in the South Pacific Ocean. The Union Flag shows that New Zealand was once a British Colony.
• The symbol of New Zealand is the kiwi – a flightless bird, native to the country.