The united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland (the uk) occupies a territory of the british isles (5, 500 islands) with the total area of 244, 100 sq. km. the uk is situated off the north-western coast of europe between the atlantic ocean and the north sea. it is separated from the continent by the english channel and the strait of dover. the uk is also washed by the irish sea, the st george’s channel and the north channel. surrounding the british isles by the water has been an important protection against the invaders throughout the english history. and certainly, it influences the climate of the country.the uk consists of four parts and every part has its national emblem: england – the red rose, scotland – the thistle, wales – the daffodil and the leek, northern ireland – the shamrock. the capitals of the four parts are london, edinburgh, cardiff, and belfast respectively.one can’t describe the country without mentioning its surface. the island of great britain can be divided into two main regions: lowland britain and highland britain. lowlands comprise southern and eastern england. highlands include scotland, wales, the pennies, the lake district, and the southern peninsula of britain. many rivers are flowing through great britain, such as the longest severn with its tributaries, the swiftest spey, the busiest thames, etc. all parts of great britain are worth seeing.the population of the uk is over 57 million people. the official language is english, but some people continue speaking their mother tongue: scottish in western scotland, welsh in northern and central wales, and irish in northern ireland.the flag of the uk is made up of three crosses of the patron saints: the upright red against a white background – st george of england, the white diagonal against a blue background – st andrew of scotland, the red diagonal against a white background – st patrick of northern ireland. the english people have the habit of naming their national flag “the union jack”.the uk is a constitutional monarchy. the head of the state is the queen who reigns with the support of parliament.for a long time the uk has succeeded in remaining one of the important commercial centres of the world. nowadays the uk doesn’t depend upon economics and industrial manufacturing of other countries​