Indroduction

United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The
United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England,
Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is
sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among
the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include
Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland,
Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.
The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced to the time of the Anglo-Saxon king
Athelstan, who in the early 10th century CE secured the allegiance of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms
and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” in the words of a
contemporary chronicle. Through subsequent conquest over the following centuries, kingdoms lying
farther afield came under English dominion. Wales, a congeries of Celtic kingdoms lying in Great
Britain’s southwest, was formally united with England by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542.
Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to
form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. (The adjective “British” came into use at this time to
refer to all the kingdom’s peoples.) Ireland came under English control during the 1600s and was
formally united with Great Britain through the Act of Union of 1800. The republic of Ireland gained
its independence in 1922, but six of Ulster’s nine counties remained part of the United Kingdom as
Northern Ireland. Relations between these constituent states and England have been marked by
controversy and, at times, open rebellion and even warfare. These tensions relaxed somewhat during
the late 20th century, when devolved assemblies were introduced in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and
Wales. Nonetheless, even with the establishment of a power-sharing assembly after referenda in
both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, relations between Northern Ireland’s unionists (who
favour continued British sovereignty over Northern Ireland) and nationalists (who favour unification
with the republic of Ireland) remained tense into the 21st century.

The United Kingdom has made significant contributions to the world economy, especially in
technology and industry. Since World War II, however, the United Kingdom’s most prominent
exports have been cultural, including literature, theatre, film, television, and popular music that draw
on all parts of the country. Perhaps Britain’s greatest export has been the English language, now
spoken in every corner of the world as one of the leading international mediums of cultural and
economic exchange.

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 The United Kingdom retains links with parts of its former empire through the Commonwealth. It
also benefits from historical and cultural links with the United States and is a member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Moreover, the United Kingdom became a member of
the European Union in 1973. Many Britons, however, were sometimes reluctant EU members,
holding to the sentiments of the great wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, who sonorously
remarked, “We see nothing but good and hope in a richer, freer, more contented European
commonalty. But we have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We
are linked, but not comprised. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed.” Indeed, in June
2016, in a referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain in the EU, 52 percent of
British voters chose to leave. That set the stage for the U.K. to become the first country to do so,
pending the negotiations between the U.K. and the EU on the details of the separation.

London- the capital of Great Britain

London is the capital and most populous city of both England and the United Kingdom. Standing
on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major
settlement for two millennia. It was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's
ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1.12-square-mile (2.9 km2) medieval
boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this
core, historically split between Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, which today
largely makes up Greater London,a region governed by the Mayor of London and the London
Assembly.

London is a leading global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance,
healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transportation.It is
the world's largest financial centreand has the fifth or sixth largest metropolitan area GDP in the
world.London is often regarded as a world cultural capital. It is the world's most-visited city as
measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city airport system measured by
passenger traffic.It is the world's leading investment destination,hosting more international
retailersand ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. London's universities form the
largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe.In 2012, London became the first city
to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

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 London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in
the region. Its estimated mid-2016 municipal population (corresponding to Greater London) was
8,787,892, the largest of any city in the European Union and accounting for 13.4% of the UK
population.London's urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426
inhabitants at the 2011 census.The city's metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with
14,040,163 inhabitants in 2016, while the Greater London Authority states the population of the
city-region (covering a large part of the south east) as 22.7 million.London was the world's most
populous city from around 1831 to 1925.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site
comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret's Church; and the
historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich defines the Prime
Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT). Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye,
Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and The Shard. London is
home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions,
including the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, British
Library and West End theatres.The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network
in the world.

Places to go in London
Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large,
mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the
Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the
traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. The building
itself was a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. Between 1540
and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey or a
cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible
directly to the sovereign.

According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at the site
(then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island)) in the seventh century, at the time of Mellitus, a Bishop of
London. Construction of the present church began in 1245, on the orders of King Henry III.

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 Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British
monarchs have been in Westminster Abbey.There have been at least 16 royal weddings at the abbey
since 1100. Two were of reigning monarchs (Henry I and Richard II), although, before 1919, there
had been none for some 500 years.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning
monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the
centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the British people at
times of national rejoicing and mourning.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building at the core of today's palace was a large
townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703 on a site that had been in private ownership
for at least 150 years. It was acquired by King George III in 1761as a private residence for Queen
Charlotte and became known as The Queen's House. During the 19th century it was enlarged,
principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who constructed three wings around a central
courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch on the
accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including
the East front, which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally
congregates to greet crowds. The palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb during World
War II; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works
of art from the Royal Collection.

