The United Kingdom

The UK, a complete name – the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly shortened in English to ‘the United Kingdom’ is an island nation in Western Europe. The United Kingdom is one of the largest countries in Europe, the UN Security Council member state, nuclear power. Heir to the British Empire which was the largest country in the world in the XIX – early XX century.

The capital of the UK is the city of London, one of the largest cities in Europe and a major international financial and economic centre. Greenwich Observatory which is the place to determine the prime meridian is located in London. The state is located in the British Isles (island of Great Britain and north-eastern part of island of Ireland, a large number of small archipelagos and islands). It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and south-east coast is only 35km from northern coast of France, which are separated by the English Channel.

London

London is a political, economic and cultural capital of the UK, which startling sights are known to tourists around the world. Regardless of age, travellers will always find leisure for their liking in the county of Greater London. They are waited for by old 30 gardens and 120 buildings of historic significance, more than 200 museums, 600 cinemas and 108 music halls. 33 London areas called ‘Boro’ including the City of London occupy an area of over 1,572km 2 .

The River Thames flows through the whole city, from Richmond in the west to Greenwich in the east, including through the city centre in the district of Westminster. Cruises on the river and short excursions by waterbuses are a convenient and great way to know the city better.

Those wishing to relax in the nature are also offered exciting opportunities for choice. Almost a third of the capital accounts for parks, scenic areas and beautiful streets. One of the main advantages of London is an extensive infrastructure. The city has five international airports and high-speed rail line Eurostar. It will take only three hours to get from London in one of 50 countries by air. 310 states have a direct connection with the capital of the UK. London is not just one of the world capitals, it holds itself a whole world where each tradition and ethnicity has a place within the same city. More than 300 languages are spoken here and more than 70 cuisines’ dishes are served daily. Despite the fact that the official language is English, the city and outskirts speak several other European languages. Given the size of the multi-ethnic population of London, varied foreign speech sounds in the capital every day.