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Great Britain or United Kingdom, officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a parliamentary monarchy in northwestern Europe. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Their capitals are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast respectively. The United Kingdom’s flag is the Union Jack. It’s red, white and blue. Each country also has a national ’’emblem’’ or sign. The English emblem is a red rose. The Welsh emblem is a vegetable or flower. The Scottish emblem is a wild plant - a thistle. And the Irish emblem is another wild plant - a shamrock. It’s traditional in Britain to wear your country’s emblem on its saint’s day. The leek doesn’t go in a buttonhole, so the Welsh often wear a daffodil. These are Britain’s patron saints and their days. The Scots, Welsh and English don’t really celebrate their national saint’s days. But St. Patrick’s Day is important for Irish people all over the world. In New York, for example, the Irish people always have a big St. Patrick’s Day parade. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech ‘Great Britain’ is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world. Traditionally it is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are very different from each other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

The Tower of London is associate with many important events in the British history. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it is a museum.

Westminster Abbey- more correctly, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster- is the most famous church in the English-speaking world and one of the world’s great religious temples. Its stones and monuments tell a story of English history over more than nine centuries. It houses the shrine of the only English king to be recognised as a saint. Since 1066 it has been a Coronation church.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as ’’Big Ben’’.

Buckingham Palace is the official