The original early 19th-century interior designs, many of which survive, include widespread use of
brightly coloured scagliola and blue and pink lapis, on the advice of Sir Charles Long. King Edward
VII oversaw a partial redecoration in a Belle Époque cream and gold colour scheme. Many smaller
reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from
the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The palace has 775 rooms, and the garden
is the largest private garden in London. The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are
open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and
spring.

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The London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London.
The structure is 443 feet (135 m) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet (120 m). When it
opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the
525-foot (160 m) Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 541-foot (165 m) Singapore Flyer in 2008, and the
550-foot (167.6 m) High Roller (Las Vegas) in 2014. Supported by an A-frame on one side only,
unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the
world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".

It is Europe's tallest Ferris wheel,and offered the highest public viewing point in London until it
was superseded by the 804-foot (245 m) high observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard,
which opened to the public on 1 February 2013. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the
United Kingdom with over 3.75 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in
popular culture.

The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former
Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and
Hungerford Bridge beside County Hall, in the London Borough of Lambeth.

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the
mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of
London and is a Grade I listed building. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original
church on this site, founded in AD 604.The present cathedral, dating from the late 17th century, was
designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in
Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of
London.

The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. Its dome, framed
by the spires of Wren's City churches, has dominated the skyline for over 300 years. At 365 feet
(111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the
highest in the world. St Paul's is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom
after Liverpool Cathedral.

St Paul's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity.It is the central subject of
much promotional material, as well as of images of the dome surrounded by the smoke and fire of

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the Blitz. Services held at St Paul's have included the funerals of Admiral Nelson, the Duke of
Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Baroness Thatcher; jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria;
peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince
of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer; the launch of the Festival of Britain; and the thanksgiving
services for the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees and the 80th and 90th birthdays of Elizabeth
II.

St Paul's Cathedral is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services. The tourist entry
fee at the door is £18 for adults (March 2017, cheaper online), but no charge is made to worshippers.

Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of
Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. In this context, a circus,
from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.

Piccadilly now links directly to the theatres on Shaftesbury Avenue, as well as the Haymarket,
Coventry Street (onwards to Leicester Square) and Glasshouse Street. The Circus is close to major
shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. Its status as a major traffic junction has made
Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is
particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the
northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue, which is popularly, though
mistakenly, believed to be of Eros. It is surrounded by several notable buildings, including the
London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus
Underground station, part of the London Underground system.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and
1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic
symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge,
situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream. Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges now owned
and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London
Corporation. It is the only one of the Trust's bridges not to connect the City of London directly to the
Southwark bank, as its northern landfall is in Tower Hamlets.

The bridge consists of two bridge towers tied together at the upper level by two horizontal
walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal tension forces exerted by the suspended sections of

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the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical components of the forces in the
suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust
towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. Before its
restoration in the 2010s, the bridge's colour scheme dated from 1977, when it was painted red, white
and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. Its colours were subsequently restored to blue and
white.

The bridge deck is freely accessible to both vehicles and pedestrians, whereas the bridge's twin
towers, high-level walkways and Victorian engine rooms form part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition,
for which an admission charge is made. The nearest London Underground tube stations are Tower
Hill on the Circle and District lines, London Bridge on the Jubilee and Northern lines and
Bermondsey on the Jubilee line, and the nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower
Gateway.The nearest National Rail stations are at Fenchurch Street and London Bridge.

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built around the
area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British
naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars with France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off
the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain.

The site of Trafalgar Square had been a significant landmark since the 13th century and
originally contained the King's Mews. After George IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace, the
area was redeveloped by John Nash, but progress was slow after his death, and the square did not
open until 1844. The 169-foot (52 m) Nelson's Column at its centre is guarded by four lion statues.
A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square, but the Fourth Plinth, left
empty since 1840, has been host to contemporary art since 1999.

The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including
Bloody Sunday, the first Aldermaston March, anti-war protests, and campaigns against climate
change. A Christmas tree has been donated to the square by Norway since 1947 and is erected for
twelve days before and after Christmas Day. The square is a centre of annual celebrations on New
Year's Eve. It was well known for its feral pigeons until their removals in the early 21st century.

