Топик на тему "The UK. Geographical Political Outlook"

The UK. Geographical/ Political Outlook

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire­land (the UK) is the official name of the state which is situat­ed in the British Isles. It consists of four countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

The UK is an island state. The two main islands are Great Britain and Ireland. They are separated by the Irish Sea. The UK is separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The UK is also washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the North Sea in the east.

In Britain the Queen is the Head of State, but she doesn’t rule the country. The Queen is a symbol of the country. She is very rich. She travels about the UK, meets different people and visits schools, hospitals and other special places. The Queen of Great Britain is also the Head of Commonwealth and the queen of Canada, Austra­lia, New Zealand.

The real power in the country belongs to the British Par­liament and to the British Government. The British Parlia­ment has two ‘houses’: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords doesn’t have much power but it is very important as it can offer and change laws. The House of Commons makes laws about the policy of the country, taxes and many other things. The members of the House of Lords are not elected. These members are permanent. They are often aristocrats, people of the church, lawyers and former politicians. The members of the House of Commons are elected. The British people elect 650 members of the House of Commons every five years.