United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

London

Politics

• United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy, headed by the queen. Parliament is the supreme authority throughout the territory. The relationship between people and government are regulated by legislative acts, unwritten laws and conventions.

Science

• In the UK, were made many important inventions: antibiotics, electronic computer, a modern bike, photography, steam turbine, electromagnetics, stereo sound, a movie, a propeller, the internal combustion engine, electronic computer (PC) and others.The maine academic institutions are the London Royal Society of Science and the British Akademy of Social Sciences.

Culture

• Culture of the United Kingdom is rich and varied. It is largely influenced by the culture on a global scale. The UK has strong cultural ties with its former colonies, especially with those States where English is the official language. Significant contribution to British culture over the past half of the century have made immigrants from the Indian subcontinent and the Caribbeans. During the formation of the United Kingdom it was composed of former independent countries with different cultures, which should be considered separately.

• The national newspapers are: The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer, The Financial Times, The Daily Express, The Sun, The Mirror, The People.

Some Interesting Facts about the UK

• There is no written constitution in the UK.• The House of Commons is the only place in Britain where no one can enter except its members. Even the Queen of England, as it is not a member of the House.• In the UK, traditionally the position of First Lord of the Treasury takes the prime minister and the Queen takes the position of First Lord of the Admiralty.

LONDON

About origin of name

• The modern name of the city - London - comes from the Latin word "Londinium". There is no consensus about the origin of the word, but scientists have repeatedly put forward the hypothesis on the etymology of the name.

Transportation• Buses are used for the local

trevelling. There are 700 routes on which buses are carrying on weekdays about 6 million passengers. Famous coaches are the Routemasters, which became a symbol not only of London but also across the UK. They were removed with a linear operation in 2005 and now only go on excursion routes.

• London Underground is the oldest in the world. It has constantly worked since 1863 and daily transports 3 million passengers, approximately 1 billion people in a year.

• The famous London black taxis look exactly the same way as seventy years ago, except for advertising, covering now many of these cars.

The famous streets and squares• Piccadilly the street and

thearea is the economic center of the city.

• In the middle of the Trefalger square is a monument in honor of Horatio Nelson, who commanded the British fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.

• Oxford Street is a shopping street. There are boutiques and shopping malls there

• Harley Street is a street in Westminster, which became famous as a street of doctors. Many doctors still lead the practice on Harley Street.

• Abbey Road is a famous recording studio, where many legendary artists made their recods, among them : The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Manfred Mann and others.

• Baker Street is the street in which the Sherlock Holmes Museum is situated.

Traditions and ceremonies

• Britain is known as a country of traditions. Many of them have been preserved since ancient times, and Londoners are always proud of them.

• Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is one of the most famous and popular tradition with tourists in London. This ceremony takes place daily at 11:30 a.m. from April until August.This tradition is one of the most beautiful in London.• Ceremony of the Keys - a 700-years-old ritual of closure of the Tower –is run by its chief guard at exactly 21:50 every day.

• Except Easter, Christmas and New Year, all the holidays in England fall strictly on Monday. The New Years day is celebrated in the family with a traditional apple pie. Easter is always celebrated in April. Easter Monday is the day when all the people congratulate each other and give presents to children in the streets such as sweets and toys.

THE END