The Shard

The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass,Shard London Bridgeand formerly London
Bridge Tower,is a 95-storey skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in

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Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.7
metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the tallest building in
the European Union, was the fifth-tallest building in Europe and the 96th-tallest building in the
world.It is also the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete
tower of the Emley Moor transmitting station. It replaced Southwark Towers, a 24-storey office
block built on the site in 1975.

The Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and
inaugurated on 6 July 2012.Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. The tower's
privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public on 1
February 2013.The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and
open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244.3 metres (802 ft).The Shard was
developed by Sellar Property Group on behalf of LBQ Ltd and is jointly owned by Sellar Property
(5%) and the State of Qatar (95%).

Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with smaller museums in a number of other major
cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. It used to be known as "Madame Tussaud's";
the apostrophe is no longer used. Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London,
displaying the waxworks of famous and historic people and also popular film characters.

England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.It shares land borders with Scotland to
the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to
the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the
English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain (which
lies in the North Atlantic) in its centre and south, and includes over 100 smaller named islands such
as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic
period, but takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia
peninsula, who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th
century, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant
cultural and legal impact on the wider world.The English language, the Anglican Church, and
English law – the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world

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– developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely
adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its
society into the world's first industrialised nation.

England's terrain mostly comprises low hills and plains, especially in central and southern
England. However, there are uplands in the north (for example, the mountainous Lake District, and
the Pennines) and in the west (for example, Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills). The capital is
London, which has the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European
Union.[nb 1] England's population of over 53 million comprises 84% of the population of the United
Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands,
the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions
during the 19th century.

The Kingdom of England—which after 1535 included Wales—ceased being a separate sovereign
state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in the Treaty of Union
the previous year, resulting in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom
of Great Britain. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland through another Act
of Union to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State
seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland.

Tourist Attractions in England

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, 2 miles (3 km) west of Amesbury. It

consists of a ring of standing stones, with each standing stone around 13 feet (4.0 m) high, 7 feet
(2.1 m) wide and weighing around 25 tons. The stones are set within earthworks in the middle of the
most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several
hundred burial mounds.

Archaeologists believe it was constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The surrounding circular
earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about
3100 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the first bluestones were raised between 2400 and 2200
BC,although they may have been at the site as early as 3000 BC.

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 One of the most famous landmarks in the UK, Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon. It
has been a legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1882 when legislation to protect
historic monuments was first successfully introduced in Britain. The site and its surroundings were
added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and
managed by English Heritage; the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust.

Stonehenge could have been a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. Deposits containing
human bone date from as early as 3000 BC, when the ditch and bank were first dug, and continued
for at least another five hundred years.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo is a zoo at Upton by Chester, in Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931
by George Mottershead and his family.It is one of the UK's largest zoos at 125 acres (51 ha).The zoo
has a total land holding of approximately 400 acres (160 ha).
Chester Zoo is operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded
in 1934. The zoo receives no government funding. It is the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain
with more than 1.4 million visitors in 2014. In 2007 Forbes described it as one of the best fifteen
zoos in the world. In 2017 it was named as the best zoo in the UK and third in the world by
TripAdvisor.

The Eden Project

The Eden Project is a popular visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, UK. Inside the two biomes
are plants that are collected from many diverse climates and environments. The project is located in
a reclaimed china clay pit, located 2 km (1.2 mi) from the town of St Blazey and 5 km (3 mi) from
the larger town of St Austell.
The complex is dominated by two huge enclosures consisting of adjoining domes that house
thousands of plant species, and each enclosure emulates a natural biome. The biomes consist of
hundreds of hexagonal and pentagonal, inflated, plastic cells supported by steel frames. The largest
of the two biomes simulates a rainforest environment and the second, a Mediterranean environment.
The attraction also has an outside botanical garden which is home to many plants and wildlife native
to Cornwall and the UK in general; it also has many plants that provide an important and interesting
backstory, for example, those with a prehistoric heritage.

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 Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered
by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It
had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has
over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the
north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies
within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.

Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from
Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations. Llywelyn ap
Gruffudd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales,
though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole
of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws
in Wales Acts 1535–1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh
Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of
socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was
formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of
Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved
policy matters.

