Geography of Great Britain

There are four countries in the United Kingdom of Great Britain: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is the largest of the countries. Southern Ireland is a republic and is not a part of the UK.
There are not many rivers in the UK. The longest river is the river Severn. There are also not many lakes in Great Britain. There are some in Scotland and some in the north of England. The largest lakes in Scotland are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness, which became famous because of the "Loch Ness monster". The climate is mild and damp. Britain has not very hot summers, no extremes of temperature, rain all the year round.
The highest mountain in GB is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1 300 m).
Northern Ireland is very beautiful place. It is a land of mountains, rivers and lakes. Belfast is the capital of NI. NI is formed by six counties. There are the problems between Protestants and Catholics, which started several centuries ago, still continue and are more political than religious.
The south of England has nearly half of England's population. Most of the people live in London and the area around. County Kent is called the Garden of England. Bristol is the center of the aviation industry and Rolls Royce makes airplane engines there. Huge stones of Stonehenge set up in a circle on Salisbury Plain are associated with sun worship. Windsor Castle was built 900 years ago. England's kings and queens have lived there ever since.
The Midlands and the North is center of various industries. Yorkshire, Leeds and Bradford have been associated with wool. Manchester became a very important center for the production of cotton. Newcastle became known for its shipbuilding but there is only one major car company in Birmingham now.
Scotland has become an important center for computer production. Edinburgh is the official residence of the Queen. Glasgow is the second biggest city in Scotland.
Wales is famous for its castles, mountains, beautiful valleys, and its national parks. The Welsh have been famous for their singing. Welsh is now spoken as a first language by more than 20 per cent of the population.