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.