At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, development of the mining and metallurgical industries
transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation; the South Wales
Coalfield's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales' population. Two-thirds of the population
live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff (the capital), Swansea and Newport, and in the
nearby valleys. Now that the country's traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in
decline, Wales' economy depends on the public sector, light and service industries and tourism.
Wales' 2010 gross value added (GVA) was £45.5 billion (£15,145 per head, 74.0% of the average
for the UK, and the lowest GVA per head in Britain).

Although Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, and a
majority of the population speaks English, the country has retained a distinct cultural identity and is
officially bilingual. Over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is
spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century
onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", in part due to the eisteddfod

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tradition. At many international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup
and the Commonwealth Games, Wales has its own national teams, though at the Olympic Games,
Welsh athletes compete as part of a Great Britain team. Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh
identity and an expression of national consciousness.

Tourist Attractions in Wales

Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle , often anglicized as Carnarvon Castle, is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon,

Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment
service. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century
until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure. The
Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales and as a result the
defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past and
the Roman fort of Segontium is nearby.

While the castle was under construction, town walls were built around Caernarfon. The work cost
between £20,000 and £25,000 from the start until the end of work in 1330. Despite Caernarfon
Castle's external appearance of being mostly complete, the interior buildings no longer survive and
many of the building plans were never finished. The town and castle were sacked in 1294 when
Madog ap Llywelyn led a rebellion against the English. Caernarfon was recaptured the following
year. During the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415, the castle was besieged. When the Tudor dynasty
ascended to the English throne in 1485, tensions between the Welsh and English began to diminish
and castles were considered less important. As a result, Caernarfon Castle was allowed to fall into a
state of disrepair. Despite its dilapidated condition, during the English Civil War Caernarfon Castle
was held by Royalists, and was besieged three times by Parliamentarian forces. This was the last
time the castle was used in war. Caernarfon Castle was neglected until the 19th century when the
state funded repairs. In 1911, Caernarfon Castle was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales,
and again in 1969. It is part of the World Heritage Site "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in
Gwynedd".

Conwy

On the north coast of Wales, just a short distance from Manchester, Conwy offers something for
everyone: a stunning castle, medieval architecture, and plenty of shopping. The best views of
Conwy Castle and River Conwy, with its suspension bridge designed by Thomas Telford, are from

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the 13th-century town walls built by King Edward I to keep the Welsh at bay. The National Trust's
Aberconwy House is Conwy's only surviving 14th-century merchant's house and one of the first
buildings constructed inside the town walls. Other interesting homes are the Elizabethan Plas Mawr,
and the Smallest House in Great Britain.

Pembrokeshire Coast

Surrounded by water on three sides, Wales has more than its fair share of dramatic coastline. Some
of the most imposing is to be found along the coast of the Pembrokeshire Peninsula, which juts out
into the Irish Sea. You can explore it on foot along the dramatic Pembrokeshire Coast National
Trail, finding villages like the picturesque little resort of Tenby, still partially enclosed by its
medieval walls. Other Pembrokeshire coast highlights are Pembroke Castle, St. David's Cathedral
(in the town of the same name), and idyllic fishing harbors such as Laugharne, where Welsh poet
Dylan Thomas lived for much of his life; his boathouse home above the bay is now a museum. As
elsewhere in Wales, adventurous travelers can find unique places to stay, including classic old farm
cottages, gypsy caravans, or vintage railcars.

Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the
island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is otherwise surrounded by
the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south-
west. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands,including the
Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages
and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of
England and King of Ireland, thus forming a personal union of the three kingdoms. Scotland
subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create
the new Kingdom of Great Britain.The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which
succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. In 1801, Great Britain
itself entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland.

Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles,
titles and other royal symbols of statehood specific to the pre-union Kingdom of Scotland. The legal
system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern

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Ireland; Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. The continued
existence of legal, educational, religious and other institutions distinct from those in the remainder
of the UK have all contributed to the continuation of Scottish culture and national identity since the
1707 union with England.

In 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature
comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is
represented in the United Kingdom Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6
MEPs.Scotland is also a member of the British–Irish Council,and sends five members of the
Scottish Parliament to the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

Tourist Attractions in Scotland

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh,
Scotland, from its position on the Castle Rock. Archaeologists have established human occupation
of the rock since at least the Iron Age (2nd century AD), although the nature of the early settlement
is unclear. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of David I in the 12th
century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century the castle's
residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as military barracks with a
large garrison. Its importance as a part of Scotland's national heritage was recognised increasingly
from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over
the past century and a half. As one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland,
Edinburgh Castle was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence
in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745. Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges
in its 1100-year-old history, giving it a claim to having been "the most besieged place in Great
Britain and one of the most attacked in the world".

Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century, when the medieval
defences were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St
Margaret's Chapel from the early 12th century, which is regarded as the oldest building in
Edinburgh, the Royal Palace and the early-16th-century Great Hall, although the interiors have been
much altered from the mid-Victorian period onwards. The castle also houses the Scottish regalia,
known as the Honours of Scotland and is the site of the Scottish National War Memorial and the
National War Museum of Scotland. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the

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castle, although its presence is now largely ceremonial and administrative. Some of the castle
buildings house regimental museums which contribute to its presentation as a tourist attraction.

The castle, in the care of Historic Scotland, is Scotland's most-visited paid tourist attraction, with
over 1.4 million visitors in 2013, and over 70% of leisure visitors to Edinburgh visiting the castle.As
the backdrop to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the annual Edinburgh International Festival
the castle has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh and of Scotland.

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the
largest inland stretch of water in Great Britain by surface area. The loch contains many islands,
including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles. Loch Lomond is a popular
leisure destination and is featured in the song "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond". The Loch is
now part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.
There are also two (United Kingdom) National Nature Reserves within the National Park: Loch
Lomond National Nature Reserve and The Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve. The
former is managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and the latter by a partnership of the
Forestry Commission Scotland, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Woodland
Trust (Scotland). Loch Lomond is a corruption of the Gaelic Lac Leaman, or 'Lake of the Elms'.

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland,
both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms
part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it
a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest
downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the
earliest times.

Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few
structures of the fourteenth century remain, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the
early eighteenth century.

Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish
royal residences, very much a palace as well as a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have
been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1542, and others were born or died
there.

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 There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including several during the Wars of
Scottish Independence, with the last being in 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie unsuccessfully tried
to take the castle. Stirling Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is now a tourist attraction
managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

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Conclusion:
Stonehenge, London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral,Buckingham Palace – Britain does icons like
nowhere else, and travel here is a fascinating mix of famous names and hidden gems.

From the graceful architecture of Canterbury Cathedral to the soaring ramparts of Edinburgh
Castle, via the mountains of Wales and the picture-postcard landscape of the Cotswolds, Britain's
astounding variety is a major reason to visit. The cities tempt with top-class shops and restaurants,
and some of the world's finest museums, while cutting-edge clubs and world-famous theatres
provide endless nights to remember. In Britain, there really is something for everyone, whether
you're eight or 80, going solo, or travelling with your friends, your kids or your grandma.

A journey through Britain is a journey through history. But not dull and dusty history – this is
history you can immerse yourself in. You can lay hands on the megaliths of a 5000-year-old stone
circle, or patrol the battlements of a medieval fortress – just as they were patrolled by chain-mail-
clad soldiers many centuries ago. Fast-forward to the future and you're admiring 21st-century
architecture in Glasgow or exploring the space-age domes of Cornwall's Eden Project.

While Britain has a complex culture and esoteric traditions, it feels familiar to many visitors – on
the surface, at least – thanks to a vast catalogue of British film and TV exports. And for most
visitors, Britain's national language – English – is equally familiar, and one more reason why travel
here is a breeze. Of course Wales and Scotland have their own languages, but everyone speaks
English too – and all visitors (even Brits) get a little confused by local accents in places such as
Devon, Snowdonia and Aberdeen.

A final thing to remember while you're planning a trip to Britain: getting from place to place is
pretty straightforward. Although the locals may grumble (in fact, it's a national pastime), public
transport is pretty good and a train ride through the British landscape can be a memorable
experience in itself. Whichever way you get around in this compact country, you're never far from
the next town, the next pub, the next national park or the next impressive castle on your hit-list of
highlights. The choice is endless.

