THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND NORTHEN IRELAND
The population of the UK is almost 56 mln people. A little more than 7 mln people live in the London area. Britain is mainly an industrial country, and most of the people live in large towns. The lands which produce nothing, especially the hilly country in Northern Scotland , have almost no population.
Great Britain is highly industrialized, this was the country in which the earliest developments of modern industry took place.
London , the capital, is one of many important industrial centres. Lots of things such as clothes, food, planes and cars are made in this area around London .
Birmingham is the biggest town in an important industrial area near the center of England . Machines, cars and lorries are made in this area. TV sets and radios are also produced there.
Manchester in the north-west of England is the center of the cotton textile industry, one of Britain 's most important producers of computers and electronic equipment.
Britain produces a lot of wool, and the woolen industry is centred in Yorkshire , it export wool to many countries.
Great Britain is rich in coal, iron and other metals. Coal-mining is important in South Wales , but many of the mines there have been closed. There is much unemployment in South Wales today. A smaller industrial area is situated in North Wales , where steel and chemicals are produced.
The ship-building industry is of great importance. It is centred in London , Glasgow , Newcastle , near Liverpool , and in Belfast .
Seaports play a great part in the life of the country. London , Liverpool and Glasgow are the biggest English ports.
Sheep can be seen in many parts of England and Scotland , and there are a lot of cattle-farms and farms where milk, butter and cheese are produced by British agriculture.
Wheat is grown in the east of England . Vegetables are grown in all parts of England , especially in the south. Potatoes are grown everywhere.
Some kinds of fruit, especially apples, can grow in the south where the temperature is higher and there are more hours of sunshine than in the northern regions.