A journey

Through the English-Speaking World

Ireland

Land: The Republic of Ireland takes up about 83% of the island of Ireland,
which is located in north-western Europe. Ireland is a small country with an area
of just 70,285 km2. Although there are high mountains near the coasts, the central
part of Ireland is flatter and used for farmland.

Climate: Most of Ireland is mild and wet throughout the year, giving Ireland
its green countryside and earning it the name of The Emerald Isle.

People: Dublin is both the capital and the largest city. However,
only about 57% of the Irish people today live in urban areas. The first
Irish people probably came from Scandinavia to Scotland and then to
Ireland about 8,000 years ago. Since then, Ireland has been invaded and
colonized by Celts, Vikings, English and Scots. Today, most of Ireland’s
3,590,000 population are of Celtic origin. It was the Celts who first
introduced the language we know today as Irish, which is one of the
country’s official languages. English is the other official language.

New Zealand

Land: Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is a

small country of about 270,543 km2. It is made up two main islands, the
North Island and the South Island, as well as a number of smaller
islands. The North Island is famous for its volcanoes and many hot
springs as well as its many forests, hills and mountains. The South
Island has many high, snow-capped mountains.

Climate: Most os the country is mild and rainy throughout the

year, with the South Island much cooler than the North.

People: Although Wellington is the capital city, it is not the

largest. About one third of New Zealand’s population lives in Auckland,
the largest city in New Zealand. Today, only about 15% of all New
Zealand lives in rural areas. Most of New Zealand’s 3,683,000
population are descendants of British settlers. About 526,000 Maoris
also live in New Zealand. Their ancestors came from the Polynesian
Islands about 1,000 years ago. Today, the official language of New
Zealand is English, although many Maoris speak their own language,
Maori, as well.

Canada

Land: Canada, with an area of 9,970,610 km2, is the second largest

country in the world, spread across the top of North America. Canada is
perhaps best known for its vast size, and variety of natural wilderness
areas. The high mountains in the west of Canada are covered with
green forests and crystal clear lakes, while in the centre are flat lands
known as prairies. Further south, there are rolling hills.

Climate: The climate ranges from temperate in the south to arctic

in the north. In fact, the far north arctic landscape is so cold that trees
cannot grow there. In the north the winters are cold and summers are
short and quite cool, whereas in the south the winters are cold, and the
summers are warm. It is wet on the costs and dry in the centre.
 People: Ottawa is the capital of Canada, but Toronto is the largest
city, with a population of over 4 million. More than one third of
Canada’s population f 29,450,000 are the descendants of British
immigrants and there are almost as many descendants of French
immigrants. This is why both English and French are the official
languages of Canada. Other large immigrant groups include German,
Italian and Asian people.