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Glossary:
Term Definition Translation
Abbey the building or buildings Mănăstire
occupied by a community of
monks or nuns
Accesion the attainment or acquisition of Aderare
a position of rank or power.
Afield to, in, or on the field La o mare depărtare
Assembly a group of people gathered Adunare
together in one place for a
common purpose
Athlete a person who is proficient in Atlet
sports and other forms of
physical exercise.
Baroque style also Baroque Of, relating to, or Stil baroc
characteristic of a style in art
and architecture developed in
Europe from the early 17th to
mid-18th century, emphasizing
dramatic, often strained effect
and typified by bold, curving
forms, elaborate
ornamentation, and overall
balance of disparate parts.
Barrack provide (soldiers) with Cazarmă
accommodation in a building
or set of buildings
Bascule a type of bridge with a section Piesă basculantă
which can be raised and
lowered using counterweights.
Biome a complex biotic community biom
characterized by distinctive
plant and animal species and
maintained under the climatic
conditions of the region,
especially such a community
that has developed to climax.
Boathouse a shed at the edge of a river or Casă pe barcă
lake used for housing boats.
Railcar-a powered railway
passenger vehicle designed to
operate singly or as part of a
multiple unit.
Bridge a structure carrying a road, Pod
path, railway, etc. across a
river, road, or other obstacle
Bronze Age a period in the history of Epoca de Bronz
humankind, following the

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 Stone Age and preceding the
Iron Age, during which bronze
weapons and implements were
used
Burial the act of putting a dead body Înmormântare
into the ground, or the
ceremony connected with this
Caravan a vehicle equipped for living rulotă
in, typically towed by a car
and used for holidays
Chronicle a factual written account of Cronici
important or historical events
in the order of their
occurrence. Sovereign-a
supreme ruler, especially a
monarch.
Cliff a steep rock face, especially at Stâncă
the edge of the sea.
Coast the part of the land adjoining Coastă
or near the sea.
Commerce the activity of buying and Comerț
selling, especially on a large
scale.
Conurbation a city area containing a large Conurbație
number of people, formed by
various towns growing and
joining together
Coronation the ceremony of crowning a Încoronare
sovereign or a sovereign's
consort.
Cottage a small house, typically one in Casă țărănească
the country
Deck a floor of a ship, especially the Punte
upper, open level extending for
the full length of the vessel.
Diocese A district under the pastoral Dioceză
care of a bishop in the
Christian Church.
Domestic policy the set of decisions that a Politica internă
government makes relating to
things that directly affect the
people in its own country
Downstream situated or moving in the În aval
direction in which a stream or
river flows
Duke a male holding the highest Duce
hereditary title in the British
and certain other peerages
Empire an extensive group of states or Imperiu
countries ruled over by a

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 single monarch, an oligarchy,
or a sovereign state.
Esoteric intended for or likely to be Tainic
understood by only a small
number of people with a
specialized knowledge or
interest.
Exchange an act of giving one thing and Schimb
receiving another (especially
of the same kind) in return.
Export a product or service sold Export
abroad.
Fee a payment made to a Taxă
professional person or to a
professional or public body in
exchange for advice or
services.
Ferris wheel a fairground ride consisting of Scrânciob
a giant vertical revolving
wheel with passenger cars
suspended on its outer edge
FIFA abbreviation of Fédération Federația Internațională a
Internationale de Football Fotbalului Asociat
Association: the organization
that controls international
football and organizes the
World Cup
Fishing harbour a place where fishing boats are Port de pescuit
tied up
Freshwater of or living in water that is Apă dulce
fresh or not salt
Funeral a ceremony or service held îmormântare
shortly after a person's death,
usually including the person's
burial or cremation.
Garrison a group of troops stationed in a Garnizoană
fortress or town to defend
Headquarters the premises occupied by a Comandament
military commander and the
commander's staff
Heavy industry the manufacture of large, Industria grea
heavy articles and materials in
bulk.
Heritage property that is or may be Moștenire
inherited; an inheritance.
Inhabitant a person or animal that lives in locuitor
or occupies a place
Journey an act of travelling from one Călătorie
place to another.

