25.

TÉTEL

GREAT BRITAIN
The British Isles is the name given to England, Scotland, -(fekvés, a célnyelvi ország(ok) főbb jellemzői
nagyság, főváros, pénznem,
Wales and the whole of Ireland in the geography books. The United államforma, parlament)
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) is the name of
the land the Queen reigns over. Southern Ireland is independent of the -(éghajlat,
a legismertebb földrajzi értékek
tájak, városok) és turisztikai
UK. Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic-ocean. The highest nevezetességek
mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis and Snowdon. The
- néhány történelmi esemény
south coast has a mild and sunny climate which makes it popular with
both holiday-makers and the elderly. The east coast is flat and it is - ismertebb ünnepek, szokások
dominated by agriculture.
England occupies about 244,100 square kilometres area. Its -közlekedés,
a mindennapok kultúrája (étkezés,
a társas érintkezés formái)
population is 57 million and currency is Pound Sterling (£, font). The
capital is London and the spoken languages are English and Welsh. - kulturális értékek
Britain has a two-party system of the Labour and the
Conservative Party. The governmental model that has been operating in Britain since 1688 is called
Constitutional Monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (king, queen) as the Head of State. The monarch
has very little power and can only reign with the support of Parliament. Parliament consists of two houses: the
House of Commons and the House of Lords. There were several well-known prime minister in the UK.
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman Prime Minister. John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown is the current
one. Queen Elizabeth II. has been reigning in the country for more than 50 years. Her son, Charles is going to
succeed her. In 1990 John Major was elected as PM, he had a very successful European policy and adopted a
more compromising attitude.
British people watch a lot of television and also said to be the world’s most dedicated home-video
users. This doesn’t mean that they’ve given up reading. In Britain more papers are sold than in any other
country in the world. Some of these people have the reputation of being shy and reserved with strangers. But
others are extroverts and talk to anybody. British people don’t like answering personal questions about their
private lives. You must never ask them how much money they earn, or how old they are. Everybody knows that
all Englishmen wear bowler hats, pinstripe suits and carry umbrellas; Scotsmen are mean, hate spending
money and drink whisky all day long; Welshmen do nothing play rugby and sing (and some British people tell
jokes about Irish). Interestingly enough, the English drive on the left. Tourists must be very careful if they want
to drive and walk in England. It is difficult to get used to their traffic. What’s more, the steering wheel of their
cars is on the right side.

Regions
Scotland
There are three large geographical areas in Scotland: the Highlands, the Lowlands and the Islands, 5 million
people live in Scotland. Edinburgh is the capital; Glasgow is the chief industrial and commercial city. Places to
visit:
- The Edinburgh Festival – for music and drama
- Loch Ness – to catch a glimpse of the monster?
England
- Hadrian’s Wall – named after the Roman Emperor Hadrian – was completed in the 2 nd century. It is
huge fortification all along the Scottish border.
- The Lake District – an area of mountains and lakes which looks larger than it really is. It has dramatic,
romantic scenery.
- Stratford-on-Avon – the birthplace and burial place of William Shakespeare. The Royal Shakespeare
Company plays here at the Festival Theatre as well as in London.
- Stonehenge (it is made of stones, the great circle of standing stones is believed to have had some
religious or astronomical purpose)
- Windsor – the town on the River Thames. Its castle is a royal residence.
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 - Eton – close to Windsor. The famous public school here was founded in 1440.
- Canterbury – the cathedral and the residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the religious head
of the Church of England.
- Oxford and Cambridge – the famous (and the oldest) university towns in Britain.
The Sights of London
- The Tower of London (an ancient fortress; to play an important part in British history; to serve as a
palace and a prison; to be a museum; crown jewels; to be guarded by beefeaters), raven (holló)
- Buckingham Palace (residence of the queen; changing of the guard at 11:30)
- Westminster Abbey (to contain tombs and monuments of famous Britons; to be the scene of coronations
and royal weddings)
- Houses of Parliament (to have parliamentary sessions; a flag on Victoria Tower; Clock Tower – Big
Ben), House of Lords, House of Commons
- ST. Paul’s Cathedral (second largest dome in the world; built by Sir Christopher Wren in the 17 th
century)
- Trafalgar Square (heart of London; fountains and pigeons; Nelson’s Column (Nelson was an admiral,
who defeated Napoleon’s troops in a battle at Waterloo ; The National Gallery)
- The Monument (to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666)
- Downing Street No. 10. (residence of the Prime Minister;)
- Famous bridges: Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge
- Famous museums: The British Museum, The New London Museum, Tate Gallery, Victoria and Albert
Museum
- Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks (in Baker Street, famous people, politicians, actors… in waxwork)
Wales
The capital is Cardiff. There are 2.9 million inhabitants in Wales. The highest number live in the industrial
areas of South Wales. There is a Welsh language. Welsh folklore and language strengthen each other. Every
year a national festival of traditional poetry and music is held. It’s called the “Eisteddfod”.
Northern Ireland
The country’s capital is Belfast. It is a land of lakes, rivers and a varied sea coast. It is a great place for outdoor
sports and for tourism – when times are peaceful. Above all, the Northern Irish people are friendly and
generous.
 The most well-known festivals in England
14th February: It's St Valentine's Day; many people send a card to the one they love or someone whom they
have fallen in love with. People usually do not sign these cards and a lot of time is spent trying to guess who
has sent them.
31st October: Hallowe'en means 'holy evening' and takes place on 31st October. Although it is a much more
important festival in the United States than Britain, it is celebrated by many people in the UK. It is particularly
connected with witches and ghosts. At parties people dress up in strange costumes and pretend they are witches.
They cut horrible faces in potatoes and other vegetables and put a candle inside, which shines through the eyes.
People may play difficult games such as trying to eat an apple from a bucket of water without using their hands.
In recent years children dressed in white sheets knock on doors at Hallowe'en and ask if you would like a 'trick'
or 'treat' (csokit vagy csalunk). If you give them something nice, a 'treat', they go away. However, if you don't
they play a 'trick' on you, such as making a lot of noise or spilling flour on your front doorstep.
5th November (Guy Fawkes Day): In 1605 King James I was on the throne. As a Protestant, he was very
unpopular with Roman Catholics. Some of them planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November

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