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Kingdom a country, state, or territory Regat
ruled by a king or queen
Landfall an approach to or sighting of Apropiere de coastă
land
Landmark an object or feature of a Bornă de hotare/ punct
landscape or town that is easily topografic
seen and recognized from a
distance, especially one that
enables someone to establish
their location.
Liberalism a political or social philosophy Liberalism
advocating the freedom of the
individual, parliamentary
systems of government,
nonviolent modification of
political, social, or economic
institutions to assure
unrestricted development in all
spheres of human endeavor,
and governmental guarantees
of individual rights and civil
liberties.
Merchant a person or company involved Negustor
in wholesale trade, especially
one dealing with foreign
countries or supplying goods
to a particular trade.
Metallurgy the scientific study of the Metalurgie
extraction, refining, alloying,
and fabrication of metals and
of their structure and
properties
Metropolis a very large and busy city. Metropolă
Monarchy a state or nation in which the Monarhie
supreme power is actually or
nominally lodged in a
monarch. Statehood-the status
of being a recognized
independent nation.
Jurisdiction-the official power
to make legal decisions and
judgements.
Monarh a sovereign head of state, Monarh
especially a king, queen, or
emperor
Mound a rounded mass projecting morman
above a surface.
Mourning the expression of sorrow for Doliu
someone's death.

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NATO an organization formed in Organizația Tratatului
Washington, D.C. (1949), Atlanticului de Nord
comprising the 12 nations of
the Atlantic Pact together with
Greece, Turkey, and the
Federal Republic of Germany,
for the purpose of collective
defense against aggression
Negotiation discussion aimed at reaching Negociere
an agreement
Olympic Games Also called Olympian Jocurile Olimpice
Games.the greatest of the
games or festivals of ancient
Greece, held every four years
in the plain of Olympia in Elis,
in honor of Zeus
Pedestrian a person walking rather than Pieton
travelling in a vehicle.
Peninsula an area of land almost Peninsula
completely surrounded by
water except for an isthmus
connecting it with the
mainland.
Picturesque (of a place or building) Pitoresc
visually attractive, especially
in a quaint or charming way.
Pivot the central point, pin, or shaft Punct central
on which a mechanism turns or
oscillates
Plain easy to perceive or understand; Clar
clear.
Private law a branch of the law that deals Legea privată
with the relations between
individuals or institutions,
rather than relations between
these and the state.
Railway network a system of intersecting rail Rețea feroviară
routes
Raimforest a luxuriant, dense forest rich in Pădure tropicală
biodiversity, found typically in
tropical areas with consistently
heavy rainfall.
Rebellion an act of armed resistance to Răscoală
an established government or
leader.
Referendum a vote in which all the people Referendum
in a country or an area are
asked to give their opinion
about or decide an important
political or social question

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Regalia the emblems or insignia of Privilegii ale regilor
royalty, especially the crown,
sceptre, and other ornaments
used at a coronation
Reluctant feeling or showing aversion, Fără tragere de inimă
hesitation, or unwillingness
Rock the solid mineral material rocă
forming part of the surface of
the earth and other similar
planets, exposed on the surface
or underlying the soil.
Rugby a team game played with an Rugbi
oval ball that may be kicked,
carried, and passed from hand
to hand. Points are scored by
grounding the ball behind the
opponents' goal line (thereby
scoring a try) or by kicking it
between the two posts and
over the crossbar of the
opponents' goal.
Settlement an official agreement intended Reglementare
to resolve a dispute or conflict
Skyline an outline of land and Orizont
buildings defined against the
sky.
Skyscraper a very tall building of many Zgârie-nori
storeys.
Socialism a political and economic Socialism
theory of social organization
which advocates that the
means of production,
distribution, and exchange
should be owned or regulated
by the community as a whole.
Terrain a stretch of land, especially Teritoriu
with regard to its physical
features
The Blitz an intensive or sudden military Atac prin surprindere
attack
Throne a ceremonial chair for a Tron
sovereign, bishop, or similar
figure.
To adjoin be next to and joined with (a A se învecina
building, room, or piece of
land).
To besiege surround (a place) with armed A asedia
forces in order to capture it or
force its surrender.
To congregate gather into a crowd or mass A se aduna

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To devolve upon smb. To pass on or delegate to A fi de datoria cuiva
another
To donate give (money or goods) for a A dona
good cause, for example to a
charity.
To gain obtain or secure (something A câștiga
wanted or desirable
To grumble to murmur or mutter in A mormăi
discontent; complain sullenly.
To inaugurate to put someone into an official A inaugural
position with a ceremony
Unicameralism a representative form of Unicameralism
government with a single
legislative chamber
Warfare engagement in or the activities Luptă
involved in war or conflict.
Wax a sticky yellowish mouldable Ceară
substance secreted by
honeybees as the material of a
honeycomb; beeswax.
Worship the feeling or expression of Închinare
reverence and adoration for a
deity Junction-a point where
two or more things are